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Rumormill: BMW reconsidering cruiser market with six-cylinder naked bike?  


The internets are all abuzz with word that BMW is considering using its new six-cylinder motorcycle engine on models other than the 2012 K1600GT and GTL. As cited by Visor Down, BMW originally showed off the lump on its Concept 6, which is helping to fuel rumors pointing to the arrival of a naked K1600R. Such a model would replace the current K1300R, but there are a few hitches to that giddy up.

For starters, the big 1600 actually produces 13 less horsepower than the outgoing 1300 four-cylinder, so BMW engineers would need to spend some time wringing additional ponies out of the lump before it could be considered a legitimate successor to the K1300R throne. Additionally, the 2012 K1600GT boasts a substantial price increase over the outgoing K1300GT, and chances are that the math would translate down to any K1600R model. That would make the bike less competitive in the market unless BMW managed to find a way to keep the price tag down.

There's reason to believe the inline six would be better suited to a more relaxed category of motorcycle, which has some recalling the old BMW R1200C. The situation is more than a little murky, but as Visor Down points out, we likely won't see a new bike boasting the big six-pot until 2013 at the earliest.