BMW reveals six-cylinder Concept 101

BMW have just revealed this six-cylinder Concept 101 at the prestigious Villa d’Esta Concorso event held in Como, Italy, which heralds the arrival of a bagger production bike later this year.

The Concept 101 takes the engine and chassis from the K1600GT range but strips away as much as possible for a low, sleek and stylish look the German firm says captures ‘The spirit of the open road.’

BMW are remaining extremely tight-lipped over the production plans for the bagger, but MCN sources have told us this bike – along with a revamp for the rest of the K1600GT and GTL models – will be revealed later this year, to go on sale in 2016.

The Villa d’Esta Concorso has been used by BMW as the launch event for the last two years for firstly the Concept 90 in 2013 and then the Concept Roadster in 2014. Both bikes lead to the launch of production bikes within months in the shape of the BMW R nineT and the BMW R1200R.

Edgar Heinrich, Head of BMW Motorrad Design said: “The Concept 101 opens up a new chapter in the history of our concept bikes. It is the BMW Motorrad interpretation of endless highways and the dream of freedom and independence – the perfect embodiment of ‘American touring’.

“Designing this big touring bike study was amazingly exciting for us because we haven’t been involved with a motorcycle concept like this before. To me, the Concept 101 is the epitome of elegance, power and luxury on two wheels.”

The Concept 101 name comes from the capacity of the bike of 1649cc but roughly converted into cubic inches. BMW also claim the name came from the Highway 101 which is near to the BMW design studios in California where this bike was designed. The location of the design studio gives a clear indication of the intended market for this bike.

The bagger market in the US is huge with Harley-Davidson scooping up an enormous slice of the sales and other manufacturer trying to muscle in.

You can read the full story about the Concept 101, the story of how it was designed and what it means for production bikes in the May 27 issue of MCN.