BMW Motorrad Unveils Concept 101 Tourer

The bagger-style tourer is based on the K1600 and was unveiled at the Villa d'Este concours event by Lake Como in Italy. It gets its name from the 101 cubic inch capacity (1649cc), which it shares with the K1600GT and GTL models. It's called the Concept 101 and it is as production ready a bike as any other out there.

By Ameya Naik

1 mins read

Published on May 25, 2015

Highlights

The thing about concept s in the automotive world is that they are usually brought out to gauge customer perception towards the product before thinking about bringing it into production. But when you look at the concept from BMW Motorrad, they were pretty sure they wanted to be in this space. It's called the Concept 101 and it is as production ready a bike as any other out there. The bagger-style tourer is based on the K1600 and was unveiled at the Villa d'Este concours event by Lake Como in Italy. It gets its name from the 101 cubic inch capacity (1649cc), which it shares with the K1600GT and GTL models. The number 101 also stands for the place where the vehicle came into being. It was not far from Highway 101, at the design studios of the BMW Group subsidiary Designworks in Newbury Park, California. "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" said Edgar Heinrich, Head of BMW Motorrad Design. The front trim in brushed aluminium is flatly integrated into the flow of the styling. The integrated headlamp gets a double circular appearance which gives it the bike its muscular stance. Tailpipes on both sides, each with three outlets, visualise the number of cylinders the bike has and then there is the resounding beat of the 1649cc engine which ensures that you hear it before you see it. The highlight at the rear is the unusual rear light cluster. The design of the LEDs is reminiscent of former road cruisers and is extremely expressive. The Concept 101 when it sees the light of production, will rival the likes of tourers like the Honda Goldwing.