BMW new 6 cyl bike

http://www.gizmag.com/bmw-concept-6-six-cylinder-motorcycle/13346/

God its ugly..... but 1600cc of torque...



BMW released stunning images this week of a new concept motorcycle
that nobody saw coming, featuring the resurgence of an engine
configuration we all thought was long-dead. In recent years Triumph
has stamped itself as the master of modern triples, and now BMW has
made a clear statement of intent that it's bringing the inline six
back to the bike world. The Concept 6 showcases a brand-new 1600cc
engine that's four inches narrower than any previous production six,
and produces truly prodigious power and torque throughout the rev
range. And it's housed in a cafe racer body that has to go down as the
sexiest motorcycle design BMW have ever produced. Sensational stuff...
We can has production model plz?

Six-cylinder motorcycles
Inline six-cylinder motorcycle engines don't make a huge amount of
sense on paper - for a given engine capacity, they tend to be heavier
and considerably wider than a comparable four-cylinder. They deliver
power, grunt and smoothness advantages, but historically, not enough
to compensate for their weight. Even so, when Honda's CBX1000 debuted
in the late 1970s, its exotic engine and six snaking, chrome headers
made it an instant cult classic that still turns heads to this day.

But the CBX was, at its heart, simply a branding measure - a monument
to Honda's engineering prowess and a demonstration that the company
could build exciting, excessive machines. It fascinated the punters
and delivered ball-tearing performance for its day, but the engine's
power was gobbled up by its excessive weight, and its imposing width
played merry hell with the bike's center of gravity, resulting in
handling troubles that could never be compensated for - at least when
it was placed alongside four-cylinder wonders like Suzuki's GSX and
the later V-4 Honda Interceptor.

Today there are precious few production sixes on the motorcycle
market. Honda's Goldwing is the only major contender; the GL has been
gradually increasing its engine capacity over the years but sticking
to a flat six format since 1988. Testers frequently describe the
current-generation GL1800 engine as the smoothest powerplant they have
ever sampled.

Still, the idea of high-performance six-cylinder motorcycles has
pretty much wandered off the radar in recent years. Suzuki's
Stratosphere concept of 2005 raised a lot of eyebrows, but there
haven't been any hints that the "New Katana" will actually get off the
ground. So when BMW released details of its Concept 6 cafe racer this
week, perhaps the biggest surprise was the strong language in the
press release promising that the new Bavarian inline six isn't just an
engineering exercise:

"The new BMW straight-six will further expand the K-Series in the
foreseeable future. The first model to be introduced will be an
innovative and luxurious BMW touring machine."

So, having established that a Beemer Six is indeed on the way, let's
take a closer look at the Concept 6.

The Concept 6 engine - 1600cc of pure, 6-cylinder grunt
The Concept 6 design team was determined not to let the engine blow
out to the party-pooping width of the CBX's imposing donk - and it
looks like they've done a good job keeping it acceptably narrow. Each
cylinder is still slightly oversquare (its bore is slightly larger
than its stroke), which will help it spin up and develop horsepower at
higher revs, but the stroke is relatively long compared to the ratios
used in BMW's inline fours, keeping those cylinder bores as narrow as
possible while retaining the ability to rev.

There's very little space in between cylinders, and the alternator and
other electrics have been relocated from the side of the engine back
behind the crankshaft in the spot above the transmission. The overall
result is a motor that BMW claims is four whole inches narrower than
the previous thinnest inline six on the market - and only slightly
wider than a big inline four.

With a capacity of 1600cc, and all the extra exhaust headers and gear
required by an inline six, it's still going to be a very heavy
powerplant, but BMW have used a trick from their K-series sportsbikes
to neutralize the negative effects that big lump of metal could have
on the bike's handling. With the engine tilted forward by 55 degrees,
the main bulk of the cylinder bank is kept low, pushing the centre of
gravity down and forward, which should help keep the bike flickable
and fun in the twisties.

Peak output will reportedly be similar to the K1300 series engines -
somewhere around 170 horsepower - but the big six will belt out a
massive 130 Nm of torque from just 2000rpm. For reference, the torque
monster Suzuki GSX1400 peaks at about 125 Nm at around 4700rpm. The
new engine's torque peak is unspecified, but it should rev as high as
9000rpm, making it a hugely flexible powerplant that BMW believes will
be "the ideal power unit for a range of different motorcycles." Yummy!

The BMW Concept 6 Cafe Racer
It's a pity the first new-age Beemer Six is going to be a tourer -
because this sporty concept is an absolute stunner. Looking like a
marriage between the K1200R and a Buell Cyclone, the Concept 6 is a
techno-masterpiece of design.

Interestingly, the design team chose not to fetishize the big engine
or display acres of header chrome a la the Honda CBX - but then, their
hands were forced by the engine tilt, which pretty much puts the
exhaust headers out of view under the bike's belly. An inline engine
at that sort of angle is always going to look a little awkward, but
the lines through the rest of the bike are absolutely gorgeous,
particularly in the way the tank integrates with the miniature front
fairing. Even the tail-light is beautiful - a red-hot trail of fire
extending directly from the rider's backside, representing exactly the
kind of reaction you'd expect a 1600cc inline six to engender.

The front end suspension is a Duolever system like what you'd see on a
K1300R, the rear swingarm doubles as a shaft-drive and torque reaction
is nullified by its Paralever 'ankle.' The primary cue that the bike
is a six-cylinder comes from the three flared exhaust chambers that
exit low and wide just behind the rider's feet - a muscular look that
is echoed in the chunky intake ducts peeking out beneath the tank.

The dash takes the interesting step of eliminating the tacho, instead
showing a readout of how much torque is available at the current
engine speed - the theory being that with an engine this grunty
throughout the rev range there's no need to go hunting for a redline.

The Concept 6 sweeps aside the rest of the BMW range in terms of
exciting design - and even tops the fantastic Lo-Rider concept for
pure visual thrill. In typical BMW style, it looks more like a
finished bike than a concept - and the kind of bike only BMW could
build. Maybe, if we wish hard enough...

 

earlier with the Honda 750/4 and the subsequent and much better Kawasaki
Z1 900 cc the CBX1000 is clearly inferior to the larger, more powerful
and far more impressive Kawasaki Z1300 inline six. [1]


G-S

[1] So I'm a former Z1300 owner... doesn't mean I'm biased

 

Nice engine, awful looking bike. Much preferred the Z13 or the CBX
personally. Even a Ben 900 would have been an interesting bike.

 

Seems to me it's main aesthetic problem is the stretched swingarm and
heavy rake on the front making it's proportions a little odd - bring
those in and it would be "OK" (not that any of the K series have been
good looking - determinedly ugly I would think)

THIS however is interesting

http://www.gizmag.com/mavizen-ttx02-electric-motorcycle/13321/

Anyone want to go shares in setting up an importing business with
me ? ;-)

JL

 

"Dry weight is 110kg which jumps to 160kg once batteries are added"

LOL!
Liberal usage of expression "dry weight"!

(What do electrons weight?)

 

In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:49:20 -0800 (PST)

80 to 200km range and a torch strapped to the fairing as a headlight,
nothing can go wrong!

I wonder how hard it would be to put a headlight in given it has
the wiring, and just how much ADR compliance costs...

(And where these days you can do home to racer road, hoon about, and
come home in less than 200km. )

Zebee

 

Approximately 9.109×10^-28 grams.

Why do you ask?


BTH

 

[mumble mumble click click click]

....just trying to calculate the *actual* fuelled weight of the Mavizen.

Now... how many electrons req'd to fill it up?

 

I'd need to know the system voltage to tell you that (they only
mentioned the Ah capacity of the batteries).


BTH

 

Hnh.

trivial problem.

I need to find a calculator with more zeroes.

 

JL wrote:

Well, not I, John.

Trust me, you don't want to do it either.

Years ago, before anyone was importing Peugeot scooters, I came back
from Europe all gung ho to import some of the SpeedFlight 100s, but when
I found out how much bullshit and fucking about was required, I gave it
up as a joke.

regards,
CrazyCam

 

Tempting offer. Australia has a HUGE market for $50,000+ electric
motorcycles.

 

Was with you until the price!
H

 

Yeah fair point

JL

 

Mmm I suspect the market is bigger than you assume, but I'd agree the
price is a barrier, I suspect there is a much larger market at a price
point half that. The question of range is also an issue if you want to
use it as anything other than a track day bike

I don't think we have more than one or two sportsbikers on here - I'll
have to find an appropriate forum to ask the question (ie would you
pay 25-30K for something unusual)

JL

 

Mmm I think it's mostly intended as a track bike in that config

Not difficult for the headlight I would think but the ADR part could
suck.

Eastern Creek, Phillip Island...

JL

 

Mmm I suspect the market is bigger than you assume, but I'd agree the
price is a barrier, I suspect there is a much larger market at a price
point half that. The question of range is also an issue if you want to
use it as anything other than a track day bike

I don't think we have more than one or two sportsbikers on here - I'll
have to find an appropriate forum to ask the question (ie would you
pay 25-30K for something unusual)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You are talking 1098, RC8 and MV 312 money there. It is a lot of dough for a
bike that has nowhere near that perfomance.

Fraser

 

It runs Linux, so you will have problems with drivers.

 

W00t! Pun of the year (not that the other contenders were much chop).

 

'the bike is a "laptop on wheels" that runs on the Linux OS,'

Are they crazy! They get some fool like me come along, upgrade the
kernel, and it panics mid corner!

'comes with with integrated IP connectivity and a USB based system bus
for open source engine management'

At least it's not bluetooth:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Sr9uBUFhk3c/Sb9zoPig-dI/AAAAAAAAADo/1n9d1dfnxQE/s1600-h/untitled.bmp