Released today at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Lake Como, Italy, the BMW Motorrad Concept 101 is a six-cylinder bagger aimed at the American market. Using the K1600 platform as a base, BMW once again enlisted the help of Roland Sands to build a concept, this time one that was suitable for touring on America’s highways.
The name “Concept 101” comes from the 1,649cc displacement, which clocks in at roughly 101 cubic inches. BMW says that the name is also an homage to Highway 101, which isn’t far from BMW’s design studio in Southern California, where this bike was conceived.
“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,” says Edgar Heinrich, Head of BMW Motorrad Design.
Perhaps the most striking features of the Concept 101 are the wood trim panels the sides of the front fairing, fuel tank, and bags. The dual three-tip exhaust, which sweeps all the way to the rear of the motorcycle, is also visually very gripping.
However, our favorite bits are the tastefully added carbon fiber and aluminum parts, which not only add to the premium nature of the Concept 101, but also accentuate its performance capabilities. Don’t be fooled though, underneath the veneer is a very familiar motorcycle.
As such, many of the K1600’s other features remain, including the face of the motorcycle, which lends the Concept 101 to likely becoming a production model. We’ve been hearing rumors of a K1600-based bagger for some time now, and it seems BMW Motorrad is getting closer now to making that a reality.
Source: BMW Motorrad
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