BMW K 1600 GT is voted “International Bike Of The Year 2011″

The BMW K 1600 GT has won the vote for the BOTY Award, announced at at the Brussels Motor Show last weekend.

The award for the K 1600 GT comes from an international jury representing motorcycle magazines from 25 individual countries, including Australia. Ducati’s Diavel took out the runner-up position, (32 points – nine less than the BMW K 1600 GT), and nine points ahead of Aprilia’s third-placed Tuono V4 APRC.

The K 1600 GT convinced the motorcycle journalists with its unique combination of comfort, performance and use of innovative technologies. The powerful in-line 6-cylinder engine was said to offer power, refinement and lots of fun.

The bike’s sophisticated technology – in addition to ABS, traction control and navigation system, an adaptive headlight and electronically controlled suspension with various modes increase active riding safety – makes the K 1600 GT an incomparable touring motorcycle.

On the road, the outstanding qualities of the K 1600 GT are its agile chassis and unusually light handling. All this gives the rider a unique riding experience, according to the jury, impressing the most demanding touring and sports motorcyclists.

The K 1600 GTL was rated separately and also convinced the jury, finishing fourth, while the S 1000 RR followed it in fifth place alongside the Kawasaki ZX-10R. With three models in the top five places, BMW Motorrad put in a highly impressive showing overall. BMW Motorrad also won the highest rating in 2010 with the S1000 RR.

The BMW K1600 GT 6 Cylinder Powerplant

The BMW G650 GS Sertao [First] has arrived at Procycles St Peters and Hornsby.

Following on from the still-popular BMW Dakar model, the 2012 BMW G650GS Sertao is a slick little single-cylinder dual-sport motorcycle. Sertão adds longer-travel suspension and wire-spoke wheels to make it a more capable machine for off-road adventure riding. The BMW G650GS Sertao is the most recent member of the GS family and has its focus on the adventure rider who likes to spend a little more time off-road.

The new G 650 GS Sertão uses the established liquid cooled; high-torque single cylinder engine delivers 50 horsepower and 44 lb-ft of torque. The BMW G650GS Sertao is all about comfort, the extended windscreen offers a lot of protection from the freezing cold as well as branches and roost. The Sertao is one of the ultimate multi-purpose motorcycles designed to handle off-road conditions.

Triumph has just released pricing for its 2012 new Tiger Explorer at $21,790 + ORC.

The all-new Explorer is powered by a new 3-cylinder 1,215cc engine that kicks out 135bhp, 89lb/ft and is controlled by ride-by-wire throttle with switchable ABS, traction control and standard cruise control. 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel, single-sided swing arm, shaft drive and WP suspension. With a full tank of fuel it weighs a reasonable 570lbs.

Triumph’s 2012 Speed Triple R new model pricing has also been announced at $21,110 + ORC. The brand new Speed Triple R is essentially an uprated version of the standard machine equipped with a variety of high-spec chassis components. Plus it gets a cosmetic tweak to suit. So, the Speed Triple R comes with top-notch, Moto GP developed multi-adjustable Ohlins 43mm NIX30 forks, a matching Ohlins TTX 36 shock at the rear plus, to minimise unsprung weight, special lightweight five-spoke forged aluminium PVM wheels which together are 1.7kg lighter than the stock items. The 2012 R sees the debut of an updated gearbox which is claimed to offer a smoother action.

Cosmetically, the R is distinguished from the standard bike by a red finished rear subframe, red wheel rim stripes, a red ‘R’ logo and is available in Crystal White or Phantom Black.

Red Bull/KTM Factory riders Ryan Dungey and Marvin Musquin added a liberal dash of KTM orange to the Supercross and SX Lites categories of Round 2 of the AMA competition when Dungey won the SX class and Musquin was second in SX Lites. It was KTM’s first SX victory since the company committed to pursue a top place in the US competition to add to its honors in the World Championships.

Dungey, third in Round 1 now tops the points table and starts with the red plate in Round 3. Musquin is equal third in SX Lites points, trailing the leader by just two points.

Not only did Dungey take the win, he nailed the holeshot and led every lap of the twenty lap main event. His first career win on his KTM 450 machine also marks the first ever for the KTM brand in the SX class. Dungey qualified third fastest from practice and earned a fourth place finish in his heat to transfer to the main.

Red Bull KTM factory rider Cyril Despres on Sunday rode into Lima in triumph to seal his fourth career Dakar title and to present KTM with its eleventh consecutive win in this, the toughest event on the annual motorsports calendar.

His KTM teammate Marc Coma finished second overall in what was one of the most epic two-way battles in the rally’s history.

KTM has now won the motorcycle division of the Dakar rally every year since 2001, with the exception of 2008 when it was canceled because of security threats. In the 2012 edition, eight of the top 10 finishers and 15 of the top 20 rode KTM machines underlining the dominance of the Austrian brand’s sports bikes.

Marc Coma finished second outright.