BMW's Six Cylinder Masterpeice

BMW’s six cylinder engine required all the ingenuity BMW could muster to build a 1600cc six cylinder engine so small. It’s an in-line across the frame engine weighs just 102.6 kilograms yet produces 118 kW (160 bhp) and 175 Nm of torque.

The engine size is a result of using a 72 mm cylinder bore with just 5 mm between the cylinder sleeves, a design that squeezes the 6 cylinders into a 555 mm wide block. Experiencing a six cylinder scream at peak torque of 175 Nm at 5,250 rpm will be worth waiting for, and the suitability of the beastie for effortless top gear turbine-smooth touring is indicated by the flat torque curve which serves up 70 per cent of that torque from 1,500 rpm upwards.The engine was just the start of the wizardry though, and there were several other firsts on the BMW sixers such as adaptive headlights, and electronic Suspension Adjustment, both of which are pointers to the future of motorcycle development.BMW’s Electronic suspension adjustment means the rider can adjust the rebound damping properties of the front and rear spring strut and the spring preload and spring rate of the rear strut on the fly – you can finally adapt a bike’s suspension to suit the conditions as you go without setting foot on terra firma.