Some thought this may be a shot of the new LT, while others thought it was the rumored new "Luxury" GT. BMW Motorrad Europe announced on July 2nd that two new models, the K1600GT and the K1600GTL will be available for the 2011 model year. With the announcement of the new models a lot of technical highlights were shown, but no pictures were released. Sources within BMW have confirmed that the spy shot to the left is a test platform for the new 6-cylinder drive train, but "may not be representative" of the final design.

There will be more pictures and information as well as the US announcement in the near future, but it is believed the models will be available in the first quarter of 2011.

BMW press release

The BMW K1600 microsite

These are a few of the highlights:

• Light and compact 6-cylinder engine
• "Drive by wire" electronic throttle control and three drive modes to choose from ("Rain", "Road", "Dynamic")
• Large TFT color rider information display
• "Multi-controller" for audio and information display
• Integrated audio with with preparation for navigation device and controllable interface for iPod, MP3, USB, Bluetooth and satellite radio (only USA)
• Adaptive Headlight (optional extra) in conjunction with standard xenon headlamp and lighting rings for increased safety at night.
• The K1600GTL will offer more relaxed ergonomics set-up for long trips with pillion passenger as well as luxury touring features and will come standard with a topcase featuring interior lighting and gas struts for lid support

Offering nearly identical horsepower to the current K1300GT and promising similar fuel economy, this engine promises to offer considerable more useful power than the 4-cylinder models. 6-cylinder engines offer legendary smoothness, so this may be one of the most comfortable touring platforms ever.

The speculation on what our next LT will be has been going on for years. This announcement does not answer what our next LT will be, but speculation still exist that we may see an LT based on this new engine in the next few model cycles. We have created a merged thread where all the rumor, speculation and information from our membership is posted. Click here to see the thread