Two-fer at the Awards Stand

Cycle World just gave out their 10 Best Bikes awards and the K1600GT won Best Sport-Touring Bike of 2011 and the K1600GTL won Best Touring Bike of 2011.  Here's the sad part:  The S1000RR was beat out for best Sport Bike only by including a handmade, pre-production version of Eric Buell's latest attempt to ressurect his line of bikes:  A $40,000 bike!  Here's what Cycle World said:

"The K1600GT’s torque-monster inline-Six and superbly comfortable, easy-steering chassis have changed the very idea of what sport-touring can be. If you don’t have the money, consider selling a kidney."

"It’s one thing to win the game; it’s something else altogether to change the rules. But that’s what BMW’s new K1600GTL has done to the world of two-wheel touring. It’s no small feat to trump the revered Gold Wing in this category; but with its 11.2-second quarter-mile zip, near-sportbike-quality handling, electronically adjustable suspension and windshield, adaptive headlight that illuminates around corners, Bluetooth wireless capability, detachable luggage and utter ease of operation, the six-cylinder Beemer puts the Wing on the trailer. And from this point forward, anyone who believes that over-the-road luxury and thrilling high performance are mutually exclusive is...well, wrong.