GT ROAD!

The same badge on two different machines that want to do the same thing

- Kartik Ware

The heat haze of a long road conjures up many images and words, especially that dreamy two-letter badge — GT. Every manufacturer that tries to evoke that romance of the long road has at least one machine in its lineup with that badge stuck on it, whether or not said machine is comfortable wearing it. But these two definitely are — the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo and the C 400 GT never refuse to stretch their long legs as far as their drivers and riders are willing to go. Everyday machines that only wait to turn into glitzy gypsies barreling across the country.

‘Gran turismo’ and ‘grand touring’ are phrases that really come from cars (the previous one a typical example of everything sounding better in Italian) and motorcycles have appropriated them. After all, two wheels don’t really lend themselves to touring in a grand manner, since riders will always be in the wind and subject to whatever it carries. That doesn’t mean bikes and their riders can’t try, though. Next is the more contentious bit — the C 400 GT is a scooter, and surely scooters can’t GT? Obviously, no one told BMW that. Even more so, since calling a city-dwelling machine a GT could’ve backfired rather spectacularly.