New BMW K1600GT revealed

Like the Honda Goldwing, a reverse is also available as standard, to help the 319+ kg (90% fuelled) K1600GT be a little easier to move around. I hear you saying ‘surely that makes the BMW K1600GT one step away from a car, if it has reverse?’ Well, you’d be wrong. The K1600GT is an incredibly entertaining, stupidly rapid, comfortable tourer that tackles fast roads better then you’d ever believe.

For 2017, the bike gets a suspension upgrade too, in the form of BMW’s excellent electronic suspension system with uprated damping across the range and to give the optimum amount of damping in each of two settings – road or dynamic.

Like many of the other bikes in BMW’s range with electronic suspension, riders can now adjust spring preload at the touch of a button depending on load, and switch to Dynamic damping settings for a sportier feel even when on the move. Adding to the sportier feel of the dynamic suspension is a gear shift pro system which acts as a quickshifter on upshifts and means you don’t need to use the clutch on downshifts. The BMW R1200RT was the first tourer to get the system.

New instruments on a 5.7-inch TFT colour screen round out the updates to the K1600GT.

An intelligent emergency call system which calls BMW’s assistance call centre in the event of an accident, is also available, a system developed from BMW’s car range.