BMW refreshes its attack on the super-touring bike market with a whole range of upgrades to its large but surprisingly light on its feet six-cylinder models.

BMW K1600 Full Range Refresh

While models such as the new Suzuki GSX-S1000GT and Honda NT1100 are the perfect marriage of comfort and mile-munching ability with the added spice of a sporty chassis and demeanour, there is still a huge market for full-on, all bells and whistles, battleship-sized touring bikes.

Harley, Indian and Honda have that market sewn up, but, in 2010, came a new challenger: BMW with its formidable, six-cylinder K1600, in both GT and GTL versions.

It was a remarkable bike, possessing a chassis that had no right being that size while handling like a sports bike and with a lightness of touch that was uncanny when the size was taken into account. That it was good for all-day comfort and was stuffed full of tech just made it all the better.

Later came the Bagger and Grand America versions and now, for 2022, the whole range gets a full makeover.

The engine has been revised to comply with Euro5 emission regulations, which is really all down to the electronic management systems. Power is still 160bhp but peak power is available 1000rpm lower. Torque is raised slightly to 132.7lb.ft.

There is the Next Generation of Dynamic ESA (electronic suspension adjustment) which features automatic load compensation (self-levelling, really) that will adapt autonomously to changing road and riding conditions. Lighting is fully LED all round and features cornering lighting to see round corners and can also be used for 'welcome', 'goodbye' and 'follow me home' functionality, illuminating the path in darker conditions.

The K1600 gains the 10.25-inch TFT screen first seen on the 2021 R1250RT. It's a monster of a screen and gives super sharp visuals of all necessary information. Naturally there's a BMW app - BMW Motorrad Connected - which offers impressive connectivity via your smartphone.

The Grand America and GTL models get a sound system that would have found favour with home audiophiles a few years ago. Given the impressive wind-cheating properties of the various screen configurations on the K-series, you should be able to play even the finest classical music and hear everything.

Kerb weights range between 344 kg to 370kg, depending on the model you opt for, with 26.5 litre tanks across the range.

OK, so they're not going to be cheap but when has any Grand Tourer in this class been any different? Harley and Indian sell on nostalgia and loyalty but BMW sells on ability and, on that score, the K1600 range is hard to beat, especially with that fantastic six-cylinder engine.