2014 BMW R1200RT spied

Blogger catches water-cooled tourer in Tenerife

BMW’s new R1200RT – which shares the part-water-cooled motor of the new R1200GS – has been caught on camera in Tenerife's Canadas del Teide.

The bike comes as no surprise; given the debut of the new engine it’s inevitable that it will find its way into all the boxer-powered BMW machines over the next couple of years.

Despite the sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumb ‘disguise’ (surely really intended to draw attention to the bike) there’s no hiding the details of the bike when two of them are left unguarded in a tourist hotspot during the Easter holidays. Testing in a place where everyone is sure to be carrying a camera doesn’t seem too bright, unless the intention is for the bike to get seen and publicised, of course…

The plucky camera-wielder, Ansgar Hillebrand, put his walk-around of the bikes on YouTube, in full 1080 hd glory.

Style-wise, the K1600GT has been more than a small inspiration, as the new machine shares a virtually identical headlight and very similar instruments – including the built-in sat-nav. Presumably the lights include the K1600’s looking-round-corners adaptive abilities, too. Other than that, the vents in the sides reveal a pair of water radiators and cooling fans, leaving no doubt that the motor is the water-cooled unit from the R1200GS. Luxuries like a stereo and electric screen are in evidence too.