Water-Cooled BMW GS: Spy Photos Published Hot

In the spring of 2010, the rumor mill heated up with reports of a liquid-cooled BMW twin that was in the development stage.  As with any change to the iconic German flat twin, the reports were met with both excitement and resistance.

Now a Spanish motorcycle magazine (SoloMoto) has published photos of a water-cooled BMW GS that was being tested on the streets near Barcelona.  The big GS had various badges and stickers in place in an attempt to conceal its innovative technology.  The grainy shots were taken with a cell phone camera by Gerard Llaurado.

In addition to the introduction of water-cooling, the new boxer engine is reported to have intakes on the top (not back) of the cylinders and exhaust on the bottom.   In another major departure from the current R1200GS models, the final drive and driveshaft are on the left side of the test bike.

The new water-cooled GS is supposedly set to hit the production lines in 2012, probably to appear first in the BMW 2013 lineup.

So the progression continues.  The GS started with the air-cooled “air-head”, then made the move to the oil and air-cooled “oil-head.”  So what will we call the new incarnation…the “water-head”?