It might seem untouched, but this RT hides something
The boxer engine is a trademark for BMW Motorrad division, and the latest photo of a BMW RT made us believe a new boxer power plant is under development. The spy shot was made public by the folks at Bennetts, and although it seems a regular BMW R1200RT, the computer fitted on the back tells a different story.
The bike was caught testing near the company, and by inspecting it closer, the cylinders covers are changed. So different engine covers and a data acquisition box on the back can only mean one thing – development. In the spy shot, there is a BMW RT fitted with the 1250 VVT boxer that we’ve heard a lot of rumors about for the past eight months.
The changes made by BMW to its boxer involved growing the displacement. Starting with the R1100, the German manufacturer added 50cc at a time. The latest update was made four years ago, and the R1200 boxer twin engine got completely redesigned. Considering Euro4 emissions regulations and the need for power, the switch to 1250 VVT comes in as natural.
The VVT (Variable Valve Timing) is a system that Ducati, Kawasaki, and Suzuki adopted for their latest models. The VVT not only helps raise the engine performance but it also helps the engine meet the emissions regulations.
As we analyzed the image further, our beliefs grew stronger. We've spotted that the exhaust manifold is rerouted and instead of a classic RT instrument cluster there’s an immense TFT display. The front fender got redesigned and more than certainly the side fairing is reshaped a bit to get in line with the new cylinder head covers. Unfortunately, we can’t say if the bike has a facelift or not, but for sure this is a production ready bike that we will hopefully see at EICMA or INTERMOT this fall.
The cool part about BMW releasing a new boxer engine is that every R model will be fitted with a new power plant. We don’t know if the Heritage collection will also enjoy the change, but the R1200 GS and the R1200R will soon feature the R1250 VVT boxer.
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