This weekend, Friday through Sunday arvo, is the Seattle Motorcycle Show at the convention centre, downtown. As an employee of the two local Beemer shops I'm expected to attend and shake hands with the throng, though I know full well they're not there to see me. Last night one of our salesmen assisted BMW in setting up their (rather awesome) display. Front and centre is the new water boxer in GS guise. For those of you under a rock, BMW-wise, it's a wet clutch (at the front of the motor!), integrated cylinder, vertically split cased, helically cut gearbox, four valve 'Pentroof' head, (thanks, Cosworth, you beauties) flat twin displacing 1170cc, just like the current DOHC R1200GS air/oil cooled motor.

I'll have my camera and will take some up closes of it for those who are interested. This is the first time in ninety years that BMW, with the boxer engine at least, has deviated in a big way from traditional air cooling, the Oilheads/Hexheads with their air/oil cooling, notwitshstanding. For the traditionalists, the actual percentage of air cooling is still above 65%, the rest is deliberate and focused liquid cooling through the cylinder head and exhaust port 'hotspots' with two small radiators. For those of us who accepted water-cooling into the fold over twenty nine years ago, it's no big deal.



The salesman, John, with a gleam in his eye, said it "Looks pretty tight!"

Roll on new technologies. It keeps on getting better.*

*Disclaimer
I still have two favourite Airheads, my K and an Oilhead in my garage, so I'm a traditionalist but not a purist.

The week-long chest cold I've had kept me away from the show - and away from potentially spreading it to others as well - so I wasn't able to get any photos, nor did anyone I work with think to grab a few happy snaps. So here's a video or two:


It looks funny, as an avowed Boxer lover, to see nothing behind the 'jugs' where TBs or carbies used to be....



And of course, a quickie of Chris Pfeiffer ripping it up...