BMW
R nine T
According
to BMW Motorrad’s Head of Vehicle Design Ola Stenegard, the R nineT project
began four years ago as a sort of back-door effort. Originally a chopper
builder from Sweden, Stenegard envisioned the machine not so much as a retro
cafe racer or naked bike but as a blank canvas for customization. Thus the rear
frame that supports the passenger seat and footpegs comes off with just eight
bolts, while the portion holding the taillight and license plate bracket comes
off with another four screws. The latter transforms the bike into something of
a bobber, which entails the owner adding his own taillight and license plate
bracket.
The
R nineT is powered by the final air-cooled version of the venerable
opposed-twin Boxer engine, which in dohc form produces a claimed 110 horsepower
and 88 pound-feet of torque. While the rear suspension utilizes BMW’s proven
Paralever shaft-drive system, up front is a traditional inverted telescopic
fork; Telelever would have looked wrong on this model. Spring preload for the
shock is hydraulically adjustable via an easy-to-reach knob, and there’s also a
stepless rebound-damping screw; the fork is non-adjustable. The two-piece seat
comes off using a second “key” with an integral Torx bit to reveal a spartan
toolkit.
In
a word, the R nineT’s styling is elegant, with many beautiful forged,
glass-blasted and clear-anodized aluminum pieces such as the front fender
mounts, triple-clamps, seat stays, and right-side air scoop. Even the gas tank
is aluminum, brushed at the knees, painted black over the rest and
clear-coated. There are no plastic covers. Continuing the theme are the
gold-anodized fork legs, the white seat stitching with blue logo and the
old-school riveted historical denomination plate on the headstock. The
wire-spoke 17-inch wheels run Continental RoadAttack 2C tires fitted with inner
tubes.
The
only unsightly parts are the charcoal canister, the cables running to the
exhaust power valve and the wires running to the fuel-injector throttle bodies.
Strangely, the bike comes standard with anti-lock brakes but heated handgrips
are not available; in fact, the one-and-only option is an anti-theft alarm.
There is, of course, a wide range of accessories, but no windscreen, though
Stenegard does not rule out the possibility of a café racer-style flyscreen in
the future.
As
for the model name, R nineT is meant to pay homage to BMW’s 90 years in the
motorcycle business, not to any one specific model. “No child looks exactly
like his parents, but all have their DNA,” Stenegard explains.
Given
its lusty twin-cylinder engine and sporty seating position, riding the R nineT
is reminiscent of a Ducati Monster. Whether that was by design or by
happenstance, it’s not a bad thing. Ducati has sold many tens of thousands of
Monsters over the years, and the R nineT looks to be following suit. Although
availability is expected to be production-limited until after the 2015 selling
season, it’s already BMW’s fourth best-selling model.
The
R nineT represents a significant departure for BMW because what it has more
than any of its predecessors is attitude. And not the kind that comes from
pinning a roundel to your lapel.
Source
: cycleworld
