Italian outfit Luismoto, based in Pisa, has taken the R nineT and basically shaved 50 kg off the base machine, resulting in the “Saline”.

Saline does not refer to a salt solution, but the Tuscan hill climb race that originates in the town of Saline and ends in Volterra, also known as the Volterra Race Cup. This was where many Italian race racers’ careers started, including Leandro Becheroni, Fabio Bilotti, Pierluigi Conforti and Lorenzo Ghiselli.


For the BMW Motorrad R nineT, LuisMoto eschewed the current cafe racer ethos much popularised by British motorcycles, and characterised by the Triumph Thruxton R. Dismissing them as bar-room bikes and built only for show, LuisMoto said that, “Italians have always preferred to use our toys to compete and have fun both on the track on the steps of the mountain.”

The first thing LuisMoto did with Saline was to put it on a diet, cutting off 50 kg from the stock machine’s 222 kg. This involved the extensive use of billet aluminium, including machined triple crowns, adjustable footrests and handlebars.


Inside the cockpit, a Motogadget instrument panel replaces the analogue clocks on the original R nineT, while the LED LuisMoto logo just inside the windscreen also controls a BMW logo puddle light. The original airbag has been removed, replaced with a pair of pod filters fitted over the standard throttle bodies.

The rear sub-frame underwent extensive hacking, and the cowl is machined from aluminium, again in a quest to save weight. Billet aluminium is also machined from aluminium, replacing the stocker’s steel unit, with the air intake replaced by a new casing in the same material, painted black.


A bright red coachline ties the fuel tank and rear seat cowl together, following the line of Saline’s frame. The convoluted two-into-one exhaust exits just under the front of the engine, and with no exhaust can in sight, we assume must be terrifying loud.

There was no pricing from LuisMoto on its website, but it welcomes enquiries for commissioned builds. When we reviewed the R nineT early last year, we loved its 1,200 cc boxer-engine, but were a little underwhelmed the handling and general specification. In the case of LuisMoto’s Saline, there is suddenly a lot to like.