Retro is the new cool. Cafe racers, street trackers have all made a comeback in a huge fashion. The RnineT is no exception to this and even from a distance, it’s a really beautiful bike. Probably one of the better-looking bikes that have made its way out of Germany lately.
The RnineT is powered by the all familiar 1200 (1170cc) Boxer that has been around for ages and doing it’s duty amongst adventure bikes and also some milder street bikes. The linear powerband of the double overhead cam engine makes the RnineT is a breeze to ride with nothing really ready to pounce on you (unlike the S1000RR) and with this, makes the power extremely predictable in mostly any gear. It’s no slouch with its 110hp engine and will run on to over 220kph, but let us be real and put all performance needs aside, it’s not what the bike is about.
The build quality is superb and to me, the real highlight was that beautiful handcrafted fuel tank, finished in polished aluminum with the external welds, just makes one, want to take a step back and just look at it. I personally think that there is no other color that this bike should be ordered in.
Fitting my 1.9-meter frame on the boney, you need to make peace with the wind. Thankfully I like naked bikes and the wind is never really a problem under 140kph. The 1200 really gets up and goes and when fitted with the optional Akrapovic slip on, makes a noise that very few bikes can. The bike was setup pretty well for my weight and while I would prefer the suspension a little stiffer, it coped very well with whatever I could throw at it. My only complaint is that the throttle is snatchy in the 1st two gears, especially in traffic. You either need to be committed or not at all. The other complaint is the lack of adjustability on the suspension. The rear can be adjusted, but will be a major PITA out on the road.
The front stoppers are courtesy of Brembo and run dual Brembo 4 piston calipers on 320mm discs. The rear is a 165mm disc with a single-piston caliper. The Abs is also taken care of by BMW’s own in-house tech. BMW has opted for a bare-bone approach and decided to leave the traction control and various systems off the bike. This to me means a pure motorcycle, with nothing to intrude on your riding style.
You can expect about 220km out of the 18L fuel tank (to reserve – 3l) Sure, BMW claims 6l/100kph but, to be frank, that means riding around with no fun in mind. My overall consumption was around the 7.5l/100km.
The beauty about the R90T is that BMW has now also offered most customers a perfect platform to make their bike, their own in terms of styling and accessories. I also love the fact that BMW has followed suit with regards to the Triumph Scrambler and Ducati Scrambler and now also offers the R90T Scrambler, something I surely look forward to playing with.
The RnineT is available now at your local Motorrad dealer at a recommended retail of R171 990, surely a bargain.