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Writer's picturePaul

Hipper Than A Hipsters Beard

BMW go again with the R Nine T


Heritage reimagined


Happy birthday BMW. The two wheeled phenomenon that became the BMW bike range all started with the origional R 32 all the way back in 1923. The machine was a big hit and got the German motorcycle company off to a great start. They’ve been going strong ever since.


Happy Birthday

 

Now that classic design provides the inspiration for the brand new R12 NINE T.

 

This new bike is being released to coincide with the Bavarian companies 100th birthday. In turn the bike also nods its head to the 10th anniversary of the original R NINE T. It, in turn, marked the German motorcycling giants 90th birthday. Meanwhile the attention to detail reminds me of the details on the R18 derivative models from a few years ago. That’s an awful lot of birthday cake.



Two Wheeled Purity

 

Just like the original back in 2013, the new steed is a pure, classically styled roadster. The difference is that this one shouldn’t be the slow burner that the first one was. With a difficult economy and a fall in sales back in ’13 the R nine T had a hard time getting going from a sales point of view. Then the market improved, the cool people noticed the bike and the rest, as they say, was history.

 

A staggering amount of optional accessories are available for the R12 NINE T. Being able to choose and add on a choice of these extras allows the rider to change the machine enough to make a bike that will be unique. This is exactly what riders would have done back in the day. The new steed has everything needed to ‘build’ your own bike. Based around that iconic engine with a tubular frame, the R12 NINE T has a bolted on subframe. The rear light is housed in the end of the seat. This is important since it allows the end of the bike to be ‘chopped’ without upsetting those BMW electrics. 

 

Powered by the last 1200cc Boxer Twin


It also has a younger generation engine. Which always helps.

 

While it’s still powered by the original 1200 boxer engine the bike has a newly designed airbox. This ensures a more usable drive that suits the urban riding style that attracts the classic bike rider.  



 

The whole look is seated on all the tech from 2023. This includes a paralever set up at the rear with upside-down forks at the front. Stopping is facilitated by a set of steel braided lines that lead to twin 4-piston monobloc calipers. The exhaust system sits on the left hand side and is simply begging to be replaced with something that doesn’t conform to Euro standards!

 

The bike is available from both Kearys Motorrad in Cork and Joe Duffy Motorrad in Finglas. Contact Dee on 0215003600.


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