The Beemer

Having sold the Corsaro, there was already a new bike that I have been lusting after for a little while now, and that is the new BMW R nineT. This is a particularly interesting concept that was brought out by BMW at the beginning of the year following a prototype they displayed a few years ago. The idea is to produce a bike that serves as a tribute to the BMW biking heritage, and perhaps more particularly the R90 of the 70’s. The result is a bike that has a classic look to it, yet is built using very modern components. The idea is making a classic looking bike that can run with the best of the roadsters of today, and the result is a stunning looking bike that has a bit of a steam-punk look to it.

I was lucky enough to try one a couple of months back, and was pretty much sold right away. The looks are very much in line with what I am looking for right now, and just sitting on the bike I was thoroughly impressed by the quality of all the little details. The paintjob is top quality, and there are little brushed aluminium things strewn over the bike. The tiny BMW logo in the middle of the round headlamp is a perfect example of this bikes quality looks, and it is a bike you could actually put on display in your living room if you are so inclined. The position on the bike is nice an relaxed, with the seat being quite low. You do not have a cruiser feet-forward position on it, but proper roadster style with the legs bent and a need to slightly lean forward to reach the wide handlebar.

Being a bit of an older rider, I have never had bikes with a bunch of electronic stuff and ride-by-wire etc. that you find on most recent roadsters, and I am happy to find that the BMW is old-school. Really the only exception is the ABS brakes, which I suppose can come in handy on slippery surfaces. Pressing the ignition brings the air and oil cooled flat twin to life, and I am pleasantly surprised to find that it does not have the normal sound of BMW flat twins. This one sounds beautiful, with a purposeful rumble, and twisting the throttle just improves on that sound with more volume. In fact, the volume is to the point that I wonder how this thing can be legal. Revving the engine also produces the typical left to right shake of flat twins, but the bike does not really lean over as other have in the past. Time to go for a ride…

The bike takes off easily enough, and although it is quite powerful with proper amounts of torque, it is nothing like the brutal Corsaro. I think stepping off the Corsaro pretty much anything will feel a bit docile, and that is also the case for the Beemer. It is very smooth, and surprisingly for a twin does not mind moving off from very low revs. There is not shaking in protest from the engine, and it just moves away. Getting in to the first corner and I find the turn-in to be very easy. A light pull on the bar gets the bike on an angle, and it feels very stable once it is there. It is not intimidating in any way, and as the confidence in the bike quickly grows, so does my speed! This is just pure fun, and riding up a nice twisty mountain road has me smiling under my helmet. I have gotten used to having to work hard for this sort of reward on my previous bike, and speeds would also be a fair bit higher. Here I just go, and it always feels so planted. To top things off, the suspension excels at absorbing bumps in the road, resulting in a very comfortable ride even if the seat looks really thin at first.

After this test ride, I was sold on the bike. The fact that it was a BMW as well further helped reassure me as it would be nice to have a big solid company behind the bike I ride instead of a financially strapped little Italian outfit. So, there was not to be any motorcycle hunt after selling the Corsaro. Or so I thought…

On the Monday after I sold my bike, I went to he BMW garage to place an order, only to be told that there are none available. The soonest possible would be possibly November this year. Nooooooo! I can’t go all summer without a bike! The thing was that I really wanted this Beemer, but perhaps I should take the opportunity to see if there are any other bikes out there that can serve as a replacement. Maybe I can find something even more appropriate!