The rear part of the subframe is no longer removable (as it is on the R nineT), but the passenger support section still is.Ĭonventional forks replace the USD units on the R nineT, and there’s more suspension travel at both ends (5mm up front and 20mm out back).

The frame’s a little different too-BMW have steepened the steering head angle to compensate for the bigger wheel. The Scrambler comes with a two-up seat, but our test bikes were kitted with a solo, aftermarket option. At a distance it looks custom and hand-made-but up close you’ll notice that the horizontal lines are embossed, not stitched (another move towards keeping the price down). The seat’s a synthetic affair, with a worn leather look.

It’s the exact same shape as the R nineT’s (making it interchangeable), but it’s made from steel rather than aluminum. And they’re cast aluminum units-a cheaper option than laced wheels, with a retro, five-spoke design similar to those on Roland Sand’s Concept 90.Īnother cost cutting part is the fuel tank. The most obvious one is the wheels: they’re narrower than before, with a bump in size up front to 19”. It seems like a skin-deep styling exercise, but the list of changes is actually pretty lengthy. Instead, they set out to capture an ‘off the beaten track’ vibe-an upright, agile and robust bike with an air of approachability. But BMW weren’t aiming for dirt-shredding capability here. The differences Purists will say that a motorcycle has to have impeccable off-road manners to bear the ‘ scrambler‘ label-and will simultaneously complain that it’s an overused term. No news on whether BMW will be upgrading the existing model. It’s worth noting that the R nineT Roadster is still only Euro3 compliant.

(For the geeks here, those figures are at 7,750rpm and 6,000rpm respectively). Somehow, it still makes the same 110hp as its predecessor, and only 3Nm less torque at 116Nm. The old airhead is now Euro4 compliant, thanks to a team of engineers slaving away in white lab coats. BMW have the newer, liquid-cooled boxer motor at their disposal, but ultimately decided that it’s too modern for their ‘Heritage’ bikes. Under the hood The R nineT Scrambler packs the same DNA as the R nineT-starting with its air-and-oil-cooled, 1170cc boxer engine. So the Bavarian marque’s mission was twofold: scramble the R nineT, and make it cheaper. The R nineT is a highly capable bike, that’ll give any other modern classic a serious run for its money in both performance and aesthetics.īut it’s priced at a premium. That BMW would eventually expand the R nineT range (officially filed under ‘Heritage’) was a no-brainer.

When the official R nineT Scrambler finally broke cover, our suspicions were confirmed: we’d been looking at it all along, hidden under a thin veil of fancy bits and eye-catching graphics. The first clue was the Concept Path22: a customized R nineT revealed at last year’s Wheels & Waves fest, with a 19” front wheel, a surfboard rack and artwork by Ornamental Conifer. The new BMW R nineT Scrambler is a bike we saw coming a mile off. That’s the zeitgeist of the current scene…and BMW have just entered the fray in spectacular fashion.

Bmw r9t scrambler