An Asphalt & Rubber reader dropped off these two photos, showing the 2016 BMW R nineT Scrambler in its two trim levels.
Our reader goes on to say that the base model will be the road-going model we have already seen in a leaked video, while a pricer “off-road” model will include knobby tires, wire wheels, and ADV farkles.
This bike has been burning a hole in my to-do list for far too long, partially because I first saw it late last year, but also because of how radial the design is…especially when you consider that it started life as a subdued BMW R nineT roadster.
The work of Austrian designer Blechmann, the bike is called Giggerl and well…it is hard to say which genre of style it fits into exactly. Blechmann has obvious modern cues and ideas for how a motorcycle should look, but Giggerl also has lines from the past, due in part to its air-cooled R nineT roots.
It might be still be summer, but our eyes are looking ahead to the new bike season in the fall and winter, where the major motorcycle manufacturers will debut their new motorcycles for the future.
The big trade shows to watch are INTERMOT and EICMA, as these have traditionally been the venues of choice for new model unveils, prototype teasers, and concept debuts.
One brand that is certainly going to be showing us some new motorcycles is BMW Motorrad, with the German company saying that it plans to launch nine new models in 2018.
What those nine models will be is up for conjecture, though we have some good ideas, and some bad ideas, on what they could be. Let’s take a look.
Today we have news of the fifth (#1, #2, #3, & #4 here) BMW Motorrad recall in roughly a month’s time, as 3,368 units of the BMW R nineT (2014-2017 model years) are being recalled for swingarm pivot pin bolt that may loosen itself.
The issue stems from a supplier production process error, where one or more bolts that connect the right-side pivot pin to the frame may loosen as a result of an improper specification of the chamfer cutting process in the frame.
As a result, proper clamp force may not have been achieved during final torqueing process. If the right-hand side pivot pin to the frame loosens itself, it can affect the handling and stability of the motorcycle, which increases the chances of a crash.
Our Bothan Spies came through once again this EICMA season, bringing us news that the BMW Lac Rose Concept would enter production as the 2017 BMW R nineT Urban G/S motorcycle.
As the name implies, the Urban G/S is based off the BMW R nineT platform, which means that it uses the iconic 1,170cc, 110hp, air-cooled, boxer-twin engine as its base, and then builds out from there.
As such, the chassis is the same modular frame that powers the rest of the R nineT line, complete with telescoping fork suspension at the front, along with a 19″ wheel wire-spoked wheel in the front, and a 17″ wire-spoked wheel in the rear.
All of this means that the BMW R nineT is mostly an aesthetic exercise – but it is quite the exercise, if you want our opinion.
BMW Motorrad’s INTERMOT unveilings centered around two machines for its heritage lineup, the BMW R nineT Pure and the BMW R nineT Racer. Both bikes are based off the iconic air-cooled boxer-twin engine, and both bikes are exactly what their name implies.
The R nineT Pure is a basic street standard, styled for a forgotten era. The R nineT Racer adds a half-fairing to the mix, adding yet another café racer model to the list of choices the post-authentic crowd can pick from.
Admittedly, BMW’s design team did a good job with the 2017 BMW R nineT Racer, making a tasteful café model from the very flexible R nineT platform. We especially like the subtly done throwback white, blue, and red paint scheme.
The BMW R nineT has done well for itself with urban riders, and the BMW R nineT Scrambler is eagerly awaited, finally launching in the coming weeks around the world.
We expect similarly strong showings for the Racer and Pure models, though if we had to pick from the two, this would be the one.
Ever since we saw its name published in the California Air Resources Board documents, we have been speculating what could be “pure” about the 2017 BMW R nineT Pure motorcycle. Today, at INTERMOT, we get that answer.
We might be mildly disappointed that the BMW Lac Rose Concept is not one of the two new models for the trade show in Germany, though it shouldn’t surprise us to see that BMW is taking another styling exercise with its R nineT platform – albeit a more simple one, this time around.
One of two new bikes based off the air-cooled BMW R nineT platform for 2017, the BMW R nineT Pure is supposed to harken back to a more classic time for motorcycles.
An extension of the heritage line that BMW is creating with the R nineT, the Pure and Racer two sides of an older coin.
INTERMOT is this week, which means that we will see a few “advanced” previews of some of the machines we can expect at the trade show coming in the next 48hrs or so.
The Germanic brands, BMW and KTM usually debut a number of machines at INTERMOT, and the Japanese manufactures usually have a few bikes for us there, as well.
This means new bike season is upon us in earnest, and the first machine to get leaked, teased, or previewed — however you want to define those words as a marketer — appears to be the BMW R nineT Racer – a café racer styled version of the BMW R nineT platform, which we spotted in CARB filings a couple weeks ago.
A recall has been issued for the BMW R nineT, affecting bikes from both the 2014 and 2015 model years. The recall is being issued because the design for the rear turn signals may be obscured, for drivers following behind the motorcycle.
Since the light assembly does not comply with the provisions of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, “Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment,” this recall was issued through NHTSA.
All said, the recall affects 1,792 machines, those manufactured between November 27, 2013, through January 26, 2015.
Filings with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) suggest that BMW Motorrad has two more variations of its retro-styled motorcycle line coming to the USA: the BMW R nineT Pure and the BMW R nineT Racer.
These two bikes would join the other two air-cooled models we have already seen from the Germans, the base model BMW R nineT and the recently released BMW R nineT Scrambler, which debuted at EICMA last year.
Our friends at Motorcycle.com spotted the CARB filings, and believe one of the machines will be based off the BMW Lac Rose concept – an ADV throw-back to when the Dakar Rally actually raced to Dakar.
The other model though, could be anyone’s guess, as BMW hasn’t dropped any other concepts or hints in the past months.
BMW Motorrad says that the BMW R nineT Scrambler model revives a chapter in the German brand’s storybook, where BMWs of the 1960’s and 1970’s were fitted with knobby tires and high-mount exhaust, and were prominent on both road and trail.
The scrambler heritage model is a popular one nowadays, and BMW Motorrad is using one of its few remaining 110hp, 1,1700c, air-cooled engines to power the retro-styled BWM R nineT, and now the BMW R nineT Scrambler.
In an unusual move for BMW, the R nineT Scrambler features telescope forks, which are mounted right-side up. The front wheel is a cast 19″ unit stock, while the rear is 17″ hoop. Both wheels are stopped with ABS brakes that are axially mounted, and can be replaced with laced wheels.
The bike is Euro4 compliant, but we think would-be owners are going to be more concerned with the accessories packages available for the BMW R nineT Scrambler, which take the Scrambler from road bike to trail machine.
We’ve got 90 high-resolution photos of the BMW R nineT Scrambler after the jump, for your viewing pleasure.