BMW is taking a page from the Harley-Davidson playbook with its groundbreaking R NineT. A retro cafe racer with an urban hooligan twist, the bike is fully customizable from fork to exhaust. Of course, any motorcycle can be customized, but the fact that BMW has built its newest bike to encourage modification using parts that can be swapped with simple tools is a radical move for a motorcycle maker best known for its plug-and-play touring bikes.
To underscore exactly how radical, BMW has even partnered with custom heavy-hitter Roland Sands Design, which developed the initial concept for the bike and is now manufacturing a full line of parts and accessories for the R NineT, including radial valve covers ($950), retro racing saddles ($400-$420), radial gauge housing ($400) and a radial headlight bezel ($250), among other things, all of which can be swapped with a socket wrench or screwdriver instead of a hacksaw, wire cutters and TIG welder.
Alas, the bike I tested for two weeks was stock, so consider it a blank canvas.
In development since 2011, the $15,395 R NineT is a tribute to BMW's 1973 R90S superbike. As such, it's powered by a classic flat-twin that's been modernized with a gigantic 1,170-cc displacement and oil as well as air cooling. From the saddle, looking down, the protruding cylinders make the bike look as stocky as one would expect for a machine of German provenance. It's as if the R NineT is powered with wienerschnitzel instead of 91 octane.
