Those expecting a new addition to BMW’s R nineT range, possibly in the form of a retro bobber, can kiss their hopes goodbye
BMW Motorrad says that “the R nineT is complete,” hinting at the fact that no additional retro models will complement the existing series. Get yours while you still can!
A recent phrase in one of Motorrad’s annual reports speaks about how “the R nineT family is now complete,” hinting at the fact that no more nineT-derived models are planned. The same report speaks about the recently-launched Urban G/S, Pure and Racer R NineT versions, while making no mention about further development of new retro models.
After the R5 Hommage surfaced at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este two years ago, everyone was convinced that the concept was the anticipation of a classic bobber based on the R nineT platform. And because BMW’s retro machines were making the headlines, we all figured out that it was only a matter of time until such a motorbike would reach the mass production stage. “One, maybe two years, and we’re buying the bobber from a BMW showroom,” everyone thought. Tough luck!
It looks like retro fans will just have to settle for one of the existing R nineT models: R nineT, R nineT Scrambler, R nineT Racer, R nineT Pure and R nineT Urban G/S. Now, we’re not fearing that BMW has plans to discontinue these nifty bikes any time soon. The worldwide retro trend is as strong as ever, but you know what they say: “better safe (and with a new R nineT in the garage) than sorry.”
It’s a bit of a mystery seeing BMW refraining from building more retro-ish bikes on the R nineT platform, especially as other manufacturers seem eager to deliver even more machines in this segment, with Ducati and their new Scrambler 1100 being just one of the two-wheelers that come to mind now.
However, there might be another reason behind this decision. One of BMW’s lead designers that contributed massively to bringing the R nineT project to fruition, Ola Stenegard, no longer works for House Munich. This very spring, Ola crossed the pond to join the ranks of Indian Motorcycle, so maybe the project sort of ran out of breath, if you catch my drift.
Still, it’s hard to believe that BMW will simply abandon this direction. More likely, they are devising a new machine, behind closed doors, especially as their rich heritage has a ton of iconic bikes to inspire a whole new model. And maybe they’ll reconsider their position and add a cruiser to the line-up after all the years that passed since they stopped making the R1200C…