BMW to end development of future R nineT variants

The market for modern retro bikes has absolutely exploded over the last few years, and it seems like every manufacturer is getting in on the action. One major player in that space was BMW with their terrific R nineT café racer.

The R nineT was originally launched back in 2013 and has since spawned five excellent variants to fit a range of tastes and riding styles.

It was popular opinion that BMW would be adding a Bobber version of the R nineT after the company pulled the wraps off the jaw-dropping BMW R5 Hommage at the Concorso d’Eleganze Villa d’Este in 2016. That bike was a supercharged, blacked out goddess whose styling would have looked brilliant on the R nineT platform.

However, recent news out of BMW Motorrad confirms that the company won’t be launching a Bobber R nineT; it’ll actually be stopping developing of any new models of the bike all together.

The good news is that BMW will still be producing the R nineT in all its forms, it simply won’t be coming out with any future variants of the bike.

Hearing this is definitely a bummer. Fortunately, there are a wealth of great bikes available from a number manufacturers in this market niche including the Ducati Scrambler, Triumph Bonneville, Yamaha XSR, and even Husqvarna with the new Viltpilen.

BMW Motorrad is calling the R nineT family “complete”, which is feels appropriate from a certain perspective. It’s not like the R nineT lineup is lacking in options: riders have their choice of the regular bike, the Scrambler, Racer, Pure, and Urban G/S.

Two particularly sweet versions are the Scrambler and Racer. The Scrambler is a delightful take on the vintage scrambler style motorcycle and sports knobby tires, bellowed front forks, high mounted side-exit exhaust, and other goodies.

Go for the Racer, and you’re treated to a bike that looks like it rolled straight out of the Barry Sheene era. Its aggressive riding position, low bars, and half-shell front end make for a positively righteous modern interpretation of classic motorcycle styling.

Perhaps this new development will spur aftermarket companies and custom builders to create their own Bobber version of the R nineT without having to compete directly with BMW for market space.

Ceasing development on any new models for an already established, well received motorcycle like the R nineT is an interesting move from BMW, and it’ll be fun to see what they turn their attention to next.