Adamchildchad Forties, 5'7, has been professionally bike testing for 20-years and has attended more than 350 bike launches and covered over a million road test miles. International road racer, with race wins at Oliver's Mount, podiums in NZ and two top ten TT finishes. Chad is just as happy off-road or on a classic bike.
BMW’s R nineT debuted in 2013 and after ten years and a host of spin-off models it’s bowing out for 2024 and the new R12 nineT steps in as its replacement as BMW’s motorcycle division celebrates its 100th anniversary.
Sharing the same air-cooled boxer twin as its predecessor the new model’s improvements focus on the chassis and technology while cleaning up the retro styling and offering a vast array of customisation options to tailor each bike to its owner’s whims.
If you’re wondering why the ‘nineT’ element of the name remains, when the original 2013 R nineT was launched to mark BMW’s 90th year of making bikes and the R12 nineT comes in the centenary year, it’s because the styling is intended to hark back to the old R90 of 1973.
The significantly updated R12 nineT might have slipped under the radar following the wave of new models recently released by BMW, but this attractive, premium retro machine receives a host of upgrades for 2024, whilst retaining its classic air-cooled boxer twin. We head to southern Spain and some cracking riding conditions to see if it goes as well as it looks.
Pros and Cons
New chassis is simpler and lighter
Uprated tech including keyless ignition
Lovely spread of torque from low down
Nicely balanced handling, easy to ride
Lean-sensitive rider aids
High level of finish and stunning in the flesh
The older R nineT had more of a concept-bike-for-the-street style
Not vastly lighter overall, despite new lightweight frame
Options will rapidly start to push the price up
The air-cooled boxer has character but feels slightly dated
The gearbox and the quick-shifter could be smoother
2024 BMW R12 nineT Review
Replacing the decade old R nineT, and though sharing the same air-cooled boxer twin as its predecessor, the new model’s improvements focus on the chassis and technology.
Coming in at £14,420 the R nineT is a direct replacement for the standard R nineT from the 2023 range, which came in at £14,100. As with its predecessor there are plenty of ways to push that cost up by dipping into a mind-boggling array of options.
The standard price gets you the Black Storm Metallic version of the bike, with the optional San Remo Green Metallic adding £250 to the tag. Want the ‘Option 719 Aluminium’ look, with a red frame, pillion seat cover and various billet bolt-ons? That will be £2100 extra.
The stunning San Remo Green (£250) model we had on test featured a few extras: the Comfort Pack (gearshift assist, heated grips, cruise control, hill start control: £980), the classic spoked wheels (£550), single seat hump (£300) and digital dash (£120). These push the price to £16,620, considerably more than the competition. I also like the optional retro headlight surround, while the small side luggage looks neat... You can see how easy it is to push the price over £17K. In the UK PCP prices start from £146.31, after a deposit of £3705.
The basics of the 1170cc, air/oil-cooled boxer twin are carried over from the R nineT, including the peak power of 109hp. It now arrives 250rpm sooner at 7,000rpm and the peak torque is rated at 115Nm at 6,500rpm (84.8lb-ft), which is 1Nm less than before and comes 500rpm higher in the rev range.
As before, the engine is a DOHC design with four valves per cylinder, a 101mm bore and 73mm stroke, and it shows that even in the era of Euro5+ emissions restrictions it’s still possible to make air-cooled engines that pass all the relevant rules and regulations.
Changes include a new airbox, sited under the seat and eliminating the air intake duct that ran down the right-hand side of the R nineT’s tank, helping give the new model a cleaner style overall. The exhaust, also new, loses the exhaust flap of the R nineT, with new manifolds leading to a main silencer under the transmission, incorporating the all-important catalytic converter, before the exhaust splits back into two for the silencers on the left-hand side.
As is the norm, there are three riding modes for the R12 nineT – ‘Road’, ‘Rain’ and ‘Dynamic’ – each tweaking the throttle response and traction control settings to suit. In ‘Road’ the throttle is in its mid setting and the traction control and engine braking control are set for dry, grippy surfaces. In ‘Rain’ the throttle is gentler and the traction control cuts in earlier. ‘Dynamic’, as the name suggests, is the sportiest setting, sharpening the throttle response and cutting back on the electronic nannies.
The transmission is the same six-speed box as before, with the option of an up/down quickshifter as an ex-works accessory.
RIDING LAUNCH
It’s been a while since I’ve ridden an air-cooled boxer (aside from my own faithful R 1150 RT) and, on start up, it felt strange to feel again the rocking movement as it idled, followed by that trademark bark from the ‘old’ lump when the throttle is blipped. It’s easy to forget this 1170cc opposed twin can trace its routes back 20 years or more, and also highlights how refined the new, super smooth liquid-cooled boxer engines have become. Like so many, though, I like the feeling of the air-cooled boxer. Its character and mechanical feel are special and something to be cherished.
Once on the move the character of the bike continues to show. There’s a slight pull from the shaft drive under heavy acceleration and, despite having an optional quick-shifter fitted for the first time, the gearbox could never be described as smooth by modern standards. Some journalists on the test ride saw these as negatives – and many customers grabbing a brief test on a dealer machine may agree with them – but not me. In this class of retros, the quirks and qualities of the old design complement the ride. I don't want a silky smooth character-free engine powering my cool-looking retro; a little personality, just like we had in the old days, can only be a good thing.
Anyway (and of course), BMW hasn’t simply thrown an old motor in a new chassis; they have worked on the fuelling, the torque curve and throttle response. In fact, the fuelling is perfect by the most modern of standards: soft and user friendly in Road and Rain modes, while Dynamic mode adds a little zip and urgency to throttle inputs, but it’s still not aggressive or intimidating.
The new bike's ace cards, however, are its torque and driveability. BMW has worked on improving low to mid-range drive, and the result is brilliant. The drive from as low as 2000rpm is as clean as it is enormously strong. Even short shifting at just 4000rpm results in an old-school Bavarian surge that straightens arms in a way that has to be experienced before air-cooled rockers become extinct. Hustling the new nineT through mountain passes, using only fourth and fifth gear, even in tight hairpins where third would normally be needed, was as relaxed as it was fun. I simply left the new quick-shifter alone and ran a couple of gears too high, the rich and all enveloping torque making life so easy. All this, of course, accompanied by the bark of twin pipes and the induction growl from the re-routed airbox... just lovely.
And don't think for moment this is a slow or lazy bike that relies solely on its low and midrange torque. The R12 nineT can deliver a decisive turn of speed for a fast overtake. It likes revs too. You can even switch off the traction control (on the move) and it will pop the front wheel up with nonchalant cool.
If the engine is a carry-over, the same can’t be said of the chassis – the R12 nineT’s frame is a much more conventional steel trellis setup than the three-piece, bolt-together design used on the old R nineT.
BMW says the change reduces the number of fastenings and cuts the weight, although at 220kg wet the R12 nineT is only 1kg lighter than the outgoing R nineT.
It is a bit bigger, though, with a 1511mm wheelbase, up from 1487mm, and an outright length of 2130mm instead of 2105mm. Those changes are in part due to a slightly more relaxed rake of 27.7 degrees, where the old R nineT’s was 26.8 degrees.
The front suspension is a similar formula to before, with fully-adjustable upside-down forks (45mm in diameter, down from 46mm for the R nineT), but at the rear there’s a repositioned monoshock, directly connected between the frame and the Paralever single-sided swingarm/driveshaft at an angle rather than mounted vertically as on the old model. As before, there’s 120mm of wheel travel at each end.
Brakes are four-pot radial monobloc calipers on two 310mm discs at the front, with a two-pot caliper and 265mm disc at the back. BMW’s ‘ABS Pro’ is standard, offering cornering ABS that adapts to suit the chosen riding mode.
RIDING LAUNCH
Like the impressive air-cooled motor it’s refreshing to jump on a modern-day bike and immediately feel at home and unchallenged by a relatively basic, easy-to-ride setup. The chassis mirrors the languid feeling of the motor. It’s not pin-sharp or fast steering, instead it rolls into corners. This easy handling makes it a joy to ride. Sit back and get the flow. Stability is as excellent as you’d expect from a long-wheelbase machine with relaxed steering geometry, while the weight distribution and balance feel spot-on for a spirited but controlled ride.
Don’t be fooled into thinking this Heritage Beemer is an old-man's bike, though, because on those sportier days the chassis delivers. Unlike other bikes in this class, ground clearance is good and, while the suspension is set for a comfortable ride, it is certainly not soft. I was surprised how hard I could push the handing, and I had to ride the nineT like a sports bike to find any faults.
But even when riding hard it’s only a little soft and a tweak of the adjustable, high-quality suspension would soon rectify any handling gremlins. At 220kg plus the rider there is a fair amount of weight for the brakes to manage but the four-piston monobloc front calipers have loads of feel and stopping power, while intervention from the cornering ABS is minimal. The amount of lean-sensitive control changes via the chosen ride modes – Road, Rain and Dynamic. It would be a shame to get all that chrome dirty but, in the wet, the combination of cornering ABS and TC, Rain mode's sweetly metered throttle response and the chassis' easy handling should make the summer's damper days as much fun as the dry ones, especially with the optional heated grips fitted.
The R12 NineT’s seat, at only 795mm, is lower than the old model’s 805mm, and the reshaped tank with deep cutaway sections for your knees promises to be unobtrusive. The tank is also 30mm shorter than the old R nineT’s, and allied to tall, wide bars (870mm across) and relatively low pegs, it should be a pretty comfortable, controllable machine.
However, customisation is the name of the R12 nineT’s game and there’s an optional ‘Comfort package’ that adds hill start control, the up/down quickshifter, heated grips and cruise control to make for an easier riding experience. A cockpit fairing is another option, adding a modicum of protection against wind-blast.
The official fuel consumption figure of 5.1l/100km (55.4mpg) is the same as the previous R nineT and means a potential range of up to 195 miles from the 16-litre tank.
RIDING LAUNCH
The seat has been lowered the seat by 10mm to just 795mm which means even a short rider like me can get their feet firmly down and flat-footed on the road. A weight of 220kg might sound a little intimidating but the mass is carried typically low in the chassis. Boxer-powered BMWs have a lovely low-speed feeling and balance, and this one is no exception. It might look like a large naked 1170cc retro bruiser, but it’s as intimidating as a kitten.
As a short rider, and despite the wide bars, I felt at home on the R12 nineT. The shorter fuel tank placed me closer to the bars, while the ergonomics are roomy and fine for several good hours in the saddle. Tick the optional comfort extras on the configurator and, with cruise control especially, there’s no reason why you couldn’t take on 300 miles in a day or more. Returning over 50mpg and getting close to 200 miles between fuel stops if speeds are kept legal-ish helps it cover the ground efficiently too. The current R nineT can be a little ‘buzzy’ at high rpm, and the new R12 nineT may suffer from a few vibrations above 90-or-so mph and above. But we will have to come back to evaluate long-distance comfort (no pillion seat of pegs on our test bike, by the way) at a later stage.
As standard, the R12 nineT gets a pair of traditional analogue clocks – speedo and rev counter – with a small digital display built into the speedometer to give access to menus and another in the rev counter showing gear position and selected riding mode. Optionally, those instruments can be swapped for a tiny 3.5-inch colour TFT dash that gives all the same information in a smaller, all-digital package.
Other standard kit includes keyless go, replacing the old-school ignition key of the R nineT with an electronic proximity key. You’ll still need to use a traditional one for the steering lock and fuel cap, though, so the benefit is arguably limited.
BMW’s Intelligent Emergency Call system is also standard, alerting emergency services in the event of an accident.
As an option, you can add BMW’s Connected Ride Control, giving Bluetooth connectivity and phone-based navigation controlled via the left-hand bar pod. LED lights are standard, with the option of adaptive cornering lights at extra cost.
RIDING LAUNCH
Our test bike came with the optional 3.5 TFT dash (£120), but I’d prefer the standard analogue clocks for a bike in this class. And keyless is a nice touch but you still need to use a key for the fuel cap. But these are just niggles and personal taste; overall the standard of equipment is very high and the level of finish is superb. The view from the cockpit is neat and the little touches and fasteners are absolutely on point. I’m unsure about the optional red frame but the colour options are impressive.
BMW has made the styling much neater with the air-box now under the seat and the intakes removed. The simplicity of the air-cooled Boxer engine is one of the bike's visual strengths, something BMW know all too well. Other manufacturers in this class work hard to try to disguise their bikes' radiators, but BMW simply doesn’t have to.
There’s plenty on offer when it comes to retro bikes in the same price range as the R12 nineT, so you can take your pick of different engine configurations and styles. How about these alternatives?
Some won’t enjoy the characteristics of the R12 nineT. The rocking movement of the motor, the pull of the shaft drive, and a gearbox that isn’t the quickest or slickest by modern standards won't flap everyone's flag. But in this class of retro cool, where authenticity is the most valuable commodity of all, the character and mechanical intimacy of the air-cooled boxer engine are exactly what many of us want.
The ease of use of both the chassis and engine is superb. The Boxer is perfectly fuelled, enriched with torque from the very bottom of the rev range, sounds great for a standard bike, and can deliver a terrific turn of speed should you want it. The chassis, too, is relaxed and welcoming, especially to shorter riders, yet it can hustle and flow like all the best boxers – and do so without dragging its pegs or pipe on the road.
BMW hasn’t made huge strides with the R12 nineT, but they didn’t need to. I smiled all day during our ride and reckon it's the perfect jacket and jeans bike, made for a Sunday afternoon or summer evening ride out. The only downside, aside from the odd name, is the price. Yes, you can see where the money has been spent but it is considerably more expensive than the competition.
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MCIA Secured gives motorcycles a rating out of five stars (three stars for bikes of 125cc or less), based on the following being fitted to a new bike as standard:
A steering lock that meets the UNECE 62 standard
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An alarm system
A vehicle tracking system with subscription
The higher the star rating, the better the security, so always ask your dealer what rating your bike has and compare it to other machines on your shortlist.
