BMW R ninet Option 719
BMW dress up their R ninet for a night at the bordello…
BEAUTIFULLY ACCESSORISED MOTORBIKE or bling, option-filled, monstrosity? Unfortunately for the BMW, all four testers agree with the latter. Hugo: ‘It’s a trinket.’ Paul: ‘Reminds me of a retired gangster, all gold chains and sunburn,’ Steve: ‘Restraint? I can’t see any here.’ The accessory billet parts and gold pinstriping that are the root of this criticism are part of the Option 719 Club Sport Billet Pack, which adds £2550 to the ninet’s price. £3500 if you include the painted fuel tank. There’s certainly no doubting the quality of the parts. Look closely to spot milled lines, fine-tune lever position and work through a ridiculous 12 footpeg adjustments. There’s even a milled belt cover hidden behind the front wheel. Early R ninets had metal covers that chipped badly and subsequent models were equipped with plastic covers instead. The Option 719 brings back the metal. The total price for this bike, including £105 white LED indicators, £250 heated handlebar grips and the £320 ASC traction control is… wait for it… £16,475 otr. That’s the same price as a Ducati Multistrada 1260 S, £1250 more than BMW’S own S1000RR Sport and £7500 more than Yamaha’s XSR900. with chassis. juddery Peel a strong away Where low in the engine the the gold, range, Ducati and and a the you’re feels sturdy BMW soft left and feels tight, ready to surge forward. There’s no Z900rs-style wait for immediate thrust, either. You boots wind in equal the throttle proportion. open There’s and the 101.3bhp 1170cc opposed at 7800rpm twin and fills over its 60 lb.ft torque from 2500rpm onwards – specs that trounce the Scrambler. And it feels plenty fast enough from inside the widebarred, minimalist cockpit. Don’t try and spank the R ninet like you would the Yamaha or Kawasaki. If you change gear quickly, the torque reaction from the transversely-mounted boxer wrenches you sideways. The trick is to come off the throttle smoothly just before clicking up. This results in slower changes, but it’s smoother. Yes, the ninet makes a fabulous cruiser. It feels better than the Ducati and Kawasaki at 80mph because the handlebar and mirrors are placed so low. They don’t affect the airflow hitting your helmet, so you get knocked around less. And the throttle response is so smooth, low speed sauntering is equally stress-free. All our testers country. agree Until it’s you the hit best a bump, bike of that the four is. Suspension for swanning travel about is 120mm the front and rear, identical to BMW’S S1000RR superbike and 30mm less than the Ducati. You’ll be slashing speed on rickety back lanes while the Scrambler rider rockets onward. That doesn’t deter Steve, though. He can’t get enough of the Beemer. ‘I love this bike. It’s a heavy beast to push around, but that translates to steady, reliable steering at speed.’ A 222kg wet weight makes the BMW the heaviest bike here – 7kg heavier than the Kawasaki and 16kg more than the Ducati. But heave the three bikes around a car park and it’s the short, compact BMW that’s most obedient. Only the Yamaha, with an impressive 196kg claimed wet weight, gives you an easier time. Parked up, the BMW draws more onlookers than the other three bikes combined. After riding a handful of ninet variants, the stance of the original still feels unusual. The aluminium tank hunches over the boxer cylinders and a tiny engine punch seat to unit create out tapers to the left away main and right, to fuselage, form the seat tail. fit together The way makes frame, the engine, other tank and machines appear naff. A second, more dispassionate ride reveals standard BMW niggles. There’s no clack-into-first-gear you get on a normal bike, just a noncommittal hiding of the neutral light. Release the clutch and there’s a fifty-fifty chance you’re still in neutral. Come up to a red light and you’ll be downshifting indefinitely: the gear lever doesn’t stop clicking after you hit first. And then there’s the immovable indicator switch. Search the left clock face to confirm indicators really are flashing. But these are small issues in the face of the Kawasaki’s surging throttle and the Yamaha’s brutal A-mode. After riding all four bikes back-to-back Steve and Paul are both sold on the undeniable merits of the BMW R ninet. Even Yamahaadoring Hugo grudgingly admits the BMW ‘is a very nice thing.’ He him might the price… be coming down in favour of the German, but then I tell
‘The BMW draws more onlookers than the others combined’