First breaking cover in 2013, the BMW R nineT drew obvious inspiration from the Bavarian brand’s vintage bikes, though was still vastly different from anything the company had ever produced. Designed by Ola Stenegärd — a 15-year veteran at BMW that also penned the S1000RR superbike before moving on to now serve as Director of Product Design for Indian Motorcycle — the R9T targeted a younger, hipper riding demographic and was engineered to be as modular and mod-friendly as possible. A roaring success for BMW Motorrad, the R nineT lineup has been produced in a wide array of different model variants, from a roadster to a cafe racer to a scrambler to an R80G/S-themed version. And after a decade in production, the marque has now revealed the next evolutionary step of the R9T with the heavily-revised BMW R 12 nineT.
The R 12 boasts a similar style to its existing R9T predecessor, with a slightly more refined look that includes a tank that draws inspiration from BMW’s old school toaster-style fuel cells along with a cafe-style tail cowl that now comes as standard. The entire motorcycle is constructed around a one-piece tubular space frame with a subframe that’s simply bolted onto the main chassis. This framework was specifically engineered to lend itself to customization.
In typical BMW fashion, the R 12 nineT comes loaded with a high-end array of componentry such as an inverted fork, a mono-shock-equipped Paralever rear suspension, tubeless spoked wheels, and radial-mount quad-pot Brembo monobloc calipers with steel-braided lines. Alongside gaining the 2021 model year R9T’s revised cylinder head setup, the approximately 1,200cc air-and-oil-cooled boxer twin at the heart of the new R 12 variant also features a newly-designed intake system paired with an all-new exhaust that terminates in a left-hand stacked set of cone silencers sitting next to the bike’s single-sided swing-arm. Exact specs such as precise displacement and power figures have yet to be revealed.
While pricing, availability, and production or release dates all have yet to be revealed, the company has stated that additional information on the 2024 BMW R 12 nineT Motorcycle will be unveiled in the second half of 2023. Alongside the new R 12 nineT, BMW has also rolled out the fifth addition to the R 18 lineup with the new bagger-style R 18 Roctane — a blacked-out chopper-esque model variant that gains a 21” front wheel and mid-rise bars amongst a host of other minor tweaks and additions.
