BMW’s retro sport naked bike gets a facelift this year. And to mark the occasion, his name receives another number, in numbers this time. The BMW R 12 NineT will take over from the R NineT range. Details are a little thin at the moment, but BMW has provided plenty of photos of a version of the bike and some basics.
As you might have guessed from the “12” in the name, the engine displaces 1.2 liters (plus or minus a few cubic centimeters). It’s no different from the current model, though. And the new model is still an air- and oil-cooled flat twin. The current bike produces 109 horsepower and 86 pound-feet of torque, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the R 12 stays within that range.
The basic layout also looks the same. It is a tubular spaceframe with bolt-on rear subframe. The front wheel is on an inverted fork with dual disc brakes with four-piston calipers. A single-sided swingarm holds the rear, and power goes through a driveshaft rather than a chain. Both wheels are spoked and are 17 inches in diameter, just like today’s bike.
The styling is also clearly related but has definitely been updated. The fuel tank and bonnet have sharper creases, with the latter also looking a bit larger than on some current R NineTs. It allows to modernize the design of the bike.
As with the current NineT, the R 12 NineT will likely come in a variety of form factors, including jammer-style versions and possibly a base “Pure” version. These versions will likely have different seat and headlight cowl designs, possibly cast wheels instead of wired examples, and even possibly some suspension changes (the current Pure has a standard front fork instead of the typical reverse).
Full specifications of the R 12 NineT will be available this fall. It will probably be available soon after. The price will likely be comparable to today’s model. For reference, the regular R NineT starts at $16,640. Other variants are available for less, with the cheapest Pure version coming in at $11,690.
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