On the way home from work on Friday I happened to call in at North Oxford BMW and noticed that they had an R Nine T demonstrator available. I had a quick discussion with Nathan, one of the sales guys who’s knowledge and enthusiasm for BMW motorcycles never ceases to amaze me – especially as he can’t be more than 25 years old. I noted with interest that Nathan spent his own hard earnt dosh an R NineT and rated the bike very highly. Anyway after a bit of general BMW banter I arranged to come back the following day with my biking kit for a quick test ride.
So first impressions; I’d sat on the R NineT at the NEC show last year and remember being disappointed at the size of the bike – it’s tiny and really only suited to someone around 5’9” or smaller and of small build. At 6’ tall and used to riding an 1150GS the bike felt a little cramped but it also felt very light and easy to move around. It almost felt like a 125cc – but with a bit more power I had high hopes for the 9T having previously ridden a couple of HP2E’s which are similar in terms of concept – i.e. R1200, lightweight and telescopic rather than telelever front end. The 9T uses the later twincam engine which was a development of the HP2 Sport engine – HP2E’s and MM’s use a modified single cam engine.
My test ride was limited to 30 minutes and required Miss Alf to hang around waiting for me – so I reduced this further to an agreed 20 minutes I had a route planned that included a mixture of dual carriage ways, fast A road and a few twisty bits. First off the bike felt very light and pretty fast. It was the first time that I had ridden the twin cam engine and I was impressed by the smooth power delivery – it seemed to have power available everywhere across the rev range. I also immediately noticed the lack of telelever front end and the seriously powerful front brakes. Even though I was prepared for uber powerful S1000RR derived brakes and a pogo front end it was still a bit of a shocker the first time I tested the brakes. In addition, the bike felt like it had an extremely short wheelbase – this could well be due to the fact that I am so used to riding a telelever equipped bike (i.e. fixed wheelbase) but regardless the R9T could certainly be chucked about and could change direction incredibly quickly.
Even on a short test ride the wind blast was almost unbearable at anything approaching interesting speeds on A roads – I could literally feel my neck aching after 10 minutes. Nothing that a small screen wouldn’t fix but worth noting. I’d imagine that the R9T would probably rip your head clean off if you tried to ride it whilst wearing an MX style lid
Overall I was impressed with the bike – it’s light and fast, handles well, sounds good even with a standard exhaust system and looks absolutely brilliant. I’ve been following the aftermarket R9T scene since the bike was launched and TBH I haven’t been overly impressed with results to date. I’m waiting for someone to provide a G/S Paris Dakar style kit – i.e. longer forks and shocks, custom G/S style tank and an orange single seat and rack combo – I’m sure someone will make one soon.
Am I going to buy on? I don’t know is the answer – the trouble with my old 1150 is that it’s just too good at everything and costs nothing. I should have bought an HP2 back in 2007 when prices were sensible. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the price of R9T’s.
Should you test ride one? Without doubt – it’s an incredibly involving experience and a very unique BMW bike. Just leave your MX lid at home.
So first impressions; I’d sat on the R NineT at the NEC show last year and remember being disappointed at the size of the bike – it’s tiny and really only suited to someone around 5’9” or smaller and of small build. At 6’ tall and used to riding an 1150GS the bike felt a little cramped but it also felt very light and easy to move around. It almost felt like a 125cc – but with a bit more power I had high hopes for the 9T having previously ridden a couple of HP2E’s which are similar in terms of concept – i.e. R1200, lightweight and telescopic rather than telelever front end. The 9T uses the later twincam engine which was a development of the HP2 Sport engine – HP2E’s and MM’s use a modified single cam engine.
My test ride was limited to 30 minutes and required Miss Alf to hang around waiting for me – so I reduced this further to an agreed 20 minutes I had a route planned that included a mixture of dual carriage ways, fast A road and a few twisty bits. First off the bike felt very light and pretty fast. It was the first time that I had ridden the twin cam engine and I was impressed by the smooth power delivery – it seemed to have power available everywhere across the rev range. I also immediately noticed the lack of telelever front end and the seriously powerful front brakes. Even though I was prepared for uber powerful S1000RR derived brakes and a pogo front end it was still a bit of a shocker the first time I tested the brakes. In addition, the bike felt like it had an extremely short wheelbase – this could well be due to the fact that I am so used to riding a telelever equipped bike (i.e. fixed wheelbase) but regardless the R9T could certainly be chucked about and could change direction incredibly quickly.
Even on a short test ride the wind blast was almost unbearable at anything approaching interesting speeds on A roads – I could literally feel my neck aching after 10 minutes. Nothing that a small screen wouldn’t fix but worth noting. I’d imagine that the R9T would probably rip your head clean off if you tried to ride it whilst wearing an MX style lid
Overall I was impressed with the bike – it’s light and fast, handles well, sounds good even with a standard exhaust system and looks absolutely brilliant. I’ve been following the aftermarket R9T scene since the bike was launched and TBH I haven’t been overly impressed with results to date. I’m waiting for someone to provide a G/S Paris Dakar style kit – i.e. longer forks and shocks, custom G/S style tank and an orange single seat and rack combo – I’m sure someone will make one soon.
Am I going to buy on? I don’t know is the answer – the trouble with my old 1150 is that it’s just too good at everything and costs nothing. I should have bought an HP2 back in 2007 when prices were sensible. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the price of R9T’s.
Should you test ride one? Without doubt – it’s an incredibly involving experience and a very unique BMW bike. Just leave your MX lid at home.