Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/745221
2017 BMW R NINET SCRAMBLER ROAD TEST P84 it. The result is a wholly uncom- fortable ride on anything other than very smooth roads. The rear suspension isn't fan- tastic, either, but it's better than the front. The single shock ab- sorber will soak up much more punishment before handing the vibrations to your body, but all- in-all the suspension lets what is otherwise a great bike down. Despite this, the Scrambler is a joy on smooth, sweeping bends, and it's not that bad off-road, once you take the horridness of the suspension out of the equation. Our test bikes come in both the stan- dard alloy wheel and optional spoked wheel versions and are shod with the excellent Metzeler Karoo 3 tires, giving super steer- ing response on- and off-road. At 485 pounds of claimed curb weight, it's no Jenny Craig spe- cial, and you can't treat it with the abandon of Steve McQueen running from the Nazis, but the R nineT Scrambler will play along on dirt roads while main- taining a certain amount of com- posure and letting you get your jollies. It's actually quite good on road, but sharp-edge bumps are the bike's nemesis and were I to go dumping $13,000 on one of these, I'd be going to a proper suspension shop to see what they could do for me, stat. One of the things I struggle with in this whole mainstream scrambler concept (and this is not leveled at just BMW), is that traditional scramblers were made that way out of road bikes by their owners. That was the whole point of a scrambler— you make one your own out of something it wasn't before. So to then be presented with a scrambler that's ready to rock straight away, I can't see too many people taking an angle grinder to it and totally making it their own because in essence, it's already done for them. Don't get me wrong, I'm no bike customizer and I'm more likely to buy a pre-made bike from BMW or Yamaha or Ducati than I am to take an R 1200 R and go custom mental on the thing, so maybe I am the target rider for BMW. Maybe I'm the suit-wearer living in a revamped factory. Plus, with a price tag of $13 grand, I think the most cus- tomizing an R nineT Scrambler will get from the masses (not real bike builders), will be a trip to the sumptuously stocked BMW Motorrad accessory catalog. And that may not necessarily be a bad thing, considering how many poorly home-customized bikes we have riding around on our streets. Regardless, the BMW R nineT Scrambler is at its base, a very good bike. The engine, chassis, ergonomics, and indeed the style are all top notch—the suspension must be improved—but the rest of the bike is quality and it certainly fills another notch in BMW's ever- expanding lineup. CN 2 0 1 7 B M W R N I N E T S C R A M B L E R ENGINE: ..... Air/oil-cooled 2-cylinder Boxer DISPLACEMENT: ............................ 1170cc BORE X STROKE: ..................101 x 73mm HORSEPOWER: ......... 110 hp @ 7750 rpm (claimed) TORQUE: ... 85 lb-ft @ 6000 rpm (claimed) COMPRESSION RATIO: .................... 12.0:1 FUEL SYSTEM: ....... EFI with 50mm throttle bodies EXHAUST: ........2-into-2-into-1 layout, two oxygen sensors, lateral single silencer with ECU-controlled bypass valve and integrated catalytic converter (Euro 4). TRANSMISSION: .......................... 6-speed CHASSIS: ...........Tubular space frame in steel, engine self-supporting FRONT SUSPENSION: ..... 43mm inverted forks REAR SUSPENSION: ..............Monoshock FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ................... 4.9 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ..................... 5.5 in. FRONT BRAKE: .........Dual 320mm discs, Brembo 4-piston calipers, ABS REAR BRAKE: ..........Single 265mm disc, Brembo two-piston caliper FRONT TIRE: .. Metzeler Karoo 3 120/70 ZR19 REAR TIRE: .... Metzeler Karoo 3 170/60 ZR17 HEAD ANGLE: .................................... 61.5° WHEELBASE: ..................................60.1 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ...............................32.2 in. OVERALL LENGTH: ........................85.6 in. FUEL CAPACITY: .........................4.49 gal. WEIGHT: ...............485 lb. (wet, claimed) MSRP: ......................................... $13,000 S P E C I F I C A T I O N S