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/836037
2017 BMW R NINET RACER FIRST TEST P96 position is that this is a clip-on handlebar motorcycle almost anyone can fit on thanks to long reach. A 6'6" rider should have no issues with a Racer's ride position; if anything those extra short among us may struggle to get comfortable. It's unlikely you'll be spending a large portion of time on a Racer anyway. My honest feeling is 40 minutes, tops, is all you'll be able to handle with that ride position. Rolling on a Racer, it's hard to avoid the feeling of that massive motor pulling the bike into the tarmac. The Racer feels far from light, especially when you fold up the side stand and start mov- ing. But the weight matters not, because the Racer is beautifully balanced and carves through corners with a degree of ease I admit I found surprising. This machine uses the same unadjustable, conventional forks as the Scrambler. Those same horribly damped forks that were the big black mark against an otherwise lovely machine, work rather well in Racer form. They still don't have much in the way of high-speed compression, err, comfort… but average-size road bumps at speed and under brak- ing don't upset this bike nearly as much as the Scrambler with the same setup. Strange, don't you think? The back-end is not what I'd call supremely comfortable, especially with the tiny seat that makes anyone's butt look big, but the rear suspension does handle most roads well and does a good job of soaking up road corrugations without transmitting a large shock to the rider. The one constant between all the R nineT models is the 1170cc flat-twin, and I've ridden more bikes with this very engine than I care to remember. It's simply an excellent design—air and oil-cooled, it is the last of its kind because by 2013 the GS was water-cooled and BMW needed to find a new home for its aging powerplant. Turns out they had the perfect place in the retro R nineT range… I've become so used to this motor that it took a friend of mine to remind me of one excellent trait it possesses. The click into first gear is barely noticeable, and the rest of the gearbox ac- tion is similarly brilliant. It's such a gentle knock from neutral to (Clockwise from above) There's not much there for a passenger under that cover, but then, you wouldn't really want them on your café racer, would you? The single-sided swingarm, five-spoke wheel and chrome muffler give the bike a touch of modernity in amongst the retro party. The R nineT's clocks are brilliant: old school, huge and easy to read.