BMW 1200 R NineT Moto Heroes 2020 — Specifications

Imagine thirty buyers worldwide who receive, with their motorcycle, a pair of Brett titanium glasses. Thirty people, no more. This is the exact scope of this NineT born from a partnership between BMW Motorrad and the magazine Moto Heroes, a publication that cultivates the garage aesthetic and the passion for two wheels far from the commercial logic of mass production. The number alone sets the scene.

What strikes you first is the paint. Under artificial light, the shade plays the discretion of a deep, almost pearlescent black. But exposed to the sun, the robe reveals intense blue reflections, almost electric, which extend to the valve covers treated in the same spirit. Some parts receive a projection of black on a gray background, applied by hand, which guarantees that no specimen is strictly identical to another. The number engraved on the tank recalls this status as a limited series. The BMW logos circled in gold, for their part, play a more debatable score, a flashy touch that contrasts with the austerity claimed by the rest of the machine.

BMW built this edition based on the R NineT Pure, and the artistic direction clearly leans towards an urban café-racer universe. Everything that could be blackened has been: screws, handlebars, brackets, exhaust line, forks, speedometer. The result is consistent, almost monolithic. Spoke wheels and a solo seat reinforce this retro positioning without falling into pastiche. The seat itself deserves a particular mention: it is upholstered in wool felt with leather edges, a handcrafted detail that stands out in the usual catalog of large-displacement motorcycles. The Akrapovic exhaust completes the whole by lightening the machine by 2.8 kilos and giving the 1,170 cc flat-twin a voice that carries.

Because there's an engine underneath all that. The flat-twin delivers 110 horsepower at 7,750 rpm and 115.7 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm, values that place this NineT in the same category as the Ducati Scrambler 1100 or the Triumph Thruxton RS. The tubular trellis frame with engine carrier, the 43 mm telescopic fork and the Paralever monobrach compose a mature, proven technical base that ensures healthy behavior without surprises. The 216 kilograms full remain manageable despite the 805 mm seat height, and the 320 mm dual front disc brakes leave no doubt about the stopping capacity. The maximum speed of 200 km/h is not the primary objective of this machine, whose DNA remains resolutely urban and aesthetic.

At 20,900 euros, this NineT Moto Heroes does not target the motorcyclist seeking versatility or value for money. It addresses a public of collectors or enlightened enthusiasts who want a piece identified, numbered, with a story behind it. The compromises exist, notably the absence of an assumed passenger position due to the solo seat and a weight that is felt from the first maneuvers at low speed. But in the universe of large-series custom bikes dressed to look like one-offs, this collaboration delivers something more sincere than average. The recipe is not revolutionary, but it is well executed.