BMW 1200 R NineT Scrambler 'Vaillante' 2019 — Specifications

Thirteen. That number alone is enough to understand the spirit of this BMW. Thirteen units, no more, no less — like the racing number Michel Vaillant wore on his fictional mounts since the nineteen-sixties. When BMW France decided to pay tribute to Jean Graton's hero, they didn't do it halfway: take the R Nine T Scrambler, the most adventurous variant in the family, and dress it in a livery designed by Stéphane Brun, the same man who had already penned the Vaillante-liveried Z4 GT3. The result was unveiled at the Lyon 2-Roues Show in March 2019, and each unit leaves directly from the workshops of the BMW Motorrad France dealer network, built to order.

Beneath the collector bodywork, the mechanicals remain those the range's enthusiasts know well. The 1170 cc flat-twin develops 110 horsepower at 7,750 rpm and 115.7 Nm of torque available from 6,000 rpm. This engine, mounted as a stressed member in a steel trellis frame, transfers its power through a six-speed shaft drive: reliable, clean, with not a single chain to lube. At 220 kg fully fuelled, the machine is no lightweight, but the mass distribution and the 820 mm seat height keep it accessible to a rider of average build. The 43 mm fork travels 125 mm up front, the Paralever single-shock 140 mm at the rear. Not an architecture built for off-road use, but supple enough to swallow rough tarmac with dignity. The 120/70-19 front and 170/60-17 rear tyres clearly point the profile toward the road, the stance being far more "café-scrambler" than genuine dirt adventurer.

What truly sets this limited series apart is the attention paid to every graphic detail. The white tank bears the iconic "VROOW" from the comic-book panels, rendered in a blue-grey with the two framed Vaillante inscriptions. A numbered plaque signed by B.R.M Chronographes authenticates each example. Around that centrepiece tank, BMW selected from its own catalogue the optional parts most coherent with the universe: scrambler screen, front protection grille stamped with the V, wire-spoke wheels, solo seat with skirt, #13 number plates. Nothing is left to chance, and above all nothing is outsourced. It is bespoke, in-house work, which partly justifies the €19,500 asking price.

That price places the Vaillante in a category of its own, well beyond a standard R Nine T Scrambler. This is clearly as much a collector's piece as a riding machine, aimed at the Michel Vaillant enthusiast as much as the rider seeking a neo-retro with a singular soul. Measured against a Ducati Scrambler or a Triumph Bonneville Scrambler 1200, the BMW plays in a different league altogether — that of numbered pieces that appreciate in value in a garage just as well as on a country road. For someone simply looking for a daily-use motorcycle, other machines do more for less. For the one who wants a story to tell with their ride, number 13 is waiting.