BMW R 1200 Nine-T Brooklyn Scrambler 2014 — Specifications

Six units. Not six hundred, not six thousand. Six. When BMW Motorrad and American label Gant Rugger decided to merge their worlds in 2014, the result wasn't measured in production volume but in the degree of obsession for detail. The BMW R 1200 Nine T Brooklyn Scrambler 2014 was born from this unlikely encounter between the Bavarian flat-twin and the preppy-hipster aesthetic from across the Atlantic, somewhere between a customization workshop in Toulouse and the sidewalks of Brooklyn.

On paper, the mechanical foundation remains that of the standard R Nine T, and that's no bad thing. The air- and oil-cooled 1170 cc flat-twin delivers 110 horsepower at 7,750 rpm and, more importantly, a generous 118.7 Nm of torque available from just 6,000 rpm. With a 12:1 compression ratio and shaft drive, this boxer architecture favors everyday riding pleasure over chasing lap times. The 222 kg wet weight remains reasonable for a machine of this size, and the seat height of just 785 mm makes it accessible to a wide range of riders. The 46 mm inverted fork and Paralever single-sided swingarm each offer 120 mm of travel — a road-biased setup that suits the machine's urban and suburban calling.

Where this Brooklyn Scrambler stands apart is in the work entrusted to the Boxer Design workshops in Toulouse. Hand-assembled, each machine sports an exclusive color called "Denim Grey," a quilted and tufted leather seat that evokes loft furniture more than conventional motorcycle upholstery, and heat wrap coiled around the exhaust. The detail that visually anchors the bike in scrambler territory: knobby Continental TKC 80 tires replacing the original road rubber, paired with a black headlight grille. The visual effect hits the mark, even if one might legitimately wonder how off-road tires perform on 17-inch rims sized at 120/70 and 180/55. The scrambler identity here remains more of an aesthetic statement than an invitation to leave the tarmac.

The finishing touches push things even further: LED turn signals sourced from the BMW Motorrad accessories catalog, machined and black-anodized aluminum mirrors, drilled and chamfered intake covers. Every part modified from the standard model betrays an intent to transform the motorcycle into a collector's item. At €18,500, the price tag is that of a well-equipped R Nine T, which seems almost reasonable given the level of customization. But with only five authorized dealerships in France — Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, and Toulouse — you had to be in the right place at the right time in June 2014.

The BMW R 1200 Nine T Brooklyn Scrambler 2014 targets a very specific audience: the fine-machinery enthusiast who also wants to express a lifestyle, the urban rider as attuned to design as to the rumble of a boxer engine. Compared to a Ducati Scrambler or a Triumph Bonneville from the same era, it plays in a different league — that of the numbered piece rather than the catalog model. Its main drawback is also its greatest quality: its rarity makes it virtually impossible to find today. For the five unlucky souls who didn't get their hands on one of the six units, there's always the standard R Nine T — an excellent starting point for writing your own customization story.