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BMW Scramblers Based on the R nineT Are the Next Best Thing, and They'll Be Cheaper, Too

BMW Motorrad said that the R nineT was the last new model to sport the air/oil-cooled version of the 1200cc boxer engine, but nobody said anything about actually ceasing to manufacture the engine. It looks like the final airhead bike, the R nineT, will be transformed into a most interesting platform upon which several new motorcycles will be engineered.
BMW Scrambler rendering 1 photo
Photo: MCN
The house of Munich is rumored to have several cafe-racers and scramblers in the works, with the earliest models possibly launched this very year. There are two very cool things about such a move, more affordable prices and filling a niche BMW has sort of neglected.

More affordable R nineT-based bikes may arrive

Truth be told, having "BMW" and "affordable" in the same non-negative sentence is a rare thing. Anyway, it looks like Motorrad is willing to change things and actually deliver cheaper bikes derived from the R nineT.

A basic version and one with more custom-look parts are envisaged, rumor has it. The base model is said to ditch some of the top-drawer parts that can be found on the R nineT and replace them with more "casual" ones. MCN suspects that such a bike could be offered for as little as £7000, which stands for $10,400 or €9,750. And bikes are expensive in the UK...

In case these rumors turn out to be true, we might see massive sales for these bikes. There are a lot of riders who love BMW but cannot afford to get a new one. Building on the huge success of the R nineT and using smart marketing strategies, BMW could be sitting on a pile of gold.

A BMW Modern Classic line-up fills an important niche in the industry

If anything, modern motorcycles with a classic, neo-retro vibe are still selling very well. Proof arrives from Triumph and Ducati, and the high demand of these bikes in almost all markets.

So far, BMW Motorrad neglected this niche but having Roland Sands involved in designing the R nineT opened up interesting doors and business opportunities.

BMW is already expanding the range of custom accessories for the R nineT, and we just saw brushed aluminium fuel tanks added to the roster.

The move is a very smart one, as it will provide those who enjoy custom looks with plenty of choices from the catalog. Many of the potential customers are just riding, and their custom bike-building skills are inexistent. Just like this kind of creativity might be a problem, or time, mind frame and so on.

For these guys, being able to bring home a bike that represents a close reproduction of their own vision without having to spend countless hours of trial and error would be a sweet feat. Tick the boxes in a web app, get a quote, visit your BMW dealer and make a deposit, and in several weeks you've got the bike of your dreams in your driveway.

With at least two models derived from the R nineT and multiple other customization options, BMW could in fact experience the dawn of a completely new era for the airhead engine. Dirt-ready, do-it-all bikes evolved from the successful R nineT offered for affordable prices may indeed be the best thing BMW came up with in the last decade or so.

Check back with us, as we are delving deeper in this matter. As for the pictured bike, it is only a rendering trying to suggest how one of the new BMW Scramblers might look like.
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