2024 BMW R 12 NineT Review

Hi, it’s me. I’m the problem.

Following my first ride of the new 2024 BMW R 12 NineT, I reached out to the brand’s Canadian communications rep suggesting there was something wrong with the bike. The problem, it turns out, was mostly me.

BMW’s boxer bikes – those iconic ones it’s been making for a century, with the horizontally-opposed cylinder heads protruding from the engine’s sides – behave like nothing else out there. I’ve ridden a bunch of them now, so I really should’ve known better. But after riding across Toronto, I had grown concerned that this particular unit had issues, causing it to surge and lurch under deceleration.

The big twin produces quite a lot of engine braking, so when shutting down the throttle, the bike scrubs off considerable speed without even brushing the brakes. Couple that with BMW’s incredibly precise – if somewhat hair-triggered – fuelling, and it seems that simply resting my hand on the throttle would cause slight spasms in the bike as it snapped between on-throttle and off.

It was never dangerous or scary, but probably made me look like an utter noob to my fellow motorists, and after recalibrating my brain and throttle hand somewhat, the problem disappeared and the R 12 NineT and I got on splendidly.

Classic Beauty

This is a simply stunning piece of machinery, especially finished in this tester’s San Remo Green metallic paint that’s both classy and classic, and oh-so-fitting. The gold forks and brushed aluminum scoops on the tank match the pillion cover, and they all contrast that green hue and the otherwise blacked-out engine and frame components, and I couldn’t help but look back over my shoulder at it every time it was parked.

It’s a blend of modernity with classic cues, and, of course, the visual of that unmistakable engine format. I rolled up on the only two-wheel machine at a recent Cars and Coffee event celebrating high-end European machinery, and the R 12 was welcomed into a prime parking space up front where it collected plenty of positive attention.

As was the case with the previous R NineT, this new generation still enables a lot of opportunity for an owner to tailor the bike’s look to his or her tastes. Wire spoked wheels, black cylinder head covers, a rear hugger mount for a cleaner fender look, and even a bikini fairing are all available direct from BMW.

Everyday Comfort

Even the R 12 NineT’s cockpit can be customized. BMW now offers an all-digital gauge display for those who want a touch of futurism for their classic-style bike. This one wore the standard pair of traditional analog dials with their clear white digits on a simple black-and-grey face, which seems a more appropriate setup for this bike. Each dial presents a small digital display that depicts gear and ride mode selection on the right, and various trip data outputs on the left. Incidentally, the bike can tell you the ambient temperature and its fuel consumption rate but offers no distance-to-empty reading, nor a fuel gauge. After cycling through a few tanks, I came to expect the low-fuel warning to illuminate at the 200-km mark.

The bars are wide and offer great leverage, and there’s plenty of turn angle for easy slow-speed manoeuvrability. The clutch and brake levers can be adjusted to a rider’s preference, and despite offering up a series of buttons and toggles for the usual horn, signal, and light controls, there’s also an SOS button, heated grips, and cruise control switchgear. It’s all easy to learn and becomes second-nature in short order.

The tank is narrower than last year’s NineT, so it’s easier to tuck in, and with a lower seat height than before, flat-footing at a stop is easy – even with my modest 31-inch inseam. It’s a plush, well-shaped seat, too. Those with longer legs may find the R 12 NineT a bit cramped for a standard-style bike, since the foot pegs are tucked up quite high for ample cornering clearance.

Easy Riding 

Cornering is something the R 12 NineT does surprisingly well. At close to 227 kg (500 lb), this is no featherweight, but its combination of a low centre of gravity and brilliantly-sorted suspension had me comfortable tossing it very quickly into corners much faster than expected. At elevated highway speed, it’s impressively smooth and stable, with the considerable wind blast that comes from riding a naked bike being the only real limiting factor to full-day, high-speed travel.

The old gearbox could be a bit clunky, and while the 2024 R 12 NineT still confirms each shift with a serious ka-CHUNK, it means never second-guessing whether you’ve hit a gear. More importantly, it never seems to mind being rushed, whether up- or downshifting. Need quicker shifts? BMW now offers its Gear Shift Assistant Pro system here.

Ironically, after my initial struggles on deceleration, the rest of the rider-bike interaction was completely in sync. The precise, no-nonsense controls help make the R 12 NineT an especially easy bike to crack the whip and have it rip around town or slice through traffic. The engine still displaces 1,170 cc and dispenses 109 hp and 85 lb-ft of torque, as it did last year. It’s that torque, spread across a vast number of revs, that means even when loafing along in too-tall a gear, the bike will roar forward with a modest twist of the throttle. It’s not terrifyingly quick like BMW’s super sports, but make no mistake: this bike will boogie and has no trouble keeping ahead of traffic. And when you need to stop, the giant rotors are clamped by radially-mounted four-piston Brembo calipers offering serious stopping power.

Value and Final Thoughts

No surprise that, at $18,195, the 2024 BMW R 12 NineT’s starting price is a bit spicy. Still, it’s only slightly more expensive than the last one. A Triumph Speed Twin 1200 is probably the closest competitor, offering a similarly effortless, torquey approach to on-road speed, while Kawasaki’s Z900RS serves the traditional Japanese sport standard angle with its spine-tingling inline four-cylinder. Both are a few thousand dollars less than the BMW’s starting price, and frankly, neither offer the same level of fit and finish, nor overall feel of solidity and precision of the BMW.

The Comfort package adds hill start control, shift assist, heated grips and cruise control, plus $1,380 to the bottom line, and is good value for all that it offers. I’d also spend the $350 for that green paint, and the $425 for the solo seat cover on my tester, too. That’s a lot of money, but it’s worth it. And if you’re thinking you’ll just wait and pick up a used one for cheap, think again, if current used R NineT prices are anything to go by.

Sometimes it takes a little time to get to know and properly appreciate a new relationship. In this case, it took me a bit to learn how the R 12 NineT likes to be handled to perform at its best. Once figured out, our time together was amazing. It was (mostly) me. I was the problem.