The RnineT is one of the most commonly modified motorcycles being made today, it’s literally referred to as BMW’s “blank canvas”. The modular German standard was engineered to be easily customized with features such as a subframe that can be removed by anyone with two-minutes and a socket-wrench. Countless professional and amateur backyard builders have cafe’d out the various RnineT models (Roland Sands and Pier City Cycles both put together amazing R9T trackers recently) but this example borrows much of its visual theme from motorcycles of the 20’s through the ’50s. Straying away from the retro 1970’s look which has been selling a ton of bikes is fairly refreshing.
A motorcycle’s tank and tail section are largely responsible for a bike’s overall shape and appearance, in the case of this example however the seat and tank pretty much are the bike. Said seat is reminiscent of the ones you’d find on pre-WW2 era Beemers crossed with more modern bob jobs. The saddle being adorned in quilted diamond stitching veers more towards the modern end of the design spectrum. Despite it only being made for a single year (’37), the BMW R6 is the model I think this example most resembles. The shape of the seat on this example in particular – which was designed via the utilization of CAD software – and the way it connects to the tank shares a lot of the same lines, angles and flavor of the ’37 model. The paint job and white lining on the tank also look extremely similar to the ’37 R6, albeit a lot of other BMW models from before and after that model like the R12 and R75 also wore similar paint digs to R6 and the example here. It’s nonetheless unequivocally old-school BMW Motorrad though.
This example is currently for sale at Rosso Corsa which is a high-end Southern California dealership that sells top-shelf custom and stock European machines on both two and four wheels. Rosso Corsa describes this bike as being a show-quality build, and from the ample photos that appears to be accurate. In the ad they refer to this bike as “Our signature build for the BMW RnineT.” So I’m unsure if they plan on making more than just this one example but I imagine they would put together another if someone with the money asked them to. The Rosso Corsa website is worth a quick look too as they carry some truly fine mostly high-dollar machines such as the Ducati SuperLeggera and Benz SLR McLaren Roadster. We’ve previously featured some of their bikes here on Bike-urious such as the 2016 MV Agusta RC WSBK F4 and F3.
In addition to selling some truly breathtaking European vehicles, Rosso Corsa also builds some of their own custom machines such as this 2015 RnineT custom. Instead of just sourcing high-end bolt-on parts, the folks at Rosso Corsa manufacture a lot of their own components via a combination of CNC machining and hand fabrication. A really solid touch on this bike is its 30-to-40-year-old genuine vintage BMW tank that has been beautifully redone for this project. Brembos up front are fitted to an inverted fork which undoubtedly ups this example’s handling (and helps to narrow down which RnineT model this is). A trick Motogadget Motoscope Pro Speedometer keeps the dash nice and clean while still displaying ample info complete with idiot lights.
The single sided swingarm on most RnineT’s are somewhat hidden by the different exhausts so the short single pipe allows BMW’s gorgeous signature single sided spoked wheel unit to be on full display. The bobber-style seat also visually benefits from the clean arrangement underneath it as well as from the swing arm which makes the saddle look that much cooler with it “floating” from the left side. The LED taillight unit (w/ integrated signals) mounted beneath the seat does take away from the seat’s otherwise cleaner silhouette, but doesn’t by any means ruin the build. I personally love how big cone/pod air-filters look with the German Boxer engine, it’s immediately recognizable as custom, as does the clever use of a horizontal license-plate holder fixed to the less pretty side of the single sided swingarm. An old-school rear fender would have been a lovely touch but alas.
You can find this hand-built custom 2015 BMW RnineT – that I’ve dubbed the “Rsix” – for sale here on Craigslist in Laguna Hills, California at Rosso Corsa for $18,995. Delivery is also available “nation/worldwide”.
http://www.rossocorsagallery.com/bike.php?bike=109
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/mcd/d/bmw-ninet-custom-hand-build/6245929442.html