Classically Café, Marvelously Modern
The love of retro bikes is no mere fad. Since the first café racers appeared decades ago in the 60s, the style has been embraced by riders all across the world, keen to bring their vision to fruition. The work put into each creation is unmistakably rewarding – assuming everything actually works and reaches completion. And there’s the rub. For some, the idea of a blank slate isn’t quite so appealing. Not everyone has the time, patience, ability, space, tools, and countless other factors to dedicate to building a café racer. BMW’s own R nineT is something of a builder’s bike in its own right, featuring clever design like reducing the number of bolts used to fasten the tail lights and headlights, in order to accommodate ease of customization. But what would it look like if the Bavarians themselves decided to café up their machine? Enter Option 719.
Option 719 is essentially a catalogue of stylish extras meant to help riders better reflect their own individual style in their motorcycle – without having to worry about skinning your knuckles, over torquing a bolt, re-jetting carburetors, or any of those subjectively fun pastimes. This particular R nineT wasn’t shy about letting you know it featured some Option 719 goodies, with its Night Black/exposed Aluminium finish, and red striping and frame paint tying it all together. It’d be lovely if the little wind deflector on other colours could come with this scheme too. The upside-down adjustable forks finished in a wonderful gold add to the visual flair. A coworker remarked the motorcycle bore the appearance of a sport bike from the front, a scrambler from the back, and a café racer from the side. Jekyll, Hyde and Tyler Durden in the form a a motorcycle. The wire-spoke wheels complete that retro-future look, and are a fitting home for a potent set of Brembo brakes on the front and back. Twin and single disc, respectively. ABS comes standard, too.
Looks are one thing – but a café racer isn’t an ornament. It has to have the performance to match the aesthetic – and the R nineT delivers most generously. The shaft-driven boxer engine just oozes mechanical charm. Every time you flip the ignition, shift gears, twist the throttle at a standstill or accelerate, you feel a visceral thump from down below. It’s all quite well balanced, mind you. But if you’re not expecting it, you might get a little thrown off. Not literally, of course. It’s far too gentle of a force to be anything dangerous, and it just makes riding this motorcycle something of an event every time. You feel the bike's immediate response to every input, but not so much that it's dangerous or jarring. It just helps you feel that much more connected. The standard Akropovic exhaust system won’t deafen the patrons of any small-town café you might want to stop at while riding along. It’s a good balance between volume and aggression, still giving the rider a good engine note to enjoy – especially during acceleration – but not so much that it’s…well...obnoxious.
The boxer engine is something of a BMW staple. Not only is it a touch of heritage on this modern machine, but it also helps keep a lower centre of gravity. What that means for riders is a seriously approachable and friendly handling setup. The bottom-heavy weight actually makes things feel lighter up top. Keep in mind, this is no sport bike, nor should you treat it as a tiny, agile little wasp on the road. But the R nine T is no slouch in the turns. That weightiness and mechanical character of the boxer, the confidence instilled by ABS and ASC traction control, and damn-near-perfect brake feel of the Brembo brakes will get you taking corners with ease – and unmatched elation. You might even lean in a little more than you might normally feel comfortable doing.
Speaking of lean – the riding position does have a forward lean to it. But nowhere near as much as a sport bike. For older riders – we don’t imagine it’ll be difficult on the back at all. After a week of riding, the only discomfort we felt was in the gluteus maximus. The seat and rear mono-shock is stiff, for lack of a better word. It’s not enough to shatter your teeth but I found myself taking the occasional stand on the pegs, just for a little bit of temporary relief. Don’t be disheartened though – it’s a new seat and needs to be broken in. It should soften up eventually. The café-style seat cover is of course, colour matched to your choice of paint, further tying the overall aesthetic together.
A ‘base’ R nineT is a very slick machine in its own right. And no one ever said cool comes cheap. Before any 719 goodies, it’ll set you back $17,500. Our motorcycle was fitted with several options, including the paintwork ($1,435) and the comfort package, which added heated handgrips, cruise control and various ride modes ($900) bringing the total cost to $20,405. It seems you can put a price on happiness after all. This is one of the most standout, beautiful, pleasing motorcycles on the market. It might not be the ideal choice for a cross-country cruise, but we have no doubt that it could easily cross continents if you needed it to. The way it delivers power is accessible and friendly if you need it to be, and outright potent if you need to go fast – fast. It’s truly a joy to ride, and like café racers of yore, its style, we suspect, will only get better with age.
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