Consistently surprised at how few people know anything about the RnineT...

Great responses, folks.

I have always been an autodidact and love to learn new things. I know this isn't everybody, but it did jump out to me in this area. I think I had assumed that if you were willing to get a BMW, there would be a higher likelihood of increased interest in the various options from BMW. In this way, I will give credit to the HD guys who have a general comfort with knowing what exactly is the difference between a FLHS and a FLHT or FLHTC. I have no idea myself and see these as sects of a religion that I am not a subscriber to, but a lot of them seem to know, so credit where it's due.

Or, perhaps the RnineT falls into an enthusiasm gap within the brand. There is clearly a crowd of "airhead" guys who really only care about what's old and pure, and also a "Long Way Down" crowd who really only care about adventure bikes, but can totally freaking nerd out on them. The LWD crowd seems to have some overlap with the long range touring crowd who are all mainly about the K1600 and a bit of the R1250 RT.

It seems that the Heritage models have distinct groups with minor interplay and awareness which I hope grows with time as the R18 gains market awareness. I can say the same about the S, F, & G models.

The tribalism among riders is seems to be the default perspective for more than I expected long ago.

My Scrambler is usually one of the most interesting rides at the local run (though a guy showed up on a Grom this week and took that distinction), and I get a lot of interest from most folks. Usually, it seems like they've never even heard of it. Often, they think it's old or a restomod.

I do see the odd one around. I think it could be many reasons you do not see them. Often this is the second bike for owners. The owners who commute will have a Honda NCX 750 or GS 650 or a GS, Yamaha, etc as a primary bike( I see mostly BMW when commuting). Often when funds are limited and you can only afford one bike the buyer will get a GS or Africa twin or tourer, depending on need, etc. The boxer is not loved by everybody, some riders hate them. The Harley will often dislike any non Harley bike and will stick to his brand, same with Jap bike owners or Ducati owners, etc. On the face of it the 9t often offers less bells and whistles than other bikes. People are often led by other rider opinions and the opinion of the "they said" people. When young and passionate you will fight for the bike of your choice and there are no alternatives. With age you can ride any brand and bikes from 50 cc to 2.6 cc with the same amount of joy and pleasure. Each being a different experience and fun. I came into the 9t by chance and what was initially an impulse buy to sell after 6 months turned into a potential keeper. It is three years later and the joy remains. When I bought initially, people did not notice or comment, but lately I get a lot of thumbs up from all riders that can clearly appreciate the bike for what it is. So riders are becoming "educated' 😄 Saw a very nice Thruxton racer for sale and was sorely tempted. For me the nine tracers and Thruxton are some of the nicest cafe style bikes out there. Oh, the Ducati scrambler is also on the wish list.

FunkTion29 said:

to echo some other comments, I see many more R9T in urban areas than out on the road. I'm in SF so I do see plenty of BMW in general, but mostly the obnoxious 7 foot tall GS with the metal boxes all over it.

One thing of note when BMW was doing their earnings call or perhaps the R12 preview they mentioned the sales numbers, and I was shocked at how few R9T have been sold over the years. Not a 'disappointing' number, but nothing compared to how many GS they sell. Apparently in 2022 they set records of 200,000 worldwide, and over 60.000 of those were GS. with R1000 selling only about 1100 units. Total units in the US were only about 17,000, for all models. I think overall there just aren't that many out there. (which is nice)

Click to expand...

Any figures on total 9t sales. I know in terms of manufacturing they only manufactured Racer from end 2016 to August 2018. From end 2016 to end 2017 only 4618 Racers were produced. At date of my enquiry in June 2020 they advised that the figures for 2018 and 2019 were not yet available. Being a German company not wishing to admit any weakness/challenges methinks it is the marketers way of saying none were prouced due to lack of sales. I bought mine in May 2020 and it was a unit manufactured in 2017 as seen on frame and from date of tyres manufacturing. These stats are always interesting. Having said that, I think they just kept producing the old oil cooler for as long as posible and the cost was already incurred in terms of R&D of engine, factory already built,etc. I get impression that they are now using the next model 1200 LC engine in new R 12 for same reason, maybe, the radiator on R12 looks like water cooler and not oil cooler. Well that is also a nice engine and will ensure availability of spares for a long time at least. Hat off to them. Suppose change is inevitable and with all these emission requirements it is necessary, clearly a lot of 9t are sold in California, we need to blame them for the loss of the oil cooler. 😄