[GapRunr]

@Devla Great old thread to revive!

I owned an '07GSA and a '15 GSA, and both were parked at my house in TN. Then I went to Canada for a weekend and 2 years later I am still here. I sold the '15 in TN with the intent of getting another GSA here in Canada. I got on Cycletrader and Kijiji looking for a decent price on a 15 or later GSA and found a post for an Urban GS with 800 miles on it at thousands of $$$ less than a GSA. Having owned, and still regret selling, a 1981 R80 g/s that was almost new when I found it, the Urban brought back all sorts of great memories. The GSA is great for chewing up 1,000 miles a day while fully loaded, but my requirements had changed to the need for a day trip or weekend trip bike.

I had a trip a few years ago from TN to the Outer Banks of NC and despite having a GSA or two, I still took the R80 g/s. No windshield, smaller bags, less power, etc. I have more fond memories of that trip than most others I have taken. I went to look at an Urban and just had to have one. I joined here, read up on what to expect, and started looking for a deal on one locally. A week later I bought one. I've put about 2,500 miles on it in the last few weeks.

 

[BaldyDave]

Don't know how I never saw this thread.

That makes two of us! LOL

My first large capacity bike after passing my test (learned on a Yamaha RS100, passed my test then got a Honda CB250N Superdream) was a BMW R100RS in pearlescent white. I absolutely loved that bike and took great pleasure in surprising a few superbike owners who teased me that the RS was an old man's bike (I was only 26 at the time). Once you got used to the torque reaction due to the engine and non-paralever rear shaft it could actually handle really well. In any case I had it for about 2 years when I got side-swiped by a car driver on a roundabout and the bike was written-off (was a good 18 inches shorter than it used to be as well). Luckily I was largely unhurt and just had to get some road rash scrubbed out and experienced shock, but was out of hospital the next day. Luckily there were witnesses and the driver got prosecuted.

In any case I then bought a couple of big japanese sports bikes - Kawasaki GPZ900R and then a Suzuki GSXR1100 but never enjoyed them for long before the novelty of going really fast wore off. There was just no "soul" in those bikes. To get any fun you had to thrash them. All I was doing was going faster and faster and would either have ended up in hospital or lose my driving licence - possibly both!

So I went another way and bought a BMW K75S, largely based on glowing motorcycle press reviews. Well that bike lasted 4 months before I traded it in for my next bike - it was sooooo boring.... So harking for a big twin I bought a limited edition Moto Guzzi 1000 SE (looked a little like a MK1 LeMans). I loved that bike but it hardly lasted a year before another car driver u-turned in front of me and shortened that bike too - another write-off! Again I was lucky in that a work colleague was waiting at a bus stop right where the accident happened and got a ring-side seat! Apparently I did a beautiful double somersault in mid air over the roof of the car before tumbling to a stop further down the road. So he was a witness and also another car driver saw the whole thing as well. I was completely blameless and the car driver got the book thrown at them. Again somehow I walked away from that one. Friends started to call me Tonka! Some of you might remember those indestructible toys!

So I then went out and bought the bike the 1000SE was loosely based on - a Moto Guzzi MK1 Le Mans. I still have that bike to this day and I fully expected it to be the only bike I ever needed as no other new bike I ever saw from BMW or any other manufacturer did it for me at all. Just boring in my view.... This bike is brimming with character and it has a special place in my heart.

And then I saw a photo of a RnineT on a web site! This was the only bike I'd seen in modern times that made me stop in my tracks. So I went to my local BMW dealer and got one sight-unseen and no road test. in 2014 the bikes were flying out of the shop floor and there was a waiting list months long, so the dealers didn't need to offer test rides. The best I got was a ride on a R1200R which had the same engine, so based on that I slapped down a deposit cheque on the dealer's counter!

I have never regretted that decision for a moment.... The 9T reminds me of the R100RS in that it has heart and soul and handles. Definitely would run rings around the RS but they both possess the same soul. I'm happy to be back in the boxer fold.

 

[JohanH]

It would seem that owners either love the ninet or hate it. The reason for liking it seems to be the fact that it is a superb engine in a fairly basic bike frame and suspension. Old school. The demand on the rider skill and endurance is high. This is also the reason riders will hate it, complaining about suspension clutch, riding position, etc. Why I bought the bike is for none of the above, I was just lucky to receive a discount that I could not refuse. Upgraded to GSA 1250 and the r nine t at same time and suddenly realised I made a mistake, a new world opened up to me. I should never have purchased the GSA. Now my favorite bike and the spoiled brat is the r nine t. The modern bikes are great but the nine t, well you either love it or hate it. Same as choosing a wife, you know you love her, not always sure why, but it is a relationship match made in heaven.😂

 

[Weschmann]

I was riding a F 700 GS, looking for a change, test rode a 9 t pure but hated the ergos. So, looking for something different, the dealer had a Yamaha Super Tenere traded in on one of the bagger BMWs with only 2 thousand miles on her so pulled the plug and left the BMW brand. Fast forward a year and a half, and although really enjoying the S10, I realized it was just too heavy for me. So took a chance after a road trip to Dolores Colorado where I needed assistance picking up the s10, called Gateway BMW about the ergos on the Turban, and bought a slightly used 3000 mile NineT Urban. Have managed to put 12000 additional miles on my T cup even with virus restrictions, and absolutely love the bike. With just a bit of farkle, and a new TFX rear suspension shock, I have a keeper after searching for 15 years now for the perfect motorcycle for my individual riding requirements.

 

[Gene]

My father was a career soldier and while living in Germany in the late 60's and early 70's I recall our neighbor coming home with an early 1960's white with black pinstriping BMW, It might have been a 600. His German father-in-law had given it to them. I thought it was the coolest thing. All the GIs then were purchasing Harley 1200 Sporters which didn't impress me.
Later when when I was in the Army I rode a Honda CB360T. I enjoyed it, but at 70 MPH or more the vibrations were such that I couldn't read the clocks. I learned a few things on it, wear a helmet with a face shield and wear a jacket no matter how hot and humid it is. I was living in Virginia at the time. I rotated overseas and spend most of my time camping at Uncle Sam's expense along the border between West Germany, East Germany and Czechoslovakia. Didn't have time for a bike, although I four wheeled in my Army issue Jeep or Deuce and a half (Army speak for a 2 1/2 ton truck).
In 2003, I thought now is the time for a bike. I headed off to the local BMW dealer intent on getting a R1150 Roadster. I let the salesman talk me into a R1150 RT. I wasn't comfortable on the bike, too tall and too heavy. I meant to ride it more, but only put 608 miles on it. It sat covered in the garage for 17 years on a trickle charger. I replaced the battery once and occasionally fired it up and added new gas.
May of this year my son says he wants to go test ride a 850 GSA. I went with him and saw the RnineT/5. That was all it took. In 10 minutes I made up my mind to trade the RT in. My wife's only comment was, "you'll ride this one more that your other garage queen". I now have nearly 700 miles on the Slash 5 now and just had the 600 mile service done. I try to ride it at least once a week, if it isn't raining. It's a perfect bike for me, it brings back memories of the neighbor's bike, a simpler time, and it fits in my stable of things BMW ( I have 3 BMWs, a M235 Coupe, a 2005 Z4M Roadster and a 2020 Z4 M40.) I used to say I bled Army Green, and now depending on the crowd I bleed blue and white. Plus now I have the opportunity to go riding with my son. How cool is that.

 

[GapRunr]

There was just no "soul" in those bikes. To get any fun you had to thrash them. All I was doing was going faster and faster and would either have ended up in hospital or lose my driving licence - possibly both!

This is so true. It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow. I used to commute through Deals Gap (Tail of the Dragon). It's a well known twisty rode in Tennessee and North Carolina. At one time my wife and I had 13 motorcycles in the garage, and I remember leaving for work many times walking past the CBR929, the GSA, the F650, the DR650, the VFR800 VTEC, the R100 and jumping on the TW200 for my commute. I could ride aggressively, bouncing off the rev limiter, hanging off the bike, scraping the pegs and having the time of my life....... at 40 mph.

 

[Gene]

Smooth (slow) is fast and fast is slow. Isn't that the mantra or something like it?

 

[Alligator]

My series began back in the late nineties with a Kawasaki GPZ 500 that was my first 'big' motorcycle I started using travelling around.
The next step was a CBR 600 F that lasted two very happy years, it was sporty, but I used it all-round, at that time it could have been driven high revs but also mid-range for sightseeing, with no suffering, unfortunately it was stolen in my garage.
Then I had the chance to touch for the very first time a boxer engine and I fell in love with the handling of an R1100RS that I immediately bought right after the test. Unfortunately despite the great handling, the bike itself carried a couple of so annoying issues: electrical, due to an alarm that was probably mounted in the wrong way by the dealer and engine issues with uncomfortable regulation that prevented smooth riding at certain revs, that were unfortunately those of most time riding.
So I exchanged the RS with a Triumph Sprint ST 900, the "stove" as I called it. It had a great 3-cylinders, with the pros of the 2 cylinders (torque at low revs) and the 4 cylinders (hi rev range)... I used it several years and then got a bit enough of the heat rising up from the engine if ridden in the city (which was quite frequent at that time).
I calmed a little down and went for a Triumph Bonneville, which was really the right one at the right time, I loved it, and got it stolen (again grrrr...) after 8 years of proud ownership. In the meanwhile I tried to knock again at BMW's doors and tried the full R range and got back home with a R1200R that I kept for another 7 years, great bike, a bit heavy, but extremely enjoyable, right for touring at moderate speed (no aerodynamic protection, but very good luggage possibility), a bit on the heavy side.
When I started looking around for a replacement I was pretty sure I would have taken another R, but the 1250R came as a disappointment, too sporty, too "jap" style. I'm now in my 50's... a bit more meditative, not anymore travelling in two (my wife started to develop fear of riding, she accepts my passion, but doesn't want to join my rides anymore), so I looked at the NineT range I found aesthetically really unbeatable. Sitting down on a "Pure" didn't convince me 100%, but before I could start thinking of alternatives, the Scrambler and the UGS came out, and it was immediately love
I went for the UGS for the design and colour (white with red seat) and for the slightly more comfortable seat.
The UGS came just few weeks ago, I was able to run around for just a few km: fun, fun, fun. Next week I'l do the first short range tour around the appennines close to where I live, great expectations !!!

 

[Gambo916]

GREAT THREAD!!!!!!

Like Tonka....soz I meant @BaldyDave, I started on a Yamaha RS100 (I could wheelie it for miles, and had to fit a Micron pipe to keep up with all my richer RD and AR125 riding mates). Having passed my test on that I then graduated to mainly 250 and 350LC's, then 350YPVS, RD500LC, NS400R and Suzuki RG500. In between all those two-stroke screamers I had a few other lowly commuter type bikes, a few dirt bikes, and also started to race.
Then early noughtie's I got my first ever 4 stroke sports bike, a Ducati 916 Senna. Not long after getting that the people I was regularly going out road riding with changed, and they were a lot slower/steadier than people I'd ridden with before, so much so that the Ducati wasn't even stretching it's legs. So I then got a much less focused and extreme (than the 916) Triumph Daytona 955i....still a hypersports bike but one which had a much more comfortable riding position, more tractable motor, and it didn't need to be going above 90mph to get the suspension to work. Don't get me wrong.....the Triumph was still a blindingly fast bike.......but it would also go slow(ish) without protest if you wanted it to, unlike the 916.
Then one of the riding buddies traded his Hinckley Bonneville for an R1200R Classic......I had a go on that and absolutely loved the motor, but not the weird front telelever chassis.
Enter even more riders to the clan who rode even slower.......and I'm thinking more and more about getting something that isn't hypersports. Then I see an R nineT for the very first time elevated up on the BMW stand at the NEC show in November 2013. It as the grunty motor I like, but with proper USD forks, radial Brembo brakes, and a roadster look that is more inkeeping with the riding company I'm frequenting with.....but still with those sporty concessions sneakily thrown into the mix. Yup, I decide that's the next bike for me!!

And so it was..........so this is my very first bike that isn't a race rep or a hypersports. However, me being me, all the changes I've made to it have been performance oriented.......like my signature says......you can't take the race out of the boy!!!

 

[MrAnderson]

Great thread to resurrect so here's my tale...

My first big bike was a Yamaha Thundercat bought for pennies - great fun to ride, quick and comfy enough to do decent distances even for my lanky 6'4". Held on to it for years as a poor student but it eventually had to go when keeping it running started to get expensive (water in the carbs, leaky gearbox etc.).

Fancied something a bit different that still fitted the quick ish but comfy bracket so modern sports bikes were out and didn't want anything massive (so no VFRs, Blackbirds etc.). Ended up with an F800S which had barely any milage (another ebay bargain) which more than fitted the bill. Fast forward a couple of years and having got used to the odd engine sound of the paralel twin I was surprised when, after a service, the BMW mechanic mentioned that he thought it was making an odd sound. After a minor spill and finding a leaky head gasket the bike went back to the garage and I asked them to look into the sound while the engine was out and being opened up... Turns out one of the engine bearings was going and it needed a rebuild that would cost more than the bike was worth

Enter the nineT.

I happened to be given a UGS as a loaner while the F800 was in the garage and fell in love with the concept. On my commute (a bit of town riding and some classic British country roads) the easy ride and virtually endless torque from the boxer was a great combination and who wants a day to day bike that's boring? A couple of weeks later and I'm riding away with an ex-demo Scrambler that's under a year old, has barely finished being run in and has (almost) all the factory extras you could want...

 

[Clarkson]

I grew up in Rome, riding a variety of scooters, and that started my love for riding on two wheels. My first bike was a Gilera TG1. It was a terrible bike, but I have fond memories of it and the many times it left me stranded in the middle of nowhere. After that, I got a Gilera RC600 (that thumping mono cylinder engine is still resonating in my brain, after 25+ years!). Sold the RC, late teenage years flew by, and life hit me full- force in the head. Fast forward 2 decades later and my itch for a bike resurfaced (mid-life crisis is the term, I believe). Now a "mature" man, father of 2, I set out on my quest to find the right bike for the times. Three bikes made it on my list: the Moto Guzzi Griso, The Moto Guzzi Audace, and the Ducati SuperSport. I could not get my hands on the Audace but I was able to ride the Griso and liked it. When I went to the Ducati stealership looking to try the SuperSport I saw the R9T in the flesh (BMW and Ducati dealers are bundled into one here in Seattle). I was aware of the R9T as I was researching bikes, but for some reason I did not fully appreciate it online as I did when I saw it in person. I took it for a test ride, fell in love with the machine and bought it. It has been by far the best byproduct of my mid-life crisis, and I'm up for another one! Just like the bikes I owed in my youth, the R9T allows me to bond with it. My wife thinks I am crazy when I say this, and perhaps I am, but certain machines have a soul, as Baldy Dave and others have mentioned, and I am glad the R9T and I crossed paths!

 

[Alligator]

"Ducati Stealership" .... 🤣

 

[Neep!]

I'd love to say that I had undergone a thorough research and due diligence study of the RNineT, before making a conscious decision to purchase a bike that I had spent hours carefully specifying to meet my particular requirements. That would be how maybe I should have made the purchase? Instead, someone I knew had purchased a BMW and suggested that I should update my thinking and have a look at the current range. So driving past the showroom a few weeks later, I dropped in and the sales guy showed interest in my custom, showed me some options on the sales floor and offered a test ride. All of this was rather refreshing as another dealer who has had my business showed no real interest in continuing our relationship - so much for an economic crisis, selling bikes and Covid-19! After reflecting on the RNineT range, my previous opinion that BMW's were primarily for old men, shockingly expensive to buy and service, dull to look at and yet strangely keen to do a deal with me - I bought one off the showroom floor with no pre-purchase test ride or lengthy research and purchasing negotiations. Some might describe it as almost an impulse purchase and after 1200 miles I'm not having any second thoughts about BMW RNineT ownership. Sometime in life you just meet a sales guy who really knows his product range, can put his finger on the customer's pulse and deliver a sales proposition that is a 'no brainer' to signing the Order Pad. Meanwhile another bike dealer down the road will not be seeing me or my pocket full of dollars for some time to come.

 

[Phenix3939]

BMW cars have always been in my family and I've had a few 80's classics while in college. I got a job where I have a company car so owning a car myself didn't make sense. I thought what better way to connect with my past and begin a new hobby then to pick up the coolest new BMW on the market. My 9T was my first bike.

I picked up my Classic back in 2014 and loved every moment wrenching and riding. I've got to meet awesome people (forum included), have my bike at the AIMExpo, featured in print and video ads, had a side business from a part I fabricated for it and its been great the entire time.

I've picked up a 2nd bike but my 9T is staying around forever for the memories.

 

[rocket rick]

Just getting started, this is the first BMW that I have ever rode. It is an amazing machine and beautiful. I am 65 years old and have owned many motorcycles. I worked as a mechanic for Harley Davidson, Yamaha, Kawasaki Honda and Suzuki riding and testing all. Many were very comfortable, quiet and reliable. Some were extremely fast but nothing makes me smile like the Nine-t. so far I have added rear tail hump BMW factory wind screen and cast lower exhaust bracket to lose passenger pegs. Oh did I mention the way it makes me smile?

 

[Bret Liebendorfer]

I had been following the nineT online for a while and was excited to just see one in the flesh. I attended a Ural demo day that my dealer was hosting and they happened to have one on the floor, unspoken for. Instant lust. The salespeson said half jokingly "It could be yours...". I laughed. I mentioned it to my wife that night and she wanted to go see it (I had shown her adverts for the bike previously. So the next day we went, and she asked the salesperson to start it up. Those stock Akros sealed the deal... She said "You should have that.". When your wife tells you to buy a motorcycle, what can you do?

I’ve brought three BMW motorcycles home and my wife was mad each time, but after seeing them in person she ended up approving of two ... including my RNT.

 

[Bret Liebendorfer]

BMW cars have always been in my family and I've had a few 80's classics while in college. I got a job where I have a company car so owning a car myself didn't make sense. I thought what better way to connect with my past and begin a new hobby then to pick up the coolest new BMW on the market. My 9T was my first bike.

I picked up my Classic back in 2014 and loved every moment wrenching and riding. I've got to meet awesome people (forum included), have my bike at the AIMExpo, featured in print and video ads, had a side business from a part I fabricated for it and its been great the entire time.

I've picked up a 2nd bike but my 9T is staying around forever for the memories.

What part did you fabricate?

 

[Alfodr]

I started my middle aged riding on a BMW F800R (used to ride trial bikes as a youngster) and have been lucky with both the quality of the machines and service that BMW have provided over the years. Having developed a good relationship with the local BMW dealerships (I’ve got 3 within a hours ride) they have treated me well with discounted gear, servicing and accessories, which I guess has bought a degree of brand loyalty. The BMW motorcycling heritage and history also appeals to me; especially the boxer twin engine which is just so full of character and, in some ways, unique in the motorcycling world. Really looking forward to seeing what BMW Motorrad do for their 100 year anniversary!

The F800R was a good all round machine, however I found the parallel Rotax twin to be somewhat dull. I quickly moved on a R1200R LC which was an absolutely fantastic machine, to the point that I ended up commuting on every day to work and doing several European tours on. Several years later I was faced with a difficult choice; repair the anodising on the shaft drive and engine casing which had started peeling away at great expense or move onto a new bike. I choose the latter and moved on to a R1250RS with all the bells and whistles. In between I also tried a S1000R which, quite frankly, was mad (it hated speed limits and demanded to be driven hard all the time).

Whilst the R1250RS was brilliant machine in its own right, I found it heavy and lacking in a certain je ne sais quoi (character, soul perhaps?). By this time I had to stop the regular commuting by bike due to taking kids to school. And so again there was a choice to be made; stick with a perfectly functional R1250RS or try something more ‘fun’ to use for occasional trips. And so enter the R NineT which ticked all the boxes in terms of a joyful, characterful and beautiful machine which, to do this day, makes me smile every time I walk into the garage or do a rearward glance after I’ve parked her up.

Long live the spirit of motorcycling.

F800R

R1200R LC

 

[Doonhamer]

I wobbled of down the road for the first time at seventeen on a 125cc 2 stroke Yamaha twin back in 1975. No training back then so it was learn as you go but I still remember the feeling of that first ride as clear as day, it was absolutely brilliant. A Suzuki T250, T500 and GT750 followed that the disaster struck an I got married, goodbye to bikes and having spare cash!

Fast forward twenty years, family are pretty much grown up and I’m divorced and skint. The upside is I’m free again and find myself in possession of a small windfall, what to do with it? What else I bought a bike, an old jellymould CBR600 with a lairy paint job and full Micron exhaust. It was bloody brilliant, just like being seventeen again but the old Honda seemed like a rocketship compared to the bikes I’d had first time round. I had the Honda for a couple of years until my finances improved and I could afford to feed my biking obsession. Over the last twenty years I’ve had twenty two bike of all sorts, the last one being a 2018 R1200RS.

The RS was a brilliant bike, it could scratch on twisty mountain roads or blast down the autobahn at three figure speeds but ultimately it was a wee bit too efficient and souless so the hunt started for a replacement. I tried quite a few different bikes, Kawasaki 900RS, CB1000R, GSXs1000F, BMW S1000R, F900XR, all great bikes in their own way but none of them hit the spot. I even tried a Triumph Thruxton but thought the engine was characterless and dull, not slow just dull. Then my local BM dealer chucked me the keys for their Scrambler demo (Think he was desperate and fed up with me by then). I thought why not and set of not expecting a big lot. Within a 100 yards of leaving the dealership I’m thinking this is quite nice, after the first set of twisties I was hooked, absolutely loved the R nine T. Went back to the showroom and tried to buy it on the spot but couldn’t agree a deal on that one, I like a decent deal🙂

After that it was only a matter of time, eventually got a great deal on my Urban, a year old, 800 miles, just had its first service and fitted with BM sat nav, in a colour scheme I love, deal done.

 

[Lmrsb]

Ok, bringing it up🙂

46 years old here, from Portugal.

Had my first 2 wheels late, at my 30's, a 125 sym scooter. Later got the bikes driving license and got a sv650, that to this day stays in my mind and heart. What a wonderful bike, learned to properly ride in it. Made around 40 kkm in it.

I then switched it for a ducati monster 821, great bike, beautiful bike.

Added a scooter, a 125 pcx, to the garage, to fulfil the practical side of 2 wheels ownership.

In the last years, I switched the monster for a ktm duke 790 and the pcx for a bmw c400x.

I have both bikes for a couple of years, and love them both, they both excel in their own fields. I thought that for many years I needed nothing else!

Then last year I saw a r9t live, on a dgr ride, and wanted one ever since.

Just bought me one a couple of weeks ago. A 2015 one. It was a last moment decision. And it is now my third bike, since I couldn't let go of the duke (a little but fearless pleasure monster!).

Having now made around 500 km on the r9t, I can say that I'm in love! The sound, the riding experience, the absolutely breathtaking looks, everything works to make it a special machine!

Couldn't be happier! I can now understand most of what I read here in the weeks before the buy!😄

Safe ride everyone!