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Journal: What Do You Think Of The New BMW Scrambler?

What Do You Think Of The New BMW Scrambler?

By Jacopo Villa
November 27, 2015

Photography by BMW and Rosario Liberti

People can’t get enough of BMW’s awesome boxer engines, and for good reason. Enthusiasts buy new ones, restore vintage ones, and customizers love to make nearly anything from them, from café racers to dirt-loving scramblers. 

Besides looking like a purely aesthetic exercise by BMW, the new destined-for-production Scrambler is the more fashionable sister of the hard-core Gelande und Strasse, er, GS 1200 dirt-touring bike that topped sales in Europe in the past few years. However, this is based on a road-oriented machine, the R nineT, so for those who want a less Dakar-oriented motorcycle and want to enjoy a modern boxer engine, the could be the right choice. 

Featuring a taller ride, softer suspension settings and a set of dirt tires, the new BMW R nineT Scrambler is all about heading out in the desert and trying to go as sideways as your bravery will allow. 

In person, it looks like a very “real” motorcycle, with few plastic components and every detail seemingly a remake of classic styling elements, like bellows-style front suspension covers and a tachometer that seems to be ripped off from a first series R80 GS. The headstock angle has been increased to 28.5, degrees and if you want, you can have it with spoked wire wheels, too. 

If you feel that your old GS needs a break or if you’re not expecting mud during your daily commute to the office, well, you may want to get your hands on the new R nineT Scrambler. At 1,170-cc and 110 horsepower at the crank, it should be a punchy, go-almost-anywhere companion.

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BMW Motorcycle R NineT Scrambler
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Dan Picasso
Dan Picasso
9 years ago

We’ve reached peak scrambler.

Me, I’m waiting for the Gold Wing scrambler, in order to illustrate how silly a heavy bike with knobbies really is in terms of putative offroad ability.

This current scrambler craze is more or less a series of potential greenstick fractures. A light and agile bike is what works, not a sofa carrying a load of bench vises.

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NWTom
NWTom
9 years ago

Now that I’m in my fifties, I’m thinking about getting a bike. The only motorcycle that I’ve ever owned, was a Yamaha TT 500, back in college. Like my TT, this one ticks many of the boxes for me. Yes, too heavy and probably too much low end torque, but it captures the look and feel of the classic bikes of the past. I’ll have to try one.

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Mario Baroz
Mario Baroz
9 years ago

I love scramblers but this isn’t a scrambler. It’s a bike with semi-knobby tires. Judging from the RnineT off of which this is based, this bike is over 500lbs. I don’t know about you guys but I don’t want to do scrambler type stuff with a 500+lb bike. Look at the exhaust and how vulnerable those downpipes would be to rocks and hard landings. Even in the write-up it says the suspension has been softened. If anything, it should be firmed up. Plus, reviews of this engine compared to the new boxer are not very good. Plus, as Chris Dagnolo says, it’s ugly. Look at the pipe as it goes up to the canisters…..what’s with the squigglynees? Couldn’t make a prettier (and more efficient) clean curve up to meet the canisters? I’m in the market for a lightweight, upright bike like a scrambler but this ain’t it. Yamaha FZ-09/07 is more like it.

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CHRIS DAGNOLO
CHRIS DAGNOLO
9 years ago

Ugly as hell imho! 🙂

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Bryan Dickerson
Bryan Dickerson
9 years ago

I really like this mostly,
I’ve always liked scramblers since my older brother gave me rides on his Honda cl175 when I was a kid. Basically a street bike with high side pipes. I love wire wheels but these look kind of odd. Maybe I’d like them better if the rims weren’t black. Also, I think some slightly more substantive fenders, especially in the rear, would complete the retro scrambler look. This rear fender reminds me more of a modern motoX look.
I just can’t imagine what a 110hp trail bike would feel like. The most powerful dirt bike I ever had was a Husquavarna 250. It maybe had 30hp and could scare the crap outa’ me!

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