If you’ve walked into a BMW Motorrad dealership lately then it will have been impossible to miss the fact the motorcycle division of the Bavarian brand is celebrating its 100th anniversary. But this year also marks another important milestone, ten years of their Heritage range which was launched with the hugely successful BMW R nineT. As part of the company’s larger celebrations, they’ve pulled back the covers on the model’s replacement, the all-new 2024 BMW R 12 nineT. Just like the name, the changes at first might appear only to be minor, but as you dig deeper, you’ll find that the modern retro machine now features increased classic styling, lots of modern tech and most importantly for Pipeburn readers, has been designed to be infinitely more customisable.

When the R nineT was launched ten years ago it was clear that the motorcycle was not only going to lead the charge of the company’s heritage line but be the latest bike in the R series range. But the name left out the motorcycles engine capacity and meant it never quite slotted in smoothly with the likes of the R100, R80, R75 and R65, where the R stands for opposed twin-cylinder and the number represents the engines capacity. Now with the R 12 name – that’s all been fixed – and it feels like BMW have finally committed to truly embracing the bikes’ role in a model lineup that dates back to 1923 with the launch of the R32.

This sense of history was embraced at the R 12’s first public unveiling, “The R nineT and its customising concept established the new Heritage experience for BMW Motorrad’s 90th birthday and has become an indispensable cornerstone of our model range,” said Dr. Markus

Schramm, head of BMW Motorrad. “The new R 12 nineT continues the successful heritage story surrounding the legendary BMW boxer engines with an even more classic, reduced design language, even greater degrees of freedom when it comes to customising and, last but not least, new and innovative technology.”

In the last ten years the nineT has sold over 106,000 examples worldwide, so the new R 12 certainly has big shoes to fill. To give it a solid foundation, the company’s engineers have come up with a new chassis that not only seeks to improve performance but is much cleaner in the looks department too. The previously messy merger of pipework around the rear of the engine is now gone with a more elegant solution and the rails supporting the new subframe are far cleaner too. This has been achieved with a radiused upright, that also does away with the welded-on passenger foot pegs, a bugbear of many a custom builder.

But the visual changes go a lot further than simply changing the way minor components are bolted on. The bodywork has undergone a significant redesign and the look is not only more classic in appearance, but far more cohesive. The nineT utilised a fairly modern looking tank but a tail piece that appeared to be straight from the ’70s, and they never really gelled as well as they should have. The R 12 now features a shorter tank with sculpted and stylised knee dents, the tail piece picks up those lines flawlessly and there are now true side covers incorporated into the motorcycle.

“The purist design language is dominated by the clear tank/seat/rear line, in the style of the traditional /5 or the legendary R 90 S of the ’70s,” said Edgar Heinrich, head of design. “At first glance, the tank itself is a classic BMW boxer tank, with a typical bend in the lower edge and classic knee contact. The new R 12 NineT also features side covers in the area of the frame triangle in the authentic Roadster look – another reminiscence of BMW motorcycles of the 1970s.”

Powering the R 12 is the faithful 1170cc boxer twin, with air and oiling cooling, and the basic architecture carries over from the previous model. But with emissions laws always tightening, BMW engineers took the opportunity to redesign both the exhaust and the intake. No power figures have been supplied to date, but it appears from hints coming from the Bavarian bike builders that mid-range torque has been improved and the larger airbox will make chasing bigger power figures that much easier for the aftermarket. The oil cooler has also been tweaked and is integrated more seamlessly, and the rocker covers get an update too.

At the launch, the two leaders of the project also hinted strongly at the fact that the company’s latest technology will be built into the bike, and the new instrument cluster hints at more rider modes and the potential for software developments from the S1000RR super bike to flow down to the R 12 to enhance traction, handling, and braking.

And there was also music to the ears of Pipeburn readers at the launch too, with both company head honchos not only pointing to the fact the bike is infinitely more customisable and there will be more collaboration with the aftermarket, but they are actively encouraging owners to make the bike their own; music to our ears.