As with the R32 of 1923, the bike that started it all, the BMW newcomer has an air-cooled boxer engine. Nine decades on and the motorcycle division of BMW has decided to draw from the past to build its bike of the future, combining purity of design with the most modern technology.

Nothing is concealed

For the bike's premiere, BMW chose a Munich bar with the rough charm of a biker's meeting point, an appropriate venue for a motorcycle that recalls the café racers and scramblers of the past. Just as with a classic 'naked' bike, nothing is concealed. It would indeed be a shame to cover up anything in a motorcycle with such lavishly produced detailing: from the classic, round headlights with a BMW emblem on the bulb cover, to the black, high-gloss, lacquered aluminum tank, plus wire-spoke wheels with black, anodised rims, black, aluminium hubs and stainless-steel spokes. 

Love is in the air...

The longitudinally mounted two-cylinder 1,170cc boxer engine, being air-cooled rather than water-cooled, is also old school. The performance, however, is very present day, with an output of 110HP and maximum torque of 119Nm (at 6,000rpm).

The R nineT, due to appear on the market in time for the start of the 2014 season, also offers such enormous potential for customisation that no two bikes need ever be the same. 

Photos: BMW