BMW R12 nine t Tracker

On a gloomy, damp Friday morning, I was dropped off at the BMW HQ building in Farnborough, with its contemporary design, prominent glass towers and landscaped grounds, ready to pick up the eagerly awaited R 12 nineT tracker.

First impressions were that it was a good-looking bike with striking flat track styling and a great eye-catching colour combination. It was mean, aggressive and charismatic. 

With a huge chunky 1170cc boxer engine sitting proud on either side of the tubular frame, it looked tenacious and purposeful. The engine is air and oil cooled and sits deeper than some family trees. It hasn’t been changed or tweaked, which, to be fair, isn’t necessary.

My press bike had the ‘tracker accessories package’ fitted, which consists of: 

• A short, cut-down, single-seat rear end in tracker blackstorm metallic, including a license plate holder (available in black or silver) and multifunctional indicators.
• Cockpit fairing in Tracker Blackstorm Metallic.
• Number side plate in Blackstorm Metallic.
• Tracker sticker set for number plates and lamp mask.
• Short front mudguard in Blackstorm Metallic

That little lot does come with a price tag, though, of £1999, but it adds a unique look to the bike. It is clearly a bike for riders who like their torque served with heritage. It is long and low as it is, and having the shorter single seat changes the appearance significantly from the standard model, giving it a more aggressive stance. A concoction of street-ready and flat track racer. 

Starting it was a challenge! It’s keyless, and there is a button above the starter switch that triggers the bike's electrics to spring into life. Once I had worked that out, the R 12 nineT rumbled into action, those huge cylinders on either side shaking the bike with a gentle vibration that we have come to know and love from the age-old BMW boxer engines, which have proven over the years to be such a great, reliable set-up.

With modern-day engineering, the vibration has become milder with age. The well-finished chrome pipes emerging from the nearside of the bike deliver what can only be described as a gorgeous, smooth, chocolatey burble. Sitting astride the bike with my 6’4’’ frame, I did feel a little like riding a clown’s bike on the way to meet Noddy in Toy Town, but no matter, let's crack on.

First gear, pulled away, what a hoot. This thing has oodles of torque, 85lb-ft at 6500 rpm, and 108 horsepower ready to go on the twist of the right hand. With liberal use of the right wrist, it wants to separate your arms from your body, great fun. 

This bike is full of attitude with no apology, and with the single seat, no room for passengers, it’s definitely a solo mission. All was going well on the pickup of the machine until I stalled it pulling away from a roundabout. I lost some street cred there. 

It does need a few revs when pulling away, but once it spins up, that motor thrums away with almost instant response in any gear. I love it, massive smiles per mile. 

The R12 nineT was very comfortable to ride. The footrests are in a good position, even for my long legs. Wide handlebars remind me of the olden days of riding with cow horns on a push bike: wide, offering great leverage when manoeuvring. From a handling point of view, the R 12 nineT has always been a very willing dance partner, and the tracker version doesn’t change or disappoint. The chassis remains the same, stable and confidence-inspiring. It tips into the twisties with ease, and the same excellent chassis offers bags of feel, boosting your confidence. 

Front Suspension is Gold-anodised 45 mm upside-down (USD) telescopic forks, fully adjustable for spring pre-load, rebound, and compression damping.

At the rear, you have a cast aluminium single-sided swing arm (Paralever brace) with a central suspension strut, offering adjustable spring pre-load and rebound damping.

It's a great setup and incredibly effective.

Braking is taken care of by Brembo: at the front, you have twin 310 mm floating discs paired with 4-piston Brembo radial monobloc callipers.

At the rear is a single 265 mm disc with a 2-piston floating calliper.

It isn’t a razor-sharp sports bike, but then it hasn’t been made for that purpose; it just gives you a very playful hooligan-type ride.

I decided to take a ride up to Boxhill and grab a cuppa at Rykas Café. Escaping from the congested, traffic-filled town toads and hopping onto the rolling bends, tree-lined straights, and sweeping twisties keeps you on your toes. The R 12 nineT loves this sort of ride and feels like it’s clearing its throat and saying ‘let’s play’. 

Rocking up to Boxhill always feels like entering a motorcycle safari park. Wall to wall bikes, chatter, engines rumbling, laughter and altogether a great feel-good factor. 

As soon as I stopped and removed my lid, a chap came up and said, “I haven’t seen an R 12 nineT in the tracker guise before, what's it like?” I just grinned at him, which said it all. Boxhill is the sort of place that you rock up, grab a coffee, admire the machinery, and enjoy the unspoken nods between riders: the universal biker language for ‘nice one mate’. Another admirer, “Wow mate, that looks awesome, what is it?” “It’s a well-engineered bundle of fun”, I said with a huge grin.

Parked next to my mate's 1250GS, ’little and large’ caption springs to mind. It really did highlight just how low the Tracker is. I know the GS is exceptionally tall, but there is no getting away from the fact that if you are north of 5’ 10’’ you will make the bike look tiny. 

Chatting and mingling with fellow riders over a cuppa is quality downtime. Debating the’ for and against’ of different bikes is an enjoyable pastime; I’ve done it for years and watched, as many of us have, how bikes have developed and become complex machines. The R 12 nineT has really tried to keep that retro look despite this, with a few modern touches, but on the whole, BMW have kept it relatively simple and done it really well. 

With black clouds starting to roll in over the hills, it was time to make a move. The ride back was a little different to the ride there as it absolutely bucketed down, so I  slipped the Beemer into ‘rain’ mode to soften throttle response and maximise traction control, whacked on the heated grips that have three different settings and are very quick to warm up. I love a heated grip! 

The R 12 nineT has 3 rider modes: Rain, Road, and Dynamic. Usually, I just used the ‘dynamic’ mode for maximum smiles. Dynamic mode sharpens up throttle response and dials back the traction control. 

Likes

• Styling
• Analogue clocks – TFT Screen available as an option
• Incredibly torquey engine with a lovely sound – not too loud but loud enough
• Good mpg – consistently 48 to 50, even after a good blast
• Comfortable
• Confidence-building handling
• A good talking point

Dislikes

• It’s a small bike, so if you are over 5’10’’, you will make it look very small.
• The single-seat looks great, but offers little protection from spray off the rear wheel in the wet.
• The gearbox is very clunky in the low gears.
• No fuel gauge.

In summary

If motorcycles had spirit animals in them, the R 12 nineT Tracker would be a mischievous border collie: energetic, stylishly scruffy, and absolutely determined to drag you into some kind of trouble, the fun kind of course! The engine is the star, being rumbly but smooth, responsive and just a little rough around the edges to make it feel alive. The R 12 nineT is a celebration of style, character, and old school uncomplicated motorcycling. It doesn’t try to be everything; it just tries to be awesome, and it succeeds. You wouldn’t buy one for practicality; you buy this bike just for pure distilled cool!