2023 BMW R nineT riding impressions from a GSA and R1200R owner 

Thanks! Agreed, it's a wonderfully raw riding experience full of character and an attention-magnet! BMW Motorrad has a history of hit and miss with their visual design, but this is one of their best. Enjoy your 2019, what a fun ride.

Spot on, I would do the same. Sensible, easy to install mods that would help us taller riders be more comfortable. I appreciate the comment!

Thanks!

Thank you! I'm really curious what improvements the new R12 NineT will bring. I hope to get a chance to test one in the upcoming season.

I agree completely. The R nineT has always been my favorite BMW aesthetically since its release in 2014, but the 1200R/1250R series just has so many practical advantages for touring and taller riders.

The R nineT would make a great 2nd bike and that 100 years edition is stunning. Based on your height, I'm guessing you'll feel a bit cramped on it too, especially if you're used to the supreme comfort of the GS/GSA, but as in the other comment you can make it work with some pretty simple mods. Appreciate the comment!

I'm 6ft 4 and its not too bad riding position, but for sure its a beautiful motorcycle and such a delight to ride ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZiGcO-lp9gE.html

It's an excellent bike and I understood the appeal the more time I spent on it. Definitely agree with you on the "Zwischengas," a bit more time with the gearbox and I'm sure it would become second nature... Just slightly "verwöhnt" with a slipper clutch and auto-blipper. I'm long in leg so that may account for the relative difference in comfort. Enjoy the rest of the season and ride safe!

Agree 100%, it's a really fun bike to ride and also looks great. From other comments here the footpeg lowering kit should help overall comfort quite a bit. I added small 30mm straight risers to my GSA last season and it made a significant difference for my lower back on 6+ hour rides. If you attempt it with the nineT just make sure you have enough free slack in the brake and clutch lines as I ran into this issue on the GSA and had to get the dealer to fit them. Enjoy your rides and thanks for sharing your experience!

Thanks for sharing your experience. The large aftermarket for this line of bikes is a big advantage here.

I’ve got the same bike. I bought the unit garage gel seat along with 20mm each riders and peg lowers. Got the second dial from BMW as well. I use the grip puppies and when doing distance I quickly install a cheap screen(puig universal) and remove it when I’m in town. It truly is a do it all bike for me at the moment. It’s fast, nimble, robust and looks great. I did ride it more than 8 hours a day multiple times with great comfort. I’m 6.0 220lbs. I use the unit garage quick connect waterproof saddle bags when traveling.

I think you may be right. Good clutch work and rev matching is a muscle memory skill that's trained by repetition. If you don't use the skill due to quickshifters, auto-blippers and slipper clutches, you tend to get rusty. If I had ridden the bike for an entire week I may not have even mentioned the transmission. Part of the fun of riding is the sense of mastery from smoothly piloting your machine. Thanks for your comment!

Great point and this demo had it (part of the optional comfort pack); MSR will indeed save rear wheel slippage on abrupt downshifts. A slipper clutch would likely be impossible due to the single plate dry clutch. Dry clutches do have a bit of a "bite" to them that takes some getting used to, compared to the wonderfully smooth wet plates with slipper in the modern LC boxers.

...just in relative terms compared to the LC Boxers @125hp or the shift-cams @136hp. It's still plenty fast! :)

Prechtal area in Germany. Popular road for local riders in the Black Forest, just off the B500.

Absolutely, but sh!t happens and that's just where it's most vulnerable. Luckily there are many more subtle and stylish options than crash bars to protect those exposed cylinder heads. It's all a matter of personal preference of course.

Sure, nobody "needs" a quick shifter, but many would argue it's very nice to have. I suppose that's why BMW now offers it on the new R12 NineT.

@@inthewind773 I would suggest that they are offering it to simply remain 'current' with other manufacturers and for new(ish) riders that haven't mastered the art of riding. As for it being "nice to have" that is equivalent to a confessed sports car driver saying that an automatic gearbox in his Porsche 911 is nice to have ... maybe for him ... but it shows that he is just posing and not really a sports car diver. Even paddle shifts are contentious. Most die hard sports car drivers insist on 5/6 speed manual boxes and would prefer a Mazda Miata with same before a 911 with an automatic. Are you a bike rider or a two wheeled transportation 'enthusiast' ??.

@@zaphodbeeblebrox4574 I understand what you're trying to say, but it's a bit of a false analogy. It sounds like you're a car guy, and about the closest thing to an automatic transmission in our world is Honda's DCT transmission, which does all the shifting for you (no manual clutch). Quickshifters have their roots in racing, about the farthest thing away from beginner technology you can get. They allow you to accelerate much faster when banging up the gears out of a corner as well as downshifting far quicker and more smoothly before entering one. If you do ride (my apologies) and have never tried one, I suggest you do, It'll put a huge smile on your face! 👍

A bit exaggerated of course, but yes it felt small and slightly cramped, probably amplified by the fact that I was used to riding my GS adventure. Most bikes feel small in comparison.