Less Is More: The Magic Of The BMW R Ninet

An MBA by education, a technology strategist by profession and a petrol head by passion, Rishab Gulshan hails from New Delhi, India. This is his way of expressing his love for all things 2 and 4 wheeled and the joys of wanderlust.

- Rishab Gulshan

 
IN 2013 BMW Motorrad was celebrating its 90th anniversary. To commemorate this incredible achievement they introduced a motorcycle called the R nineT. The R came from their legendary “R” series motorbikes and nineT was to mark the occasion. When I saw the first pictures of this motorcycle, I was blown away. BMW had taken the air and oil cooled 1200cc boxer engine from the previous generation GS/GSA and built a roadster from it. The bike was sculpted out of aluminum and was simply a piece of art. BMW wanted to make a style statement with this machine and they absolutely hit it out of the park. But that’s not all. The bike was intended to be a custom builder’s fantasy. It was a blank canvas onto which many a masterpieces could be built. The bike achieved cult status within its first year. It was sold out in most parts of the world. The internet was flooded with beautiful renditions of the bike from all over the world. Bespoke accessory manufacturers like Roland Sands Designs (RSD) and Rizoma created a dedicated line of accessories just for this bike. Thus started the legend of the R nineT.

I had been lusting after her ever since then. I had a chance to see her up close many a times while visiting motorcycle shops across the world and every time I saw her, I liked her ever more. I anxiously waited to have the opportunity to ride this gorgeous piece of art.

4 years later, the day has finally arrived. Thanks to the aegis of Lutyens Motorrad New Delhi, I was able to get my hands on a bike that has been #1 on my bucket list for almost 4 years.