Top 3 BMW R nineT Cafe Racer Builds

• Table of Contents
• 1. The Original BMW R NineT Motorcycle
• 2. What makes the BMW R NineT easily customizable?
• 3. Why is it called BMW R NineT?
• 4. Does BMW make cafe racers?
• 5. The BMW R NineT Motorcycle at First Glance
• 6. Top 3 BMW R NineT Cafe Racers
• 6.1. The BMW R NineT Racer by BMW
• 6.2. The BMW R NineT cafe racer by Ziller's Garage
• 6.3. The BMW R NineT Cafe Racer by Cherry’s Company
• 7. Takeaway

Cafe racers have become popular in recent years in the global motorcycle community. The cafe racer trend started in the 1960s in London. In those days, these types of motorcycles were used for short trips or to visit nearby cafes to meet with their friends. A café racer is defined as a type of motorcycle meant to travel at high speed over short distances.

The trend of building café racers has been picked up by well-known motorcycle companies like BMW, Kawasaki, Honda, and Ducati in recent years. Still, custom-built cafe racers tend to be more popular and stylish than factory-made ones. The BMW R nineT is a perfect motorcycle base. This article discusses the top three BMW R nineT cafe racer builds. Other BMW models that are popular in custom building include the BMW K100 and BMW R65.

1. The Original BMW R nineT

The BMW R nineT is a powerful standard motorcycle that has been in production since 2014. The BMW R nineT comes with modern technology including Automatic Stability Control (ASC) and ABS.

The BMW R nineT’s 1,170 cc engine is capable of producing a torque of 115.92 Nm at 6,000 rpm and a horsepower of 109 hp at 7,250 rpm. The BMW R nineT is equipped with a six-speed transmission and can attain a top speed of 124 mph.

The BMW R nineT is designed with a frame that is divided into four parts, one in the front and three in the rear section. Both the front and rear suspensions in the BMW R nineT have wheel travel of 4.7 inches. This motorcycle has a seat height of 31.7 inches and a wet weight of 220.9 kg.

2. What Makes the BMW R nineT Easy to Customize?

The BMW R nineT has a separate chassis, engine wiring harness, and minimum bolts attached to the frame, so it is easier to make modifications.

3. Why is it Called the BMW R nineT?

The BMW R nineT was launched in 2014, with its design being inspired by the BMW R32 launched in 1923. This makes the production gap between the two vehicles about 90 years, hence the name R nineT.

4. Does BMW Make Cafe Racers?

Due to popular demand, BMW started making a factory-made cafe racer known as the BMW R nineT Café Racer. This cafe racer does not have a passenger seat and is fitted with a nose fairing.

5. The BMW R nineT at First Glance

Photo Credit: @indiatimes

6. Top 3 BMW R NineT Cafe Racers

6.1 The BMW R NineT Racer by BMW

Photo Credit: @rare-gallery

The BMW R nineT Racer is the first cafe racer launched by BMW. It debuted in 2017, but production eventually shut down due to poor sales.

Still, the BMW R NineT Racer was a great attempt by BMW to provide ready-made café racers to their customers. This cafe racer could attain a top speed of 140 mph and had an average fuel consumption of 42 mpg.

The BMW R nineT Racer is fitted with a nose fairing equipped with a round headlight, windscreen, and side mirrors. This café racer includes a tail cowl that encompasses the electrical system, battery, and vertical rear shock.

The BMW R nineT Racer has an aggressive riding position because of the low-mounted handlebars. The rider has to bend forward a lot while riding this vehicle because the handlebars tend to be too far away from the seat. This makes this motorcycle unsuitable for longer trips but also good for short-distance trips.

The BMW R nineT Racer’s engine and motor are reliable if they are well-maintained after every 6,000 miles. With a low center of gravity, this motorcycle has impressive handling.

Overall, the BMW R nineT Racer is good if you are looking for a factory-made café racer with a reliable 1,170 cc air-cooled engine.

6.2 The BMW R nineT Cafe Racer by Ziller's Garage

It is a common misconception that builders of custom bikes do not have access to a lot of resources when constructing cafe racers. This is true for builders who work on a small budget, but there are builders who have access to garages and are well-known for building futuristic cafe racers. One such café racer was designed by Ziller's Garage.

Photo Credit: @webbikeworld

This futuristic cafe racer, designed by Zillers Garage, and led by Dmitry Golubchikov, has won the AMD Championship. Golubchikov works with his team to build large projects like the BMW R nineT Café Racer. The BMW R nineT Cafe Racer project was expensive and would not have been possible without the help of BMW Motorrad.

Constructed at Zillers Garage and completed within 10 months, the 2016 BMW R nineT model was taken used as the base for this cafe racer. But to fulfill the design requirements, almost everything had to be redesigned. This café racer design was inspired by aerial vehicles. The entire motorbike, except the tires and the head of the boxer cylinder engine, is covered in a hand-made aluminum structure. The control buttons are located above the handlebars, including the Motogadget Mini speedometer.

A round headlight is positioned right above the front tire and is covered by the aluminum structure. The tail cowl can be extended and has a little storage space with a phone charging port. The tail light and turn signals are also incorporated into the tail cowl.

While parked, this café racer has no ground clearance and almost stands solely on its belly. There are buttons in the cockpit that turn on the pneumatic system, lifting this cafe racer’s seat height to a more comfortable riding position. Both this vehicle’s control mechanism and pneumatic system were built from scratch.

The 18-inch wheels installed on this café racer were also custom-made, with the wheels’ design inspired by turbines found on aircraft. A two-into-one stainless steel exhaust system was built so that it is hidden inside the aluminum structure, with just a muffler emerging out of the motorcycle’s left side. The clip-on handlebars, foot controls, clutch, and brake master cylinders were all fabricated by Golubchikov. The license plate holder is attached to the swing arm and positioned towards the back. Every part of this cafe racer, including the aluminum structure, forks, engine, and wheels, is painted in a muted monochrome color.

The Story of the BMW R NineT Cafe Racer by Ziller's Garage (Video Link)

6.3 The BMW R NineT Cafe Racer by Cherry’s Company

The BMW R nineT Café Racer by Cherry’s Company is one of the best custom cafe racers made by a Japanese builder. It is also known as the Highway Fighter. The hand-made aluminum bodywork shows off the master craftsmanship. The bodywork, nose fairing, sub-frame, foot controls, top yokes, and wheels installed on this cafe racer are all custom-made.

Photo Credit: @wired

Kaichiroh Kurosu, the owner of Cherry’s Company, was provided a BMW R nineT by the BMW Motorrad due to being one of the top four custom motorcycle builders in Japan. The Highway Fighter was inspired by the 1934 BMW R7 motorcycle. This café racer build was Kurosu’s first project with BMW.

A standard frame was used for this cafe racer, though it was also built with a customized rear section. Most of the parts are hidden by the aluminum structure. One of the distinguishing features of the Highway Fighter is its front LED headlight hidden inside the windscreen and is only visible when switched on.

This cafe racer’s front suspension came from the BMW S 1000 RR. An 18-inch front and 16-inch rear RevTech Billet wheels and Metzeler ME880 Marathon tires were fitted onto this cafe racer. The stock forks used for this cafe racer were lowered to give it a more aggressive stance. A custom exhaust system was designed with short connections and a muffler placed near the footrests on the motorcycle’s left side. This café racer has an anodized black color scheme with white borders. The BMW R nineT Café Racer's bodywork, unique headlight, fat tires, and custom wheels are what makes it a masterpiece.

The Story of the BMW R nineT Cafe Racer by Cherry’s Company (Video Link)

7. Takeaway

The BMW R nineT is a two-wheeler, suited to builders who specialize in making custom motorcycles. The trend of building custom motorcycles has gotten more popular in recent years as BMW has played a major role in promoting custom motorcycles. Custom-made cafe racers built by Zillers Garage and Cherry’s Company prove that custom motorcycle builds have become more popular in recent years and that café racer designs have become the future of motorcycle culture.

There are different LUGGAGE options available at Viking Bags to enhance the storage capacity of café racers. These include SADDLEBAGS, TAIL BAGS, and TANK BAGS.