A German motorcycle rolls into an Italian design studio. Sounds like the start of a good joke. Well, it isn’t. The motorcycle is BMW’s R nineT, one of the best motorcycles made in the last 10 years. The design studio is Ares from Modena, and you know what is right next to Modena, Maranello. Just that fact alone is enough to know this project is going to be next-level special.
The Start Of The ‘Bullet’
BMW’s R nineT, since its release in 2014, quickly became one of the go-to bikes when it comes to customizing. It was a breath of fresh air in the world of Triumph scramblers, café racers… One of the best-handling retro motorcycles on the market that ditched old-school performance and rideability. It has a 1170cc air-and-oil-cooled boxer engine that pushes out 108 horsepower and 86 feet-pounds of torque. Lots of power and grunt through the rev range. No wonder Ares design studio decided to start their motorcycle customizing with this model.
The Ares design studio was founded in Modena in 2015, with the sole purpose of providing the very best in luxury automotive design and engineering. Their portfolio is something to behold. The cars are either customized or built from scratch as one-off projects. Their motorcycles follow the same path.
Most Desirable Motorcycles Are Usually Hand-Crafted
The R nineT was chosen for the classic look. The Ares Modena sought to resolve an issue that all classic bike owners have. It’s that nagging sensation in the back of your mind about whether or not this thing will break down. So you take a classic-looking bike that has modern reliability.
When it comes to design, giving it a sporty look was the way to go. The front fairing, made by Ares Modena from carbon fiber, ensures the ‘Bullet’ gets that neo-racer look. To stay modern, the headlight is an LED unit, in-house made, aluminum clip-on handlebars make it more sporty and you also get a new speedometer. The fuel tank is another part that is made from carbon fiber. To emphasize the sporty riding position, the seat is merged into the carbon fiber tail section.
Performance-wise, the R nineT gets upgraded. The brakes are Brembo, 4-piston calipers made from billet-machined aluminum with steel discs. The wheels were replaced with new wire-spoked rims and made from 7000-grade aluminum by Kineo. The suspension was replaced. Instead of Sachs, the ‘Bullet’ has Matris. At the rear is a mono-hydraulic shock with a remote pressurized expansion reservoir filled with nitrogen. The underslung 2-into-2 exhaust system was another huge upgrade. Ceramic coated with heat shields, it was completely made in-house.
The R nineT Racer We All Wanted
We all remember the Racer. Probably the most awesome-looking version of the R NineT that was made. While it had the looks part nailed down, everything else was a disappointment. Basic suspension, the cylinder heads stopped it from leaning too far in the corner, and some folks complained about the riding position being too sporty. So, can this be the perfect R nineT Racer?
It definitely resolved some of the issues mentioned before, but one huge problem still lingers. This bike is, unfortunately, limited to 25 units. And you know what that means. Pricing upon request. But hey, you get a great bike in an awesome package with tons of color options. Most importantly, you get the R nineT Racer that should have been.