#UrbanG-s

Earlier this year, reports emerged that BMW had filed trademark applications for “R12”, with many predicting the name would be used on a new cruiser. The logic made sense, as the naming structure was similar to the R18, and BMW lacked a cruiser model in the 1200-ish range. We were a little less bullish on that theory at the time, and we suspected there was more to the story. And now, new evidence has emerged that may justify our skepticism.

Not having saddlebags on your ADV bike is good for at least one thing: a good excuse not to camp out – and since these three all clock in at around $13,000, the occasional cheap hotel or Airbnb cabin won’t break the bank. Ducati, in fact, offers a Touring Pack for its new Multistrada 950 that includes (really good) sidebags, Suzuki offers same-key hard bags too on the V-Strom 1000 – but we left them behind because we’re going bare-bones with this little less-is-more test.

BMW announced a new factory customization program for its Heritage and Touring models. The new BMW Motorrad Spezial program expands on the customization concept of the RnineT, adding a number of factory-installed options for the RnineT Pure, Racer, Scrambler and Urban G/S variants, as well as the K1600GT, K1600GTL and R1200RT.

The R nineT has been a nice hit for BMW since it was introduced a little more than two years ago, appealing to both BMW traditionalists as well as those in younger demographics. And then came the R-nineT Scrambler we rode last month, which will surely carry the nineT’s momentum into the future. Oh, and there’s also the Pure and Racer concepts shown just weeks ago.

BMW added yet another model to its R nineT lineup with the Urban G/S joining the previously revealed Scrambler, Pure and Racer models. The slash in the name is significant as the Urban G/S is designed as a throwback to the BMW R80 G/S which helped kickstart the adventure segment. Although it sports adventure-style longer-travel suspension and larger wheels, the Urban part of the name reminds us it is still designed primarily for use on city streets.