Four BMW R NineT Models For 2017

BMW‘s R NineT will be joined by three variants next year including the R NineT Scrambler that debuted last fall at EICMA. BMW had previously confirmed the Scrambler will join the R NineT in dealerships in the third quarter but a new executive order published by the California Air Resources Board, BMW has received certification for two more variants: the R NineT Pure and the R NineT Racer.

The four models share the same 1170cc engine and yes, BMW says its air-cooled boxer is Euro 4 compliant. The executive order doesn’t provide any details on how this was achieved but the certified emission levels for both hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide for the 2017 engine are lower than their certified 2016 levels.

The executive order also offers no clue as to how the Pure or Racer models will be different from the other two models. One of these will surely be based on the Lac Rose concept presented at the Wheels & Waves Festival in June. Inspired by BMW’s Paris-Dakar bike, the Lac Rose concept could fit the definition of a “Racer,” though a café racer may be a more likely fit for the name.

When BMW presented the Lac Rose concept, Edgard Heinrich, Head of Design at BMW Motorrad, described it as “our laid-back and very individual interpretation of the bike that won the Paris-Dakar Rallye in 1985.” From the descriptors “laid-back” and “individual,” the name “Pure” may also be a fit.

We expect BMW to reveal the R NineT Pure and R NineT Racer at this fall’s two big motorcycle shows, Intermot and EICMA. Until then, check back here on MO for the latest information as it emerges.