built café racers, scrambler builders were a different lot. They wanted something they could ride to the dirt and race once they got there. They stripped their bikes to make them
T
as light as possible, threw on knobby tires for traction and spoked wheels for stability in the dirt, added taller suspensions and high exhaust pipes for additional ground clearance then waited eagerly for the green flag to drop. Hopefully, nothing broke and they were able to get home that night so they could do it all again the next weekend. They were the dual-sport bikes of the day
and enjoyed a significant popularity until being relegated to the backs of garages or scrap heaps as manufacturers caught on to this new niche and began building real dirt bikes. As far back as 1951, at the International
Bicycle and Motorcycle Fair held in Frank- furt, Germany, BMW Motorrad presented an early “Scrambler” in the form of an R 68 with a raised 2-into-1 exhaust, just like the one raced by BMW Motorrad legend Georg “Schorsch” Meier. While the standard ver- sion of the R 68 used a conventional lower exhaust, even then a raised exhaust was available as a BMW accessory. To this day, some owners of this highly valuable post- war classic still prefer the scrambler-style exhaust. Fast forward 50 years or so and the cus-
tom build and retro markets are red hot with scramblers at the top of the charts. Tri- umph got the retro chic ball rolling early and has since been followed by others including Ducati, Moto Guzzi and Yamaha. BMW Motorrad realized the market
opportunity more than three years ago when they released the R nineT, their naked bike built with personalization in mind. With sales of the R nineT far exceeding BMW Motorrad’s conservative sales projec- tions, BMW executives believed they had struck gold. To see exactly how deep the retro vein goes, the R nineT Scrambler, the first of four new iterations of the R nineT, has been released. At first glance, the R nineT Scrambler
could easily be mistaken for a mildly cus- tomized R nineT as the only shared compo- nents are the 1170cc oil-cooled boxer motor,
hey were the dirt bikes before there were dirt bikes. Like their road-loving broth- ers who stuck to the roads and
headlight, drivetrain, brake rotors and a few trim pieces. Upon closer inspection, a trained eye will notice significant differ- ences between the two models, including the 19” front wheel, high exhaust, enduro foot pegs, taller handlebars, steel fuel tank, cast wheels, one-piece quilt-stitched seat, basic speedometer and traditional tele- scopic forks with gaiters. What isn’t immediately noticeable is a
bike that’s four and a half pounds lighter with a wheelbase nearly two inches longer and a taller seat height. Don’t forget the lower sticker price, either, with the Scram- bler at $13,000 vs $15,095 for a standard R nineT. Like the original R nineT, the Scrambler
is the brainchild of BMW Motorrad design- ers Ola Stenegard and Rolan Stocker, cus- tom builders themselves with their fingers on the pulse of the custom building scene. Creating the Heritage series of motorcy-
cles for BMW represents a significant departure from the company’s typical mode of operation, where stopping distances and acceleration numbers are typically some of the most important measurements. For the guys and gals customizing old Beemers, the emotional link felt between rider and machine was a driving force equal to the ability to customize. In the case of the standard R nineT,
according to Stenegard, “you jack it up and you have a Scrambler, you tuck it down and put a fairing on it and you have a café racer.” To meet the desires of their owners, BMW R nineT Scramblers can be personal- ized in many ways. Remove the rear frame section and bolt on a solo seat and the bike assumes an entirely new personality. Swap the stock light alloy cast wheels with a cross-spoke set with some knobby tires, then throw on a skid plate and you’ve got a bike capable of light off-road use. With accessories available through BMW, Roland Sands and elsewhere, the possibilities are endless. To officially introduce the Scrambler to
western journalists, BMW NA brought us to a lodge in Hamburg, New Jersey. Follow- ing the BMW MOA Rally held last summer it was an interesting coincidence to visit another city of that name. Despite preconceived notions about the
quality of riding in New Jersey, the further one gets from Newark, the more one under- stands how the third state to ratify the U.S.
Constitution became known as the Garden State. For our first day of riding, the area
offered up a perfect landscape complete with twisting country roads and muddy gravel paths through scenic High Point and Swartswood State Parks, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as well as the beautifully quaint towns along the route. For me, having racked up most of my
miles during the last year and a half on an S 1000 XR, it was nice to sit on the Scrambler with both feet flat on the pavement below and my knees bent. Surprisingly, I found the thin, one-piece, quilt-stitched seat com- fortable and my reach to the handlebars natural. Though a BMW Navigator V was fitted, a simple speedometer provided noth- ing more than the most basic riding infor- mation and in true Spartan scrambler style. A lonely low fuel light offered an indication of the need for gas, returning riders to the days of resetting a trip odometer at every gas stop to monitor fuel. In addition to the standard ABS, the bike I rode had been out- fitted with cross-spoke wheels, Automatic Stability Control and Metzeler Karoo 3 tires. It was time to ride. Thumbing the starter brought an imme-
diate smile as the boxer engine roared to life with a sharp bark resonating from the twin Akrapovic mufflers and the familiar feel of the rotational torque when revving the motor. As much as I love the inline four of my XR, it was good to be riding a boxer again. Pulling out of the lodge parking lot, I was
taken aback by the heavy feel of the front end. Maybe it was the knobby Metzelers, but maybe I simply needed more than 50 feet of riding to make a realistic evaluation. I knew time would tell, so I upshifted to second gear and roared onward. Our route that first day took us over the
good asphalt roads of northern New Jersey through the hilly and scenic countryside. Just as I experienced when I first rode the R nineT more than two years ago, I soon found the tighter riding position of the Scrambler giving me leg cramps (which luckily faded as the miles accumulated). Though the Karoo 3 tires never let you
forget they’re not road tires by their con- stant whine and vibration, secure traction was never an issue and the stump-pulling torque of the quick-revving boxer motor
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