BMW’s R nineT GS

WHAT do you get if you cross BMW’s R nineT with its 1985 Paris Dakar-winning G/S? This.

It’s just been revealed as a BMW concept at the Wheels & Waves custom bike festival in Biarritz, France. That’s where BMW first revealed the R nineT Scrambler, also as a ‘concept’ – so there’s a good chance we’ll see a production version of this GS-themed derivative at bike shows this autumn. The firm says it’s ‘BMW G/S meets BMW R nineT’ - a new variant of the popular 1170cc air-cooled boxer-twin heritage model but with G/S-inspired styling revisions. The windshield, headlamp, high mudguard, large tank and short seat are all designed to evoke the 1985 Dakar-winning G/S, BMW says.

It’s also got longer suspension travel, wire-spoked wheels, studded tyres and a similar white and red paint scheme to the championship-winning bike, as well as the same competition number: 101. It’s called ‘Concept Lac Rose’, after the rose-coloured Retba salt lake, where the Paris-Dakar rallye finished.

In case you’re wondering, one thing it doesn’t seem to have taken from the G/S is any real off-road ambition. Edgard Heinrich, Head of Design at BMW Motorrad, said: “Essentially the bike is a cool and laid-back roadster with a few typical off-road features which allow you to leave the street and follow a dirt track into the unknown. “It is this combination of customising, coolness and unconventionality which make this bike so special.”