Anyone who’s ever spent a quiet moment idly flicking through videos on YouTube will, I’m sure, be aware of the journeys of discovery they can quickly become when you see something that piques your interest and sends you off on a tangent that leaves you wondering where the time went. What follows is one of those journeys.
A journey begins
Being a long-term admirer of BMW motorcycles, I often check out their YouTube channel for new content. On a recent visit, the newest video was BMW Motorrad Make Life A Ride Flagship Store Opening from the opening event of BMW’s first ever Make Life A Ride store; a store which doesn’t just sell motorcycles, it sells the whole BMW lifestyle.
At this point, it makes sense for you to go and check this out – go on, I’ll wait, it’s only a minute and 48 seconds but if you’re really strapped for time, the bit we’re interested in occurs around 45 seconds in. Back? Good. You should have discovered what, at a brief glance, appears to be a glorious re-imagining of the iconic BMW R90S from the mid ’70s.
At rest
The search
So, I fired up my web browser and pointed it at Google. Assuming this to be a concept machine built by BMW themselves, I typed bmw r90s concept into the box and hit Enter. Images of this very machine were soon shown to me and I was quickly able to determine that it is the BMW Concept Ninety, the result of a joint project between Roland Sands Design and BMW Motorrad to create a tribute to the original R90S to celebrate both that machine’s fortieth anniversary and the ninetieth anniversary of BMW as a motorcycle manufacturer.
Cockpit view
Roland Sands Design
There are a couple of fascinating videos available at the Roland Sands website that give an insight into the work involved in creating such a machine. I’m sure the Roland Sands Design won’t mind me mentioning that they are about to release a range of accessories to style your boxer twin. These are mostly for the custom-friendly R nineT (see what they did there) although some items can be used on other post-2003 R-models and even some K-models.