During our 10k miles we've tackled cities, motorways, mountain passes and fords - it's done it all!

Published: 05 February 2025

As my time with the R12 nineT draws to a close, I thought it would be a great time to think about the bits of the BMW I loved, and what the bike could have done better.

I’ve taken the R12 through everything (except for off-road riding, obviously) including days in the city, namely London and Birmingham and a little bit of Norwich, and across the continent through the Alps – and we’ve seen pelting rain plus (for around two days) some gorgeous sunshine. So what are my BMW hits and misses?

Update one: First impressions
Update two: Time to see how the retro fares on a wet Welsh weekender
Update three: Electrical gremlins
Update four: Long pillion journey for the BMW
Update five: The Long Way… to Garmisch
Update six: The upgrades that have made a difference

Character and looks – hit

BMW R12 nineT tested for MCN by Saffron Wilson

Get the look

There’s something about the nineT which draws people in and keeps them hooked, and I think that must be down to its character. It’s not the tamest beast, and when you tip into corners you worry the pistons juddering from side to side will throw you off balance, but it means it’s a bike you have to ride, rather than a bike which takes you from place to place without intervention.

It’s grunty, it’s brutal, but it’s docile enough to make every ride enjoyable, even when you’re going steady.

Lack of fuel gauge – miss

This is the fancy dash which you can add for £120 instead of the dual-clock configuration.

I have a dislike for dashes that don’t have a fuel gauge. I can usually cope by using the trip and knowing how many miles I get to the tank. But the trip resets once the bike has been turned off for a few hours. So, you can wake up in the morning and not know how many miles you’ve got left. Annoying.

Reliability – miss

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I was gutted when electrical gremlins appeared on the Beemer. For the most part, the warnings that lit up the dash disappeared after a bike reset but once or twice the problems stayed put and I couldn’t start the engine.

That constantly niggled in the back of my head throughout every ride and, unfortunately, we never got to the bottom of it despite it going to a dealer. I should mention that online reviews from owners of the R12 nineT have rated the bike five stars for reliability, so perhaps I’ve just been unlucky!

Character – hit

I touched on the R12 nineT’s character earlier, but the engine truly is top-notch. Described by MCN Chief Road Tester Michael Neeves as being a “raw engine, you feel every power pulse and it rocks from side-to-side at tickover and makes you realise just how polished and refined BMW’s latest boxers have become. But it’s precisely the motor’s quirkiness that makes it so special.” And frankly, I think he’s summed it up perfectly. Need I say more?

Versatility – hit

For a bike that’s marketed as a ‘sensational roadster’ I can say it’s far more than just that. During our 10,000 miles, we have tackled the urban environment from the busiest cities to towns and villages, but we’ve also taken in miles of motorways and the road less travelled with mountain passes, fords and roads which weren’t really roads at all.

Every time, the BMW has taken it in its stride, and short of taking it up a green lane, it’s coped with everything.