Top 5 BMW R nineT Custom Motorcycles

When BMW introduced the R nineT in 2014, it insisted that it was designed with customization in mind. Three years later, the R nineT line has swelled to include five derivations straight from the factory and the custom scene is rife with beautiful one-off examples. And we're not talking ubiquitous café racers either. It's been reimagined in innumerable ways, suggesting that the R nineT really is a customizer's dream, or BMW's marketing department really knows its audience. Regardless, these five customs are some of our favorites.

BMW R nineT Classic by Roland Sands Design

BMW’s R5 is surely one of the most classic motorcycle shapes of all time, and this Roland Sands Design homage certainly does it justice. This bike is one of several lust-worthy nineTs to come out of the California workshop; RSD throws down gorgeous customs with the speed and consistency of Jorge Lorenzo lapping Jerez circa 2015. In addition to beautiful customs, RSD’s line of custom parts and apparel are always popular. Roland Sands has to be one of the busiest men in motorcycling.

R NineT Superbike by Workhorse Speedshop

Brice Hennebert of Belgium-based Workhorse Speedshop knocked it out of the park with an R nineT inspired by superbikes from the ‘70s and early ‘80s. It almost looks like it could line up next to Kawasaki KZ1000Rs and Suzuki GS1000s during one of AMA Superbike’s most storied eras. In fact, the bike’s number plates bear the number 163 in honor of Reg Pridmore, the original airhead-dragging racer who won the AMA Superbike crown in 1976 on an R90S.

BMW X Heiwa Official Scrambler

Heiwa MC, based in Hiroshima, Japan, was commissioned by BMW and given a 2017 R nineT Scrambler as a donor bike for what turned into a bike that looks classic, but defies categorization. One of the bike’s most eye-catching features is the frame that Kengo Kimura and his team built from scratch. The nineT is Kimura-san’s first BMW build. We certainly hope it’s the first of many.

BMW Rennsport Tribute by Officine Sbrannetti

In 1956, Walter Zeller finished 2nd in the world championship aboard a BMW Rennsport factory racer. This R nineT is a tribute to both the man and the bike. The yellow aluminum number plates, bumstop seat, and classic flyscreen go a long way in giving the bike vintage racing appeal. In many ways, the stock tank remains the focal point, which goes to show the merit of the original R nineT design.

Bavarian Fistfighter by Rough Crafts

Taiwan-based Rough Crafts design is one of the best-known firms in the industry, having applied its signature aesthetic to everything from Harleys to MV Agustas. The Bavarian Fistfighter R nineT is a noir masterpiece in metal. Head designer Winston Yeh used top-flight componentry to compliment the custom billet wheels and slinky bodywork. The faux carbon fiber paint by Air Runner is flawless. If Rough Crafts can even make fake carbon look good, you know there’s probably not much they can do wrong.

Which one is your favorite interpretation of the R nineT? Comment below and let us know!