Intermot show: BMW R Nine T Racer and R Nine T Pure

A half-faired cafe racer and bare-boned naked are BMW’s two new 1170cc boxer-engined R nineT variants unveiled at Cologne’s Intermot Show overnight.

Looking every bit the homage to the brand’s 1970s R90S, the single-seat retro-styled Racer boasts    clip-on handlebars, rearsets and old-school seat hump. For the Pure, it’s less is more or, as BMW puts it, “designed without frills and reduced to the absolute essentials”.

Both bikes are powered by the Euro 4-compliant horizontally opposed 1170cc engine which is good for 110hp (81kW) at 7750rpm and 117Nm of torque at 6000rpm, and matched to a six-speed transmission.

Both the Racer and the Pure use a non-adjustable conventional front fork matched to a preload- and rebound-adjustable rear shock and single-sided swingarm. Both bike roll on five-spoke cast heels while the accessories catalogue offers wire-spoked options for those who wants them.

Speaking of accessories, the enormous catalogue of options allows would-be Racer owners to turn their single-seater into a pillion capable machine and while ABS comes as standard fitment, more sophisticated electronics (like traction control) is at the owner’s discretion.

The racer’s wheelbase is slightly shorter than the Pure’s (1489mm versus 1491mm) and the steering head angle is 0.2 of a degree steeper, too, giving the Racer slightly more agile and responsive handling over the pared-down variant.

Cosmetically, it’s a silver frame for the Racer and a black affair for the Pure, a polished exhaust tip on the Racer versus the Pure’s black tip and each version is offered in only one non-metallic colour: the firm’s white with red and blue Motorsport scheme for the racer and a gunmetal grey for the Pure.