They were ridden by action heroes on the screen and scores of hobby racers entered mountain and beach races on them – the scramblers. With deep-treaded tyres, a raised exhaust, somewhat extended spring travel and a relaxed seating position, scramblers offered their riders in the 1950s to 1970s not just motorcycling fun on winding country roads but also great off-road capability and therefore an extended range of use. Like the motorcycles themselves, the people who rode scramblers were not bound by established conventions. And they could be seen virtually everywhere: on winding country roads, stony mountain passes and – where it was allowed – even on sandy beaches.

The history of BMW Motorrad is also rooted in the scrambler concept. In 1951, the BMW R 68 was presented at the International Bicycle and Motorcycle Fair IFMA in Frankfurt with a typical raised 2-in-1 exhaust, just like the one used for racing by BMW Motorrad legend Georg “Schorsch” Meier. Now BMW Motorrad presents the new BMW R nineT Scrambler, a motorcycle which revives the scrambler era in a very special way. It has everything that defines this motorcycle type, filled with a very distinct spirit and created for motorcycle fans who love things that are purist, reduced to the essentials and non-conformist – combined with the technology and quality of a modern BMW.

The BMW Motorrad Scrambler features a classic air-cooled, punchy flat-twin boxer engine, which has stood for hallmark design, powerful torque and a unique sound for more than nine decades. The R nineT Scrambler is fitted with the air/oil-cooled boxer with a capacity of 1170cc, which makes 110hp and 116Nm of torque.

Similar to the R nineT Roadster, the frame concept is a key aspect in terms of the Scrambler’s extensive customisation capacity. The specially developed steel tubular space frame integrates the boxer engine as a load-bearing element and consists of a front section with integrated steering head and a rear section with swinging arm mount. The passenger frame can be dismounted, thereby allowing the R nineT Scrambler to be used either by two people or when going solo. The front wheel suspension is in the form of a telescopic fork with rubber gaiters and a spring travel of 125mm. Rear wheel suspension is taken care of by a Paralever single-sided swinging arm as used in the other boxer models. Suspension and damping are carried out via a central spring strut.

The light alloy cast wheels are fitted with tyres sized 120/70-19 at the front and 170/60-17 at the rear. The brake system – which comes with ABS as standard – is fitted with 4-piston calipers, steel-wrapped brake lines and 320mm brake discs at the front. At the rear, effective deceleration is ensured by a single-disc brake with a diameter of 265mm and a 2-piston floating caliper.

Eye-catching design elements include the painted 17-litre fuel tank and the trim cover made of fine aluminium sheet with embossed R nineT inscription which runs across the air intake duct on the right-hand side. Other details include aluminium forged parts with glass-bead blasted and then clear anodised surface or the clamp for the double-butted tubular handlebars, also made of aluminium and bearing an engraved BMW Motorrad inscription. The tapered and stitched two-person seat in patinised leather look in the colour Saddle Brown hints at the refined workmanship and use of high-end materials.