NGC: For Pete Roper, a BMW R9T Question

[GuzziChris]

Hi Pete, you don't know me but I've always enjoyed your contributions to the board, and I wanted to ask you for the favor of your opinion.

A few days ago I read your comment about the "R9Turd" (I forget the context) and I'm wondering why you have negative thoughts about that particular model. I'm thinking about new bike options, including the R9T, and I was wondering if there was anything specific about the bike that was driving that perspective. Just as an FYI, I'm also strongly considering the Bonnie T120. Sadly a new Guzzi is pretty much out for now, I love the bikes but the dealer network is too sparse for my comfort, and none of the newer models "float my boat", except the Griso. I like the V7, but I want a bit more HP than that. Don't much care for the V9s, though they seem like fine bikes....
 I thought about making this a PM to you, but then I thought this might be of interest to others so I made it a public thread, hope that's OK. If you don't feel up to replying about the R9T, I understand as it's a bit presumptuous of me to bother you for your opinion.
Thanks,
Chris

[arveno]

life is too short....buy what YOU like....

[GuzziChris]

Thanks arveno, I agree with you and I always do, but I also like to factor into my decision the well informed opinions of folks who have more knowledge, access and experience on the topic than me....

[fotoguzzi]

I sat on one once and it fit me perfect.

[kingoffleece]

I rode one and thought it was really a fine motorcycle.

[JeffOlson]

Moto Guzzi might surprise us next month with something really great. Maybe the OP could wait a few weeks and see...

[fotoguzzi]

Moto Guzzi might surprise us next month with something really great. Maybe the OP could wait a few weeks and see...

LOL

[pete roper]

Why my opinion should hold significant water I don't know but on the R9T I mean just look at it!

Apart from being an obvious 'Poverty Pack' with non adjustable suspension it's a BMW which means it's got a weak gearbox and final drive that will leave you stranded and drinking your own urine in some god-forsaken desert when it breaks down or blows up! Then there is the engine which like all flat twins sounds like a horse farting in a swimming pool. It's greatest sin though is it's ugly! Not just a little bit ugly either! It exudes ugliness like a pyroclastic flow from a volcano of ugliness! It's so ugly not even it's mother could love it! It's fuel tank looks like some huge, uninsertable pessary! It's seat looks like a donkey speculum! It transcends all normal descriptions of ugly! It's so bad I reckon the reason you never see the wretched things on the road is that the morning after they've bought one their owners catch a glimpse of then out of their bedroom windows and are suddenly overwhelmed by a need to gouge their own eyes out! Service costs will be absurd and they will develop mysterious problems with their canbus a week after the warranty runs out!

I strongly urge you to run, not walk, RUN away from anything made by Bring More Wallet and book into one of the many counselling services that offer a seven step programme to cure you of this unhealthy fascination.

Pete

[Chuck in Indiana]

As usual, Pete said it much more eloquently than I could. .but  :1:

[Tom H]

Why my opinion should hold significant water I don't know but on the R9T I mean just look at it!

Apart from being an obvious 'Poverty Pack' with non adjustable suspension it's a BMW which means it's got a weak gearbox and final drive that will leave you stranded and drinking your own urine in some god-forsaken desert when it breaks down or blows up! Then there is the engine which like all flat twins sounds like a horse farting in a swimming pool. It's greatest sin though is it's ugly! Not just a little bit ugly either! It exudes ugliness like a pyroclastic flow from a volcano of ugliness! It's so ugly not even it's mother could love it! It's fuel tank looks like some huge, uninsertable pessary! It's seat looks like a donkey speculum! It transcends all normal descriptions of ugly! It's so bad I reckon the reason you never see the wretched things on the road is that the morning after they've bought one their owners catch a glimpse of then out of their bedroom windows and are suddenly overwhelmed by a need to gouge their own eyes out! Service costs will be absurd and they will develop mysterious problems with their canbus a week after the warranty runs out!

I strongly urge you to run, not walk, RUN away from anything made by Bring More Wallet and book into one of the many counselling services that offer a seven step programme to cure you of this unhealthy fascination.

Pete

So Pete, what your trying to say is that if it was a dog that ugly, you'd shave it's rear end and teach it to walk backwards???

LMAO,
Tom

[Socalrob]

The R9T has what I think is the best boxer engine BMW has ever made, the camhead 1200.  This is the last air/oil cooled BMW.  Despite what Pete says, if you can stand a bit of Tutonic weirdness, the R9T is a smoking deal of a bike and they are flying out of show rooms.  If I was only looking at value for the dollar it would be high on my list.

[nc43bsa]

Why my opinion should hold significant water I don't know but on the R9T I mean just look at it!

 It's greatest sin though is it's ugly! Not just a little bit ugly either! It exudes ugliness like a pyroclastic flow from a volcano of ugliness! It's so ugly not even it's mother could love it! It's fuel tank looks like some huge, uninsertable pessary! It's seat looks like a donkey speculum! It transcends all normal descriptions of ugly! It's so bad I reckon the reason you never see the wretched things on the road is that the morning after they've bought one their owners catch a glimpse of then out of their bedroom windows and are suddenly overwhelmed by a need to gouge their own eyes out!

Pete

Or, as a late friend would say, it's so ugly it would raise a blister on a brick wall.

It would gag a maggot on a meat wagon.

It would put a buzzard off its feed.

[Turin]

Then there is the engine which like all flat twins sounds like a horse farting in a swimming pool.

hahahahahahaha! whew, that one got me!

[GuzziChris]

I'm chuckling to myself, not exactly the primary reasons I expected, BUT with all the linguistic artistry that we've all come to love....  thanks Pete!

[beetle]

Let me tell you a story of a man named Erik. Not his real name, but this is a true story.

Erik had a Stornello. He really liked it. One day, he saw an R9T in a dealers show room. In a moment of what I can only assume was temporary insanity, he thought he would prefer to ride that instead of the Storny. He asked my opinion. Truly, he did. I told him I didn’t like them. Said Storny was traded on the R9T.

Some months later he told me that I was right. He got rid of the BMW and bought another Stornello.

Let this be a lesson to all.

[Mr Pootle]

I borrowed a Pure from my local dealership and took it out for a couple of hours. I felt it was like the curate�s egg, good in parts. It was happier in stop/start traffic than my V7ll, but the riding position and the feel at speed weren�t right for me. As soon as I got back on my Guzzi and pulled away I knew that I was going to stick with her.
And the BMW is, as others have said, ugly, while my little Italian is a beauty.

[molly]

The R nine T is ugly but it is not on it's own in the current market. I have yet to see a KTM I like the look of. Harley seem to hit their current crop with a ugly stick before they leave the factory. In fact nine out of ten new bikes leave me cold but I suppose after 40 years of riding motorcycles you are bound to get a bit jaded.

[Ncdan]

The thing would make a Bulldog jump off a gut wagon:(

[Kev m]

Why my opinion should hold significant water I don't know but on the R9T I mean just look at it!

Apart from being an obvious 'Poverty Pack' with non adjustable suspension it's a BMW which means it's got a weak gearbox and final drive that will leave you stranded and drinking your own urine in some god-forsaken desert when it breaks down or blows up! Then there is the engine which like all flat twins sounds like a horse farting in a swimming pool. It's greatest sin though is it's ugly! Not just a little bit ugly either! It exudes ugliness like a pyroclastic flow from a volcano of ugliness! It's so ugly not even it's mother could love it! It's fuel tank looks like some huge, uninsertable pessary! It's seat looks like a donkey speculum! It transcends all normal descriptions of ugly! It's so bad I reckon the reason you never see the wretched things on the road is that the morning after they've bought one their owners catch a glimpse of then out of their bedroom windows and are suddenly overwhelmed by a need to gouge their own eyes out! Service costs will be absurd and they will develop mysterious problems with their canbus a week after the warranty runs out!

I strongly urge you to run, not walk, RUN away from anything made by Bring More Wallet and book into one of the many counselling services that offer a seven step programme to cure you of this unhealthy fascination.

Pete

Curious, I ran this through google translate and got:

Me no likey BMW's

Pete

Personally, I dig em and it's the one/only BMW I'd consider, if I didn't have so many other things I want more.

[lucian]

Guzzzi Chris, hard to elaborate on Pete's take but here is my thoughts.  I owned briefly the t 100 bonny, a 2012 I purchased new and was soon bored of it . Everything worked as it should but it just had no character and the handling and brakes were archaic, and have never been crazy about the chain drive for a street bike.I'm sure the new 1200's may be better. Can't even compare it to my 09 griso , I bought it used and did the roller conversion at 3,000 miles and it is miles above the bonny in every sense. Many 2012 and above models come up on the used market for cheap $ and will save you the roller headache.  My next door neighbor bought a 2014 r9t  and likes it ok but says it is a little cramped for him and he wished he had tried the griso before he jumped in. He rode mine and said it felt more stable at speed on the highway, probably due to the longer wheelbase. If you like to do your own service you will really appreciate the Griso and all the knowledge available here and on the Gheto. Why buy a griso knock off when you can enjoy the real thing?   Best of luck with your decision.

[LowRyter]

I find the criticism of the R9T styling curious.  It really looks a lot like the Griso in a package very close to my V11 Sport.  I ran against one on the street and believe it had a little more power than my Greenie.  For anyone looking for a new retro cafe bike, it's a newer version of the Sport but perhaps not as sophisticated as the Griso sport standard.  And personally I enjoy riding my Sport over the 8v Griso. 

So far as cost of ownership.  Well, I have no bragging rights considering that the Greenie had to be torn in a million pieces to fix and fab a brace for the cracked transmission.   And we all know the costs incurred with the flat tappet business for the 8 valves and the electronics associated with all.

This is not to give Beemer (or Ducati) a pass considering by comparison even worse expenses that I have previously ranted about.  The only difference is that you can reasonably find a dealer to actually do the factory fixes. 

The expenses and questionable reliability for all of these new bikes (Guzzi, Beemer & Ducati) have soured me off the whole lot.  I only wish the Japanese bikes didn't look like Praying Mantises and handled better.   

[Kev m]

The expenses and questionable reliability for all of these new bikes (Guzzi, Beemer & Ducati) have soured me off the whole lot.  I only wish the Japanese bikes didn't look like Praying Mantises and handled better.

You're right, let's just buy Harleys!

    

[Mr Pootle]

You're right, let's just buy Harleys!

    

Would I have to get a tattoo?

[Kev m]

Would I have to get a tattoo?

I can't say, it seems like you need to have a tattoo if you live in NJ these days so everyone I meet has em whether or not they ride a Harley.

Actually, I'm pretty sure no-one is allowed to study Brazilian Ju-Jitsu without AT LEAST a full sleeve. Or if they let them start training they must be sleeved by black belt.

 

[arveno]

Moto Guzzi might surprise us next month with something really great. Maybe the OP could wait a few weeks and see...

Oh yeah I cannot wait 

[steven c]

New colors!

[SemperVee]

 Pete, You are quite the Postulate.    I had a good laugh this morning.  Thank you.

[Guzzistajohn]

Comon Pete find another subject and rip it a new asshole. This is fun! 

[Lcarlson]

Well, while many bikes have rotated through my garage over the years, only one (bought new) remains to keep my Cali company:





With Ohlins front/Hyperpro rear suspension, Akrapovic slip-on and a bunch of functional accessories, it still does everything I need it to do. And I still love the appearance, though of course that is purely personal.

[screamday]

Pete just convinced me....I think I need to have one.