Scramblers are very much the flavour of the moment and virtually every brand seems desperate to get its own take on the theme onto the market – and this is BMWs.
It’s not a huge surprise, since BMW teased us with its own R nineT-based scrambler concept earlier this year that the firm has got a production version ready for 2016.
Based on the engine and frame of the existing R nineT, the Scrambler gains right-way-up forks instead of the nineT’s Ohlins upside-down units, and of course the wheels are new to give that scrambler look, with a 19-inch front rim to allow knobbly tyres to be fitted.
As standard, the new bike comes fitted with alloy wheels, but wire-spoked versions are set to be part of an extensive options list developed to let each bike be tailored to its owner’s vision of what a BMW scrambler should be. Neat touches like the R nineT’s removable pillion seat subframe are retained, of course, and many of the same optional extras will fit both models.
Of course, the Scrambler gets high-level exhausts and a long, flat seat as standard, with various optional pipes and seats to tweak the look. There are also fork gaiters to keep the retro theme going along with brakes that, while still made by Brembo, aren’t quite as beefy as the radial-mount versions on the R nineT.
In terms of spec, there’s the same 81kW 1170cc engine, making 116Nm at 6000rpm, but it gets revised mapping and a carbon canister in the fuel system to help meet Euro4 emissions regulations.
Compared to the R nineT, the Scrambler gets a tweaked riding position with higher bars and a lower seat and pegs to make for a more upright posture.
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