2017 BMW R nineT Scrambler Video Review

After riding the original R nineT, I had really high hopes. I took this bike straight out to Joshua Tree to go ride off road in the desert and I didn't get it 30-feet off of the trailer before turning it around and loading it back up. It was simply not the bike I was hoping it would be when I took it out into rough terrain.

It's great looking, it sounds good and the engine is incredible, but they basically just took an awesome bike and made it less awesome for aesthetics. The tires are bad, the geometry is weird, the traction control was not adjusted for scrambling-- it's just not right.

If you like the aesthetics, an R nineT Pure will save you some money and come with better geometry and more rideable tires. If you want something you can ride off road and also enjoy the appearance of, the Desert Sled is one hell of a bike.