BMW Just Made Its Best-Looking Retro-Styled Roadster Even Cooler

Funny how much difference swapping just a few key components can make to an already attractive motorcycle’s entire vibe.

Close-up of the rear section of a black motorcycle with a gray seat, featuring the number "35" on a yellow-bordered white panel and the rear fender. The motorcycle has a visible exhaust pipe and a rugged tire.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published September 2, 2025

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For as much of a fuss as we motorheads can make about different kinds of bikes (and the people who ride them), sometimes the biggest distinctions are aesthetic.

How else would it be possible for, say, Dutch customizer PowerBrick to turn the Harley-Davidson Pan America (an ADV Harley had already tweaked into a road moto) into one fierce-looking streetfighter?

Black BMW R nineT motorcycle with gold front forks, round headlight, and dual chrome exhaust pipes, parked on a gravel surface with a blurred natural background. The bike features a yellow and white number plate with "35" on the side and a ribbed black seat. — A bit of flat track styling only adds to the BMW R 12 nineT’s charming/thrilling old-school attitude.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that BMW has pulled off a pretty awesome transformation of one of its own bikes.

Behold the BMW R 12 nineT Tracker Accessories Package, which adds so much flat track racing-inspired flair to an already retro-styled stunner, I would not blame you for shopping for some vintage leather riding goggles to pair with it.

Off to a guten start

I’m no expert on this subject, but I will say if you want to successfully transform a motorcycle in-house, it helps to start with a bike that’s already a banger.

That’s the path Indian took from the sweet Sport Chief to the sensation Sport Chief RT, after all, and BMW’s route is similarly smart.

Black BMW motorcycle with a silver fuel tank, gold front forks, and a round headlight. It has a racing number plate "35" on the side, knobby tires, and a visible exhaust system. The bike is parked on a gravel surface. — The Tracker Accessories Package adds just under $3,800 to the cost of the bike.

Despite its retro looks, the R 12 nineT still packs the mighty air/oil-cooled two-cylinder, four-stroke 1,170cc boxer engine, which makes a robust 109 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 85 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm.

That’s enough juice to boost this 485-pound beauty up to a claimed 134 miles per hour, while premium Brembo brakes, ABS Pro and Dynamic Traction Control help you keep the shiny side up — at any speed.

Close-up of a motorcycle headlight with a black casing featuring the number "35" in large gray digits and a yellow and white geometric design above it. The background is blurred, highlighting the headlight and part of the handlebars. — The number 35 is just an example, BMW says, meaning the buyer can choose their own number for their bike.

If you need any more proof that BMW picked a great bike to start with, just look at what Diamond Atelier did with it earlier this summer.

The Munich-based custom house’s Urban21 makeover the bike is downright luxurious — with the ($41K+) price tag to boot.

Flat track tweaks

Thanks to BMW itself, you can score a factory custom take on the very same bike for just a bit over half that hefty figure.

The in-house mods are admittedly much less elaborate, but they are nonetheless effective at significantly shifting the mood.

The basic package consists of just 10 total parts, believe it or not.

BMW Motorcycles

Highlights include a short rear end (emerging from a finely stitched saddle), complete with license plate holder and multifunctional indicators, plus cockpit fairing, number plate and a 17-inch front wheel cover — all in the Blackstorm Metallic hue.

There’s also a track sticker set for the number plates and lamp mask. BMW notes that the 35 is merely an example and that the customer can choose their own favorite number for their bike.

What’s also worth noting is that the bike shown here clearly has wheels and tires that clearly diverge from the base model’s.

A person wearing brown riding gear and boots is riding a black and white motorcycle with the number 35 displayed on the side and rear. The motorcycle has dual exhaust pipes, a German license plate, and is kicking up dust on a gravel or dirt surface. The rider is leaning slightly forward, gripping the handlebars. — While you probably don’t want to shred gravel with the R 12 nineT’s stock tires, these aftermarket alternatives should handle such a responsibility just fine.

Looks like the Option 719 Classic tubeless spoked wheels ($675) and Bridgestone Battlax AdventureCross Scrambler AX41S Tires, which would need to be purchased separately and would run you something like $434.29 for the set.

With the OG mods, at least, the package is homologated with the vehicle, requiring no additional registration. In other words, this throwback beauty is ready to roll right off the lot.

Availability and pricing

The 2026 BMW R 12 nineT Tracker Accessories Package is available now for $3797.88, which raises the price of the motorcycle from $17,940 to $21,737.88.

If you were to upgrade the wheels and tires to those in the photos above (as opposed to the image below), it would cost you an additional $1,109.29, for a grand total of $22,847.17. Roughly.

Black and silver BMW R nineT motorcycle with yellow accents, featuring a round headlight, dual exhaust pipes, and a ribbed black seat.

2026 BMW R 12 nineT (w/ Tracker Accessories Package)

Starts at $21,737.88

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.