It feels like yesterday when BMW launched its retro-styled R NineT in the south of Spain. Since its launch, the old-school roadster with modern touches has been targeted to a specific audience who like to customise their motorcycles. BMW had designed the motorcycle in such way that everything could be easily changed. For instance, the R NineT has a separate engine and wiring harness while there are minimal bolts provided to the subframe, tail lights and headlight so that they can be easily removed for modification.

Meant to be customised, the BMW R NineT is no slouch when it comes to performance. With upside-down forks, paralever suspension and Brembo brakes components ensure that handling is right at the top of the roadster food-chain, in parallel with the rest of it’s competition. Being a BMW, its a sort-of must.

And due to this character of the machine, BMW has quickly gained fame amongst the top custom builders of the world. One “BMW R NineT Custom” search on Google Images would give you an idea of how many custom bike makers have turned towards the roadster using their creativity. While the information on the search engine could be a bit overwhelming, we have decided to sort the machines out and present a list of the best custom BMW R NineT that exist as of today.

Each of these machine denote their own unique styling and purpose, and a choice of lifestyle that it’s rider experiences when aboard the 1,170cc, 110bhp boxer twin.

Custom build for a computer programmer who wanted to remove all the unwanted factory bits with something that suits more to his lifestyle, while still keeping all the practical bits that he planned to use for his daily commute. Done to perfection by Texas based Revival Cycles, The Bison gets its name from the use of Bison leather on the seats and the stylish side bag which was a specific requirement of the owner to carry his laptop to and fro from work.

2. ” Highway Fighter” by Cherrys Company

Image courtesy BIKEEXIF

Kaichiroh Kurosu of Cherrys Company is one of the better known builders from Japan. So when BMW Motorrad decided to give some stock BMW R NineT’s to builders worldwide, Kaichiroh certainly made it to the list. The first thing the mad did was to throw away all the R NineT’s stock bodywork so that he had a clear vision of what would go on the machine. The bodywork that Kaichiroh created is one of the most stunning for any R NineT ever made. His inspiration drawn from the 70’s, Kaichiroh set to made the entire body work hand beaten from Aluminium. And to keep the flow of the body even from the front to the rear, the headlight is neatly integrated inside the front cowl and then tinted, so it’s completely invisible when off, making the front look like a 70’s racing machine.

And this is one machine that doesn’t stop at looks. Underneath, everything is built to perform. The front end has been upgraded with BMW’s S1000RR upside down forks, RevTech rims are used with sticky Metzler rubber and there has been an addition of a steering damper to keep things sturdy giving the rider full control over his machine.

3. “Track Grinder” by Urban Motors

The Track Grinder is most definitely one of the most unique R NineT’s out there. One of the first builders to see BMW’s roadster, Urban Motor’s Peter Dannenberg visioned a motorcycle that would go down to it’s bare essentials and basic bodywork while sporting a flat tracker styling. And the results are beautifully rugged.

4. “The Heinrich Maneuvre” by Deus Ex Machina

“The Heinrich Maneuvre” is a classic rework on a modern R NineT. Deus Ex Machina is known for some of the most stunning custom bikes that currently roam the streets, and the The Heinrich Maneuvre is no exception. Named as a tribute to the German designer known for his beautifully handcrafted tanks, the bike has a completely new, handmade body with a larger, wider fuel tank. Dressed in a beautiful contrast of black and while, the machine’s look is completed with a modern digital instrument cluster by Motogadget, while boasting a rugged pre-war style BMW logo on its tank.

5. “Clubman Racer” by 46 Works

Image courtesy BIKEEXIF

Shiro Nakajima is known for his artfulness with BMWs and Moto Guzzi’s and the Clubman Racer is another one of his beautiful creation. With the Clubman, Shiro take a new approach of making the motorcycle both usable on the race track while being a comfortable daily street bike. While doing so, he was able to reduce a good 30kgs off the bike by replacing many stock components with lightweight ones. The suspensions, brake and tyres all get an upgrade to make sure the creation is track-worthy, while being draped in an one-off hand-beaten, exquisite aluminium bodywork.

Concept Path 22: A surf concept from BMW

Unveiled at the 2015 Wheels and Waves festival held at Biarritz, France, the Concept Path 22 is a slight deviation from the stock machine that looks a whole lot different. BMW commissioned Manson Dyer to attach the surfboard carrier while Nicolai Sclater has hand-painted the scrambler-bodied motorcycle in a very tiki-ish fashion. The results are beautiful. Unfortunately its just a one-off as BMW Motorrad does not plan to catalog any of the parts or schemes.