2019 BMW RnineT Urban G/S Review (*update: I brought it!)

*Update! 7 months after filming this test ride I loved it so much I sold the Triumph and now have the 2017 version without the gold rims!*
I test ride the newest version of the BMW Urban GS. I give my thoughts as a 22 year old rider and chat about the bike too, my normal ride is a 2019 Triumph Street Twin and before that I had a 2003 Suzuki Bandit and a 125cc Lexmoto,

[@tpv59]

One of the VERY BEST reviews I have seen. EXCELLENT work. WELL done.. 10/10.

[@AnotherHipster]

Thanks Terry that means alot 👍 glad you enjoyed it. I own one now so let me know if you have any questions

[@tpv59]

@@AnotherHipster Thank You. Any regrets? The top '5 things' you love/like? The top '5 things' you dislike/hate? Anything else? I will be going for a test ride very soon. Sitting on it I found I was not that comfortable, outstretched arms. Obviously 223 KG weight, it does feel HEAVY, and Big. THANK You Sir, GREATLY APPRECIATED VERY much. ('OZ' Australia)

[@AnotherHipster]

Thanks Terry I’m chocca with work for three weeks but when it quietens up I’ll put one of those videos together. In short - Like: The engine has much more character than I thought, I love the shaft drive, it sounds & looks brill, brakes are strong and responsive, lights are nice and bright Dislike: No fuel gauge, the seat is really annoying to take off, the tyre air nossles are hard to access, no traction control can be a bit nervwracking on rainy days Don’t worry about the weight it disappears really quickly & it’s perfectly balanced nice and low down

[@tpv59]

@@AnotherHipster THANK YOU. Perhaps you can give me a quick shout out if/when you make the video PLEASE. Thanks again, Much APPRECIATED.

[@Howie702]

Best after sales service and warranty package out there from BMW motorrad... after 20yrs of being a triumph fanboy I jumped ship and got an s1000xr the warranty and 2yr free BMW recovery were the icing on the cake that made my mind up ... enjoy

[@AnotherHipster]

That is great to hear thanks, I love Triumph but I could certainly see this being a stablemate in a few years. Nice to hear about their after-sales being reliable. And free recovery too thats a good deal there. Enjoy!

[@davidmatthews3093]

I always find it interesting that I decide whether I like or dislike a bike almost straight away when riding a bike. I’m not surprised you bought one, it was so obvious that you liked it from the start. Having first seen you in your Athens videos I think it’s a great bike for you as well.

[@AnotherHipster]

Thanks David as you say you know very quickly and I was really impressed with this bike, it did really well getting me to Athens & back and apart from looking at a little screen I don’t have much to change

[@HelmetHead]

Great test ride review 👍

[@AnotherHipster]

thanks for coming mate :)

[@tonydare7614]

BMW in Paris offer you coffee not tea but the bikes are the same:-) Nice test.

[@AnotherHipster]

Thanks Tony, always interesting to hear how it works abroad. Glad you liked the video, ride safe :)

[@MeAndMyRoyalEnfield]

That was a fun ride.

[@AnotherHipster]

Cheers great to see you back, maybe we'll be seeing more of this bike over the next few weeks ;)

[@MotoFaith]

I watched this video again after you mentioned to me earlier that you were planning to get this as your next bike. I must say that the sound is really impressive and that it has a unique retro feel (I love the air intakes of the RnineT). Wasn't this the bike of Tom Cruise in a Mission Impossible episode? Super cool bike man, though I'll still feel sad if you let go of the Street Twin and leave the Triumph family.

[@AnotherHipster]

Yes its certainly a different bike and I know many people who've jumped from a Street Twin onto one of these. I love the looks & the pride that comes with saying I'm British & I ride a triumph but if I am not enjoying it like I thought then maybe not. Yes it was in mission impossible the scrambler style with the brown seat & silver tank, just says big - beefy - confidence machine to me perhaps. Yes we wait and see but I still have classic Triumphs in my family and one day i'll get to ride them

[@MrAndrew1953]

I've had an R80GS and a R100 GS. I wouldn't waste my time test riding this bike, I'd just buy it with knobbies. I'd get rid of that seat, replace it with a half seat and large top box. These bikes are so versatile - great through twisties and down Greenlanes. If I had my time again and BMW still made it, I would have to get another R80GS.

[@AnotherHipster]

Thanks Andrew cool that you have experienced both the GS's, I like the half seat and rack setup. Although i'm starting to sway from top boxes, I can see they are practical but I prefer strapping the luggage bags to them. Great to hear they would be good at green lanes, I was surprised by how it holds its weight so thanks for confirming. Ride safe and thanks for your advice :)

[@CotmanKenny]

I'm in the market for a new bike, and did a testdrive with the triumph T100, T120 and the BMW GS (regular one), the BMW R nine t pure, and the kawasaki z900rs. Must say, the triumph t120 is a very relaxed bike, but the gearing feels to long, but the most comfortable of the lot, the T100 is nice but lacks on power. The Kawasaki is just a modern japanese naked bike with classic look, didn't like it at all, the Bmw Gs is cruising in an armchair, It has the boxer, the power but not the vibrations, for me it was like driving a car, that is not a bad thing, but nothing for me. I must say the moment I started the R nine T up. My heart jumped. You feel the power, high compression, a lot of enginebreaking, a real pure superb feeling. I now I want the R nine T, but wich one. My first bike was an Honda MTX, so my heart is telling me to try the urban gs. I guess all thr R nine T feel the same, with minor differences.

[@AnotherHipster]

so many great bikes,I think all the R9Ts are lovely & for me I liked the retro styling of the Urban GS but i'd be happy with any of them! except the racer I think that is really weird

[@simondavis741]

Enjoyed that, thanks. How did you find the clutch? Age and increasing decrepitude means I can only manage a very light clutch action, like our 900 Triumphs.

[@AnotherHipster]

Thanks Simon you are welcome, the clutch was heavier than the Triumph but I could pull it with one finger. It was better than my previous 600 Bandit, Just being cautious of the strength of the engine braking if I let it out too quickly. Especially with that shaft drive. I'd either Wheelie it or lock the back wheel, Hope you & the Triumph are well. I'm just about to touch 9,000 miles since Christmas on mine

[@magnusconsul]

G'Day mate....I know you got a bike like this....You need a Rear Rack and Side Pannier Rack if you want to do long haul rides....I enjoy watching your vids...easy to understand and enjoy....I do like your smile....

[@AnotherHipster]

Thanks David yes it felt right & I’ve stopped looking at other bikes now I really feel this is the bike for me 😎 Enjoy and hope to see you again soon

[@pete2109]

It sounded under powered when you were taking off on a couple of sections 🤷‍♂️ sounds awesome though👍 any bike will go fast when you wring its neck!🤣 I mentioned it before about the V Strom about going for a test ride but you gota try one 👌 I know you got the 900 (under powered) 🤣 but try the DL650 or the XT650 (spoked wheels) as an all round bike I reckon you’ll be pleasantly surprised 👍 I’m getting between 68-75 mpg on my DL650 I got a 2017 and love it 👌

[@AnotherHipster]

Ah sorry Pete! Does look like you are the only one I missed out here. Sorry about that buddy, The bike did sound great. Not my normal mic setup but picked it up good enough. I will try out those recommendations, interested in more green laning & dirt roads. Thanks again. Good MPG too!

[@occyman]

@ Pete G - This bike has heaps of power.....clearly you haven’t ridden one..

[@AnotherHipster]

@@occyman Thanks Occyman, I was unsure if I was just being excited but it certainly felt powerful to me :D

[@johnrocker2986]

Going off road with 220k plus machine you must be a god!

[@AnotherHipster]

I certainly am not :D Would be keen to try out a KTM and see what difference it makes. Mainly my ''off road'' plans involve the lighter stuff like Sailsbury Plains/Gravel roads ;)

[@johnrocker2986]

@@AnotherHipster try 390 KTM should do all things or CB500X

[@AnotherHipster]

@@johnrocker2986 CB500X are lovely but I need a hint of retro in there, the V85 TT looks good but its a few years off so lets see what comes out thanks:) What do you ride?

[@yodomcat]

Come to BMW Northampton they give you at least half a day with a bit of notice. Love the 9T but the foot pegs dig into my calves when I put a foot down 🙁 otherwise I’d be very tempted by one.

[@AnotherHipster]

Thanks I will take that offer up soon, its really nice having much more time to get to know the bike and do a bit more than the half hour I had here. Its a lovely bike but I did hit my calves the first few times too, all part of the fun I guess...... It is something I could live with

[@yodomcat]

@@AnotherHipster to be fair I took out a f900 and s1000rr. I dropped the f900 🙈(video on my channel) so more time did not do me a favour that day! 😂

[@AnotherHipster]

@@yodomcat Oh no! I nearly dropped a KTM on their forecourt which was scary enough. Dropped my triumph in London the other day [a car did bump into me though] At work so will watch your videos this evening cheers

[@RaoulMooyaart]

Thanks for the mention man. Looks like you enjoyed it. You thinking of swapping the Bonnie?

[@AnotherHipster]

Very welcome, i'm off as soon as they lift lockdown rules in Morocco. Can't take a drone but 360 camera on way soon. I think in a few years i'll get one as a stablemate for Triumph, my bike is great but hasn't felt the same since my test ride on this G/S. Hope to catch you at Box Hill soon, do you have any more vids coming?

[@RaoulMooyaart]

@@AnotherHipster I’m planning a trip back to Morocco too, few mates of mine are thinking of heading down on 250cc bikes to take on the desert. I’ve loads of footage I still need to go through, aiming to get the next video up this week. Having a baby and moving country in the middle of a pandemic has kept me super busy. I’ve been doing a lot of touring around the Wicklow mountains near Dublin recently. Scenery is amazing here, you’d think you were in Scotland. If ever you get a chance to come over, drop me a line and we’ll take a spin

[@AnotherHipster]

@@RaoulMooyaart Thats fun, always nice to revisit a place. No worries about the next video, whenever you are ready, people often forget we have lives outside of KZbin & what else busy is going on in our lives. Congrats on the baby & moving, that sounds beautiful I was about to go to Ireland in September [had announcement video scheduled and everything] but I got offered a job so took that instead. Thanks catch you soon

[@RaoulMooyaart]

@@AnotherHipster just posted another video. Hope you enjoy it

[@AnotherHipster]

@@RaoulMooyaart cheers I will check it out now, really appreciate you letting me know personally too :)

[@fazerhomer]

Hello Jack ! hope you don't sell your wonderful Street Twin ! I would be angry, hehe !

[@AnotherHipster]

Hi Klaus! No this was a lovely bike but bit of a tractor sound, I felt it was a bit too corporate. Atleast the triumph has character too

[@eddiejefferies3659]

Out interest, what is it like in respect of neck ache and wind buffeting at speeds of around 60mph to 70mph?

[@AnotherHipster]

hi Eddie, generally i've found that as long as the wind is smooth its pretty easy to sit there for a few hours theres no real strain on my neck. But if its windy & you are being buffeted around then its tough stuff for longer than an hour. Just got back from crossing Spain in 1 day in the strong winds that was not fun

[@c.g.c2067]

Was thinking about giving the new Guzzi V100 Mandello a try

[@AnotherHipster]

not sure what happened here with my slow reply. Yes i'd certainly be interested, seems like they mentioned the launch and then went very quiet though

[@c.g.c2067]

@@AnotherHipster good bike they say, versatile sports tourer.

[@MarkJames61]

Loved your sucks at the "Sunday-drivers". Still, it looked like you were riding a "machine" instead of an icon, ie your Triumph.

[@AnotherHipster]

They were super slow, thanks its a lovely bike but way off one for a few more years atleast. Could never be without a Triumph though. Glad you enjoyed thanks

[@user-fv1576]

What’s the seat height ? Inside leg?

[@AnotherHipster]

this seat hight is 850mm & my inside leg is 30''

[@pete2109]

If you don’t answer subscribers you won’t grow 🤷‍♂️

[@AnotherHipster]

Sorry about that Pete, think you are the first one i've ever missed off. I even reply to those spam ones :D