Would you believe that the BMW R nineT has already been on the market for a staggering nine years? In that time, it’s also become a darling of the custom scene—so there’s no shortage of parts available for it. From full bolt-on custom kits to tiny doohickeys, there isn’t an inch on the R nineT that can’t be upgraded in some way.
This begs the question: what would the ultimate parts-built BMW R nineT look like? Vietnam’s M-Racing Performance has the answer.
Anyone with a fat enough wallet can throw a bunch of parts at an R nineT. But it takes a sharp eye, and the wisdom to know when to zig and when to zag, to make it all come together as well as M-Racing has. Based in Ho Chi Minh City, their main business is performance motorcycle parts—but they build custom bikes on the side too.
Their custom BMW R nineT looks compact and menacing, but it’s also delightfully cohesive. There’s nothing gaudy on this muscular street tracker, and no one part screams for attention. But the closer you look, the more goodies you’ll find.
Despite the eye-watering build sheet, M-Racing’s goal here was to keep things elegant and minimal. “It’s never easy to achieve minimalism while still maintaining all the necessary functions of a bike,” says the shop’s media guy, Uy. “Luckily the R nineT is a great blank canvas to start with.”
“Importing parts and accessories takes months and months in this bureaucratic system. But finally, we were able to get all the items on this long shopping list.”
Work started in the cockpit with a fresh set of Domino handlebars, clamped by new risers that push the bars higher and closer to the rider. They wear an Accossato throttle, with Brembo clutch and brake controls. Other accouterments include tiny switches and bar-end mirrors from Motogadget, new grips, and CNC Racing fluid reservoirs.
The first major cosmetic change is the R nineT’s new headlight arrangement. M-Racing fabricated a boxy number plate-like nacelle, then equipped it with a pair of LED headlights from Diode Dynamics. Barely perceivable Motogadget LED turn signals flank it.
There’s a digital Motogadget dash tucked behind it; a model that’s specifically plug-and-play for the R nineT. The stock BMW forks and yokes have been redone in black, and there’s a blacked-out Öhlins steering damper hiding in plain sight.
The engine wears new CNC-machined valve covers from BMW’s aftermarket catalog and a full airbox replacement kit from DNA Filters. A Wunderlich guard protects the oil cooler, while a Lithium-ion battery sits under the seat. The all-black ceramic-coated exhaust system comes from the Italian company Zard.
Up top you’ll find an elegant machined aluminum tail section, sourced from Le Motographe in France. It’s a bolt-on piece that comes complete with an embedded taillight and turn signals. Le Motographe also supplied stylish leather and Alcantara seat covers.
Carbon fiber covers hide the silver frame braces that sit just below the R nineT’s seat, while Le Motographe pillion peg brackets tidy things up further down. M-Racing also swapped the stock foot controls out for a rear-set kit from Rizoma.
The BMW’s new wheels are admittedly a tiny bit audacious. M-Racing fitted a new set of Jonich hoops, featuring a peculiar offset lacing system at the back that accommodates the bike’s single-sided swingarm. “They took quite a lot of work to get delivered,” Uy tells us, “and as far as we know they are the only pair in Vietnam.”
The wheels are wrapped in Pirelli Scorpion Rally STRs—which, despite their name, are road-biased dual-sport tires. The back end is also sporting a new K-Tech shock and an adjustable brace from AC-Schnitzer. Fitted to the BMW’s Paralever swingarm, it’s designed to add stability for better handling.
The braking setup includes upgraded Brembo calipers at both ends, twin Brembo discs at the front, and a Galfer disc at the back. The rear brake uses a Discacciati master cylinder with a Bonamici reservoir. M-Racing also swapped out all the oil and brake lines for HEL Performance items, with Earls fittings.
The final visual hit is the BMW R nineT’s fuel tank. M-Racing treated it to a kinetic black and white paint job, then topped it off with a Le Motographe fuel cap and tan badges. Almost everything else on the bike was finished in black.
There are plenty of custom BMW R nineTs out there that prove that money can’t buy taste. But this isn’t one of them. We wouldn’t change a thing—except maybe the name on the title.
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