Is BMW weaning us off Telelever?

[Catchina]

Sander, does the RnineT have linked brakes like the R or did you have to "retrain" your right foot?
I have seen some discussion about that, but no definitive answer.

It does not have linked brakes.

On the R12R I was always lazy about using the rear brakes. I knew they activated when I grabbed a fistful of lever and I would periodically remind myself to use the rears but I was never as good about it as I should have been. The ABS and the front brakes on the R1200R are so amazingly good that in a straight line you can go from 60 to zero in about 18 feet it seems just grabbing the front brake. If you aren't travelling in a straight line you shouldn't be braking and certainly not hard and linked rears doesn't help that.

However, as I understand it, the rear brakes on the R12R are linked at 50%. So if you fully engage the front brakes the rears are 50% engaged. If you fully engage the fronts though you're not going to notice the rears being engaged at all if they are only 50% engaged since the fronts are much more powerful and the bike is going to have 90% of the weight on the front wheel. The same is true no matter how much you engage the fronts. The power of the fronts overwhelms any sensation of linked braking from the rear. As a result, I never really could tell if the rears were activated or not.

That impression remains the same after the transition. I didn't notice the rear brake linkage before and I don't notice the absence of rear brake linkage now.

Thanks for the insight, I haven't had the opportunity to test drive the R9T yet. I'm intrigued.

[deilenberger]

Sander - when the linked brakes were first released there was a writeup on them from BMW that said the amount of linking varied - depending on speed and braking force applied. The idea being to get the maximum braking from both brakes without either locking up before the other and triggering the ABS.

[jkhomes]

My local dealership had Nate Kern out this weekend and he will be giving pointers at Track Day tomorrow. Sandia BMW treats their customers very well.

Nate was talking to a group in front of a NineT and really talking up the bike. He mentioned it would get a water boxer engine in two years. There was an R1200R behind it, and I asked him if there was a water boxer coming for that bike, or if BMW was about done with it. He said he could not comment on any models being discontinued, and went on to talk about how many exciting new designs are on paper in Germany. When he repeated to me he could not comment on future plans for the R1200R, the look he gave convinced me that the future lies elsewhere for BMW.

When I mentioned it would be sad to lose the telelever, he seemed to agree and mentioned he "cut his teeth" racing in the boxer cup. He got very excited talking about the telelever and how it eliminated fork dive.

The NineT is better looking in person than the pics. It is a handsome machine. I don't have the urge for one, and since I just put a new Yacugar suspension on my 08 R1200R I don't plan on doing anything for at least 3 more years. It will be interesting to see what else comes out of Motorrad, but I will not be at all surprised of our version of the R1200R is done.

[Catchina]

My local dealership had Nate Kern out this weekend and he will be giving pointers at Track Day tomorrow. Sandia BMW treats their customers very well.

Nate was talking to a group in front of a NineT and really talking up the bike. He mentioned it would get a water boxer engine in two years. There was an R1200R behind it, and I asked him if there was a water boxer coming for that bike, or if BMW was about done with it. He said he could not comment on any models being discontinued, and went on to talk about how many exciting new designs are on paper in Germany. When he repeated to me he could not comment on future plans for the R1200R, the look he gave convinced me that the future lies elsewhere for BMW.

When I mentioned it would be sad to lose the telelever, he seemed to agree and mentioned he "cut his teeth" racing in the boxer cup. He got very excited talking about the telelever and how it eliminated fork dive.

The NineT is better looking in person than the pics. It is a handsome machine. I don't have the urge for one, and since I just put a new Yacugar suspension on my 08 R1200R I don't plan on doing anything for at least 3 more years. It will be interesting to see what else comes out of Motorrad, but I will not be at all surprised of our version of the R1200R is done.

That's interesting, I kind of thought the r9t was just a one year model and hadn't considered the end of the R.

[Sander Abernathy]

Sander - when the linked brakes were first released there was a writeup on them from BMW that said the amount of linking varied - depending on speed and braking force applied. The idea being to get the maximum braking from both brakes without either locking up before the other and triggering the ABS.

That very well could be the case. Since the bike knows how hard the rider is braking and the traction threshold for the brakes it seems odd that the bike would only partially apply the rears when the rider is braking forcefully with the fronts.

I'd be curious if anyone feels the linked braking. I never did and I attributed that to the fact that all the weight is on the front wheel under hard braking.

[Catchina]

I don't think you're supposed to feel it. Linked brakes are designed to work "behind the scenes" and in conjunction with the telelever and the ABS so that the rider can focus on the ride and know that the right hand does the job with the computer adjusting as needed. I seldom use the rear brake by itself, maybe when driving slow in parking lot situations. The front wheel does get most of the weight during hard braking but rear brake is still doing its job, you just don't particularly notice it.

[Lost Rider]

Funny..

A friend who is a notable BMW collector/restorer went to his local dealership fully intending to buy an R-nine-T. Sitting next to it on the showroom floor was a 2013 R1200R "Classic" (big stripe, wire rims) with 88 miles on it..

Guess what he ended up deciding to buy? His thinking in looking at both of them was - R-9-T - no bags, no rack, no way to carry anything. R12R Classic - it really appealed to him. He is normally a form over function sort of guy too..

No way to carry anything for those looking to buy it at a BMW shop and have them install it for them.
There's lots of options for soft bags on the market that fit the ninet perfectly and a few manufacturers that say they have hard pannier mounts in the works. I've already fitted a aluminum tail rack on mine off of a dirt bike.
To each their own, the ninet isn't for many people, thankfully, but anyone who thinks it's not just as capable as an all around bike as a 1200R isn't doing their homework.
It's been on the market for a month or so, aftermarket will offer all the same things we can get for the 12R in time.

Packed for a quick two day trip to Utah.


I sure don't miss the tele lever or linked brakes on the ninet, I use my rear brake by itself a whole lot in the canyons, having a computer decide for me for all occasions isn't ideal when in reality it's not always best to be applying both brakes in certain situations. Sometimes I don't want rear brake applied when using the front. Having linked brakes made me lazy and complacent, a rider should learn when to use what brake or both in different situations. I relearned on my other bikes and now I'm reaping the benefits of knowing when I should be using what.
Same with the tele lever, maybe when they came out they improved handling over the then current suspension, now I'm sold on tele lever not being needed at all. I was always happy with my 12R's handling, but I'm more pleased with the non-telelever even with stock suspension. The highway ride is just as comfy, the performance when pushing it is much better. Over the years BMW has many innovations, but not all of them are the best solution for eternity. A standard fork R1200R would be a better handling bike IMHO and nothing to be afraid of, change can be good sometimes.

[badbs101]

Lost rider,

I tend to think you're spot on about the telelever. Not that the telelever is bad and I don't dislike it, but it may not be as necessary any more.

I always like your pics too. Keep posting them.