Is the new BMW R 12 nineT easier to customize than its predecessor? Rough Crafts says yes.
The BMW R nineT had a nine-year run before it was succeeded by the redesigned R 12 nineT. Yet in all that time, the hit-making Taiwanese custom shop Rough Crafts only tackled it twice.
Rough Crafts’ first nineT build was the groundbreaking Bavarian Fistfighter. The second followed eight years later, drawing on the same formula with a few tweaks. Now, with the new BMW R 12 nineT in play, frontman Winston Yeh is planning a steadier cadence.
“In reality, the R nineT platform wasn’t very customizer-friendly on the inside,” says Winston. “It took extensive modifications to achieve that super clean look.”
“When BMW Motorrad put out the R 12 platform, and I saw the structural design of it, I knew right away this was something I’d love to work on. And my suspicions were confirmed once I had a donor in my hands. The subframe and airbox are easy to bolt off, and all the electrical bits are very neatly packed under the fuel tank.”
The R 12 nineT’s user-friendly construction also prompted Winston to try an idea that had been brewing for a while. “Taiwan is not exactly close to other countries, and shipping custom bikes to customers worldwide has always been a challenge with both logistics and registrations.”
“What if we could build all the parts in Taiwan and ship only the parts, then buy a brand new bike from a local dealer and have them assemble it? That way we could have it done anywhere in the world—not just a kit but a complete custom bike, fully finished and delivered to the owner.”
As luck would have it, the Japanese architect Makoto Tanijiri reached out to Rough Crafts about building a custom R 12 nineT for him just as Winston was working on his master plan. So he bought a nineT to use as a prototype and assembled his regular crew—JZO.Crafts for fabrication, Rover Works for paint, and 2 Abnormal Sides for adornments.
Over in Japan, BMW Motorrad Sagamihara in Kanagawa acquired a matching bike. The plan was for Rough Crafts to customize their nineT, then strip it back down, box up the parts, and ship everything over.
First on the list was an all-new subframe to support the bike’s bobbed saddle. Modeled after Bavarian Fistfighter’s seat, it’s a play on the rubber BMW seats of the 50s, except with leather instead of rubber.
Tanijiri-san had one special request for the build: a removable passenger seat for his son. Rough Crafts obliged with a bolt-on support that places a matching pillion pad behind the rider’s perch, and holds the passenger pegs. Finished off with a subtle lip at the back, it adds convenience without ruining the bike’s silhouette.
Next, Rough Crafts fabricated a new aluminum fuel tank, finishing it off with their signature gas cap and cast tank badges. Lower down, the airbox was eliminated, replaced by a pair of RC-branded pod filters from DNA.
From there, Winston specced the R 12 nineT with a mix of top-shelf aftermarket parts. The forks and rear shocks are Öhlins, while the wheels are 17” tubeless numbers from BMW’s Option 719 catalog, wrapped in stick Pirelli Diablo SuperCorsa SP tires.
The fork yokes and bar risers are Rough Crafts parts, while the handlebars and foot controls are from Gilles Tooling. The cockpit features Beringer levers and Motogadget bar-end mirrors, while retaining the slim digital dash that comes standard with the BMW R 12 nineT.
Up front, a bottom-mounted LED headlight wears one of Rough Crafts’ hallmark grills. Out back, a DK Design license plate bracket keeps things legal, while three-in-one KOSO LEDs under the seat handle taillight and turn signal duties.
Rough Crafts finished the BMW R 12 nineT off with a gnarly twin exhaust system, a short front fender, and their usual black, carbon fiber, and silver leaf finishes.
With their side of the project done, the complete setup went off to BMW Motorrad Sagamihara, who assembled Tanijiri-san’s new ride with minimal fuss… mostly. Prohibited from fitting aftermarket exhausts in-house, the dealership had to outsource that particular job.
Dubbed Renn Blitz, this collaborative BMW R 12 nineT build was a proof of concept that paid off. Winston is now actively looking for partners across the globe to bring the design to a wider audience. But you’ll have to go all-in if you want one—Rough Crafts will only be offering it as a complete machine and not a DIY kit.
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