One of the Best-Looking Retro-Styled Roadsters Yet Is Rolling Out Now

You’ve never seen a BMW R nineT like this Diamond Atelier limited-edition custom treatment, which you can make your own.

Diamond Atelier BMW R nineT Urban21 motorcycle macro

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published 5 hours ago

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There’s no roller coaster ride like spotting an eye-popping motorcycle, then discovering it’s a one-off flex by some rock star custom builder that you can’t actually buy.

Because even if you don’t have the desire or funds to make the plunge, it’s nice to know you could if you did.

Diamond Atelier BMW R nineT Urban21 motorcycle kickstand side — The Diamond Atelier Urban21 treatment transforms an already great-looking moto into a stone-cold stunner.

That’s why the latest news out of Germany is so refreshing. Munich-based custom house Diamond Atelier is currently making a very limited run of 10 “Urban21” motorcycles available for purchase.

Derived from BMW’s retro-styled, already attractive R nineT, the bikes feature a bunch of all-new parts and can be further modified at the customer’s request.

Potent platform

It’s worth noting that even before Diamond Atelier lays a finger on the bike, its BMW DNA ensures pretty impressive baseline performance.

The throwback aesthetic does not stand in the way of an air/oil-cooled two-cylinder, four-stroke 1,170cc boxer engine making 109 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 85 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm.

Diamond Atelier BMW R nineT Urban21 motorcycle hero — Even without Diamond Atelier’s help, the R nineT’s beastly boxer engine puts out 109 powerful ponies.

Fuel the 4.2-gallon tank with super-unleaded gas, work that throttle and clutch through the constant-mesh 6-speed gearbox and scream as this 485-pound beast kisses a claimed 134 miles per hour.

Meanwhile, reliable Brembo brakes, ABS Pro and Dynamic Traction Control help you keep the shiny side up from the great wide open to the pothole-laden, cager-congested grid.

Aftermarket alchemy

So, what exactly do these chosen few R nineT’s have that the stock edition lacks?

From a performance standpoint, let’s start with an adjustable Wilbers shock at the rear and upside-down forks up front, complemented by Metzeler Racetec K3 semi-slick road-legal tires.

Diamond Atelier BMW R nineT Urban21 motorcycle handlebar detail — The Magura handlebar is one of many all-new parts installed on the Urban21 bikes.

Blacked out in classic Diamond Atelier fashion, the bikes boast a stylish Motogadget speedometer, Kellerman Atto Dark turn signals and, straight out of Italy, an Arrow pro-race trumpet-shaped silencer.

For a comfortable yet spirited riding position, DA pairs a Magura handlebar and Gilles rear sets, boosting the stopping power with Spiegler steel braided lines.

Regarding additional customization, buyers can get black-anodized CNC-machined aluminum valve covers.

You can also outfit the bike with a hand-sewn leather seat and custom paint job, plus multiple alternative wheels, tires, exhaust systems and suspension setups.

Diamond Atelier BMW R nineT Urban21 motorcycle rear view — You could opt for yet another exhaust system, but with this sweet Arrow pipe in place, why would you?

Just make sure you’re flush, as the starting price for this wizardry is more than twice that of the base model.

Pretty small sum for a bike worthy of riding out the Götterdämmerung that seems to draw closer with every passing day.

Availability and pricing

Diamond Atelier is currently taking orders for the Urban21 BMW R nineT, which is limited to 10 units and starts at €35,000, roughly $40,918 USD.

Diamond Atelier BMW R nineT Urban21 motorcycle

Diamond Atelier Urban21 BMW R nineT

Starts at $40,918

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.