Words: Bill Hunter.
If you want to go adventure bike riding on a large BMW there’s only one choice, right? It’s the one with the big boxer engine firmly established in the GS range. Over many years this particular motorcycle has swollen from 1150 to 1200 to 1250, and now it’s become the new 1300. All well and good, and we’ll shortly be riding the new 1300 as we haven’t of yet, but what happens if you don’t fancy a pair of cylinders colliding with your shinbones? Well BMW says it now has the answer with the new F 900 GS Adventure…
The Bavarian engineers have informed us that only 20% of the previous F 850 GS has found its way into the new 900. A good job too because, like the previous and very bland F 850 GS, it certainly needed a good slap. The biggest ‘slap’, so to speak, is a welcome 10hp increase.
This 2024 expanded engine now displaces 895cc due to new forged pistons (850’s were cast variants). The dry sump, DOHC, parallel twin, eight-valve motor now spits out 105hp @8,500rpm and 93Nm@6,750rpm. Enough grunt to send the F 900 GS Adventure to the far side of 200km/h, if you fancy a top end spurt on your travels. It sounds good too because of the 270-degree crankshaft’s ‘450’ firing order, so nice in fact that I wouldn’t bother changing the silencer!
So, it has more power than the 850 but maybe, more importantly, the new 900 is an impressive 14kg lighter. This useful weight loss it due to a new and stiffer steel chassis and aluminium swing-arm, plus a newly-shaped plastic fuel tank holding a healthy 23-litres. Many other components have also taken slimming pills, however it still weighs in at a considerable 246kg (wet), which is still a bit on the hefty side for a middleweight, in my mind at least.
Predictably it’s stuffed full of improved electronics and this particular model was riddled with optional extras in true BMW fashion. The base model only has Road and Rain power modes, but this bike has the optional addition of Dynamic, Enduro and Enduro Pro modes. These basically give a more aggressive throttle response, and the Enduro modes let you turn off rider aids to suit your choice for vigorous off-road dirt action. To be honest I doubt this Adventure option of the 900 range will see much of that seeing as it’s billed as a ‘Touring Enduro’, according to BMW, where comfort is at a premium more than climbing rocky hillsides.
You’ll also find on this particular bike that we have heated grips, quick-shifter (Shift Assist), cruise control, cornering related ABS, adjustable screen (two settings), traction control, 12v and USB sockets, tyre pressure monitors, keyless ignition, and ESA (electronically adjustable) rear shock, all adding to the base price. Oh, and the crash bars rear carrier brackets and extra LED lights are also an additional extra; I’ll get to the price later in the article.
To enforce its off-road prowess the F 900 GS Adventure has spoke wheels with a 21-inch front, and a 17-inch rear. Suspension at the front end is now by Showa with 43mm ‘normal’ forks, unlike the boxer range with its Telelever set up. These have compression, rebound and pre-load facilitation and provide a decent 230mm of travel. At the rear is BMW’s ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment – 215mm of travel) shock with two levels of adjustment, Road and Dynamic, I did expect more settings though, or I couldn’t find them, which was a little disappointing.
All of these settings mentioned above are easy to change using BMW’s customary and well-built ‘wheel’ device on the left side switchgear and various sturdy buttons. All of your choices are displayed on the 6.5-inch TFT display which is the same one used on the bigger boxer bikes. Superb and clear to read in any conditions, it can also be connected to the BMW App, your phone, and other devices and is, without doubt, one of the best displays in its class.
Another ‘thing’ that is by far the best in this middleweight adventure bike competitive class is the exemplary seat. This preeminent perch is superb and the best I’ve had the pleasure of sitting on this year. It is a bit on the tall side though at 875mm but, being a BMW, other options are available right down to a 825mm. Either way the seat makes you want to ride until the tank empties which, with 23-litres, should take you to around 500km, depending how hard you ride of course!
But here’s the thing with this bike I never really rode it hard, unlike the F 800 GS I’ve just ridden, which was more fun for tearing around. This 900 just prefers to go on long lazy road, or off-road, trips delivering tremendous comfort in style. Yes, the new engine is quick but not intimidating in any way. It just delivers a smooth thrust without any fuss with perfect fuelling throughout the rev-range, but it didn’t really light my fire. Sure it handles well and it is uncannily stable because of the new chassis, but I think it lacks character, but that’s just my opinion. There’s no denying it’s a very good-looking motorbike though, with a typically BMW robust presence and, importantly, very easy to live with on a daily basis. I feel it’s the middleweight GS we needed.
And now onto the price; The base model is R245,000 (I doubt anyone stocks that) however, with all these accessories, this Blackstorm Metallic bike we have here will absorb R306,700. The up side of that is you do get a lot of bike and fancy parts for that money, not forgetting BMW’s build-quality and its enviable after-sales support. So is it a better choice than a GS with a boxer engine? According to a BMW bloke this bike is currently their best selling model in SA, so who am I to disagree? Go and ride both and find out for yourself is my advice!
Visit www.bmw-motorrad.co.za for more information and to view the model range.