Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ADVENTURE TOURER WITH THE XR FACTOR
Sometimes small is big. And before you think I’ve come over all Zen and am sitting on the stone floor of a hut halfway up Mount Fuji contemplating my hara and coming up with koan riddles, by that I mean even small changes to a motorbike can change its character.
This can be a good thing, such as when Triumph moved the bars back on the Rocket III, and the pegs back and down very slightly, to create the Roadster. Small change, but a much sportier ride.
It can also be a bad thing, like when Ducati moved the footpegs forward on the Diavel to create the Xdiavel, effectively emasculating a brilliantly macho machine.
Which leads me, naturally, to the BMW F900 XR.
I’d just got off its good but not memorable stablemate the F900 R, and although the XR has the same engine, frame and brakes, it feels like a completely different machine entirely.
Whereas the F900 R is a naked roadster, the XR is an adventure tourer, and it feels like it from the moment you sit on it, with wider bars, and a more upright and neutral riding position.
Riding off, it feels right from the start, with perfect low-speed balance which on the road translates into sweet and neutral handling, with less of a nudge needed on those wide bars to get it tilting into corners with aplomb than the R version.
Whereas I’d ridden the top-of-the-range SE version of the R, with quickshifter and four riding modes, this was the base model of the XR, leaving me with the unbearable hardship of using the clutch to snick through the slick six-speed gearbox.
It also had only two riding modes, Rain and Road, and after a good seven seconds of Rain, I got bored and switched to Road, which changed progress to sporty without being too aggressive.
Road has a nicely linear power delivery for effortless cruising, but a satisfying rush at the top end of the power band.
If you want even more excitement, go for the top of the range TE model, with Dynamic and Dynamic Pro riding modes, and semi-active Electronic Suspension Adjustment which at the touch of a button changes the suspension from plush Road mode to sporty Dynamic.
So although it’s over a grand more than the R, for me it’s no contest. The XR is a much more enjoyable machine.
BMW F900 XR
Engine: 895cc liquid-cooled inline twin
Power: 103bhp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 68 lb ft @ 6,500rpm
Colours: White; red; gold
Price: From £9,825