BMW F900XR TECH SPEC

When my colleague Matt returned from the launch ride of the F900XR, I remember him saying that it was a brilliant bike, but he couldn’t figure out exactly what it was, or who it was for. I didn’t spend too long pondering that at the time, instead I vaguely categorised it in my mind as an adventure-y, sporty tourer-y sort of thing – pretty straightforward if you don’t really pay much attention, like most things.

But Matt’s words were ringing in my ears when I clocked the first few miles on the BMW. He was right about it being a brilliant bike – it felt agile, powerful, composed and entertaining – but if I was asked to describe it in a word or two I would have struggled.

Approaching the bike, the first impression is that of a sporty, roadbased, adventure bike. You can appreciate the generous suspension travel (170mm front/172mm back), the wide and high bars, and the roomy seat. So far, so good.

As you climb on the seat, immediately you notice that it’s more firm than expected – something more akin to a sportsbike. Although the riding position is fairly relaxed, it’s still a little more forward leaning than you’d expect on an adventure bike. You also soon discover that a lot of the other characteristics of the bike feel rather sporty – the suspension is nice and firm despite the long travel; the chassis has great levels of feel; brakes are sharp; and power comes on reasonably swiftly (especially with the Dynamic Ride mode, an extra addition to Road and Rain that we had on the test bike).

If you go by the ride feel alone, and forget the aesthetics, you could convince yourself that you are on a streetfighter. The XR possesses such lightness and agility of movement, sharp steering with the wide bars, good feel through the firm seat and suspension, and an all-round eagerness to get a move on that you just want to see what it’s got.

And it does perform. The powerplant is a development of the previous 850 generation, with bigger bore and stroke, and more power. The 103bhp (77kW) at 8500rpm and 68lb-ft (92Nm) at 6500rpm figures aren’t earth-shattering, but they are plenty to get the 219kg bike moving. The 895cc parallel twin engine may be a bit of a question mark for BMW boxer purists, but it allows slimmer packaging, and still sounds great when you get on the throttle with intent. It doesn’t have quite the muscle or bark of the Multistrada 950 in our test, but without riding the bikes back to back, you’re unlikely to want more from the BMW.

The bike is easy to balance in slow riding, and although the parallel twin isn’t the smoothest configuration for this, as long as you get the gear and revs rights, it’s easy-peasy. Leaving the slow-moving town traffic behind, the XR comes into its own on fast A- and B-roads. During our test the weather was glorious every day, so I didn’t get to test the Rain mode in real conditions, instead using the Road mode in town with softer throttle response, power characteristics and electronic suspension settings, and the Dynamic mode on faster roads with a more immediate power delivery and firmer suspension. Traction control and ABS settings change with the ride modes too, but in dry conditions they didn’t make a noticeable difference.

All these modes and settings may sound like too much hassle to bother with, but the combination of the fullcolour TFT dash, sensibly arranged setting menus and the intuitive switchgear (with the BMW-standard scroll wheel) mean that any changes are quick and easy to make once you get the hang of it.

Rider comfort is good, with both handlebar levers span-adjustable, and the screen one-hand, on-thego adjustable. The seat height is not adjustable, but there are high and low options, as well as the comfort seat, which I would heartily recommend unless you are a true iron butt rider.

The extras on our test bike definitely made the riding impression more favourable, and although they add to the cost of the bike, they are worth considering. The up and down quickshifter worked an absolute treat – much better than the set up on the bigger boxer machines. The cruise control makes motorway riding a doddle and gives your right hand a break. Heated grips (that come standard with the TE model) are a must in the UK, and although luckily we didn’t need the SOS eCall button, it was nice to feel that help would be at hand if needed. On top of everything else, the ESA electronic suspension is handy, especially if you often change between riding solo, with luggage and with a pillion.

BMW F900XR

Engine: 895cc in-line two-cylinder, four valves per cylinder, two overhead camshafts, dry sump lubrication

Power: 103bhp (77kW) @ 8500rpm

Torque: 68lb-ft (92Nm) @ 6500rpm

Transmission: 6-speed/chain final drive

Suspension: (F) 43mm USD forks, unadjustable (R) Cast aluminium dual swing arm, central spring strut, preload and rebound damping adjustable (ESA electronic suspension as an option)

Brakes: (F) Brembo 320mm dual floating discs, 4-piston radial calipers (R) Brembo 265mm single disc, single-piston floating caliper

Seat height: 825mm (775-870 available)

Fuel capacity: 15.5 litres

MPG: 54 (tested)

Weight: 219kg (fully fuelled)

Price: From £9,825, as tested £12,340

Contact: www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk

We didn’t get a chance to test the bike fully loaded with luggage and a pillion, but colourmatched panniers and top box are available to help you travel in style, and the pillion perch is a reasonable size with grab rails in place, too.

In my opinion, the biggest difference between the three bikes is in their big miles comfort. In this regard, the BMW is in the middle ground between the Yamaha and the Ducati – it’s not as sporty and demanding as the Tracer, and it doesn’t have the luxurious, floaty feel of the Multistrada. All of them are excellent bikes, and good in their own way, it just depends whether you want that threecylinder smoothness and sports touring approach of the Yamaha, the refined and feather-like softness of the Ducati, or the one in the middle that feels like it comes very close to offering the best of both worlds. One thing’s for sure: if you are thinking about buying any of these bikes, take the others for a test ride too – you might surprise yourself about which one you like the best. – MN