2025 BMW F 900 GS First Ride Review Written by SHERMAN HALE NAZARETH Images by DATTARAJ BODKE
BMW’s renowned for making sophisticated, mature machines that flatten continents or obliterate racetracks. There’s a reason younger individuals crave them and the older ones see owning one as a milestone of achievement. The blue and white roundel has more than established its existence in India as a status symbol. Forget all the engineering sorcery and extremely complex approach BMW have taken to tame these behemoths. That doesn’t matter to most Indians anyway. And then in 2024, they unleashed something that’s nothing short of an absolute riot. A clear deviation from the solemn forms of velocity we’ve gotten used to from these Bavarian machines.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the prior F-series GS models. Including participating in the 2019 GS Trophy on a F 850 GS; predecessor to the 900 GS. In all honesty, I wasn’t really a fan. It was woefully top-heavy and had a general spongy feel to the way it rode. I know because I had to pick it up twice on the tricky course laid out for us participants. Sure, you could argue that it made a wonderful touring bike, and it did. But it didn’t really have the chops to claim BMW’s enduro credentials like the original R 80 G/S it evolved from. This new F 900 GS, fortunately, is a stark departure from the 850. BMW has certainly put the G (Gelände) back in GS.
The Powder Room
As with the new R 1300 GS, BMW have taken a more youthful approach to the styling. It isn’t just about the jazzy new lime-green colour scheme. The entire silhouette of the F 900 GS has a more purposeful stance. The front beak has gotten more compact now. The headlight, borrowed from the now erstwhile G 310 GS, does have a rather Decepticon-ish look from a diagonal viewpoint, don’t you think? And gone are the chunky side-panels from the 850 that went from below the headlight all the way to the engine casings. The curve around the bulbous tank flows down to the seat and now culminates in a far more aggressive tail section. The bike has gotten sleeker in general.
For India, the F 900 GS arrives in two fashionable flavours. The ‘Passion’ variant is the more flamboyant one and spices things up with Sao Paulo Yellow paint, a red subframe, and matching radiator trims—it’s loud, proud, and probably the extrovert of the duo. Then there’s the ‘GS Trophy’ edition, decked out in white and blue with gold wheels. It’s the kind of bike that shows up looking like it just won something—even if you’ve only ridden it to the local coffee shop.
Cockpit Diary
Step into the saddle and the ergonomics feel very welcoming. It feels surprisingly compact for a 900cc machine. The forward width of the tank shrouds being the only giveaway of its actual size. It does narrow down as it approaches the seat and the 870mm seat height didn’t feel intimidating at all with my 5’10 frame.
The display is carried over from the 850 and is a very familiar place at this point, which isn’t really a bad thing – it’s still a very respectable 6.5-inch TFT screen. The information is big and bold and relatively easy to read. It connects to your phone and is navigated via BMW’s signature wonder-wheel on the left handle-grip. And if you fancy turn-by-turn navigation (unless you’re a fan of scenic detours), you’ll need the BMW Motorrad Connected app. Yes, another app. Welcome to 2025.
Keyless go is available, too. It manages the ignition, steering lock, fuel filler, and alarm, all based on how close the key is to your person. Essentially, the bike knows when you’re near and rolls out the red carpet. Unless, of course, your key landed up in the washing machine, again.
Just like on the 850 GS, the gear lever remains adjustable. You get two positions – one for when you’re standing up off-road, and another for when you’re sitting down. But this time it gets higher up than before, making it more usable in the standing position. There’s also a fresh rear brake lever, perched 5mm higher than before. For further off-road fine-tuning, it comes with a clever folding section that lets you adjust its height by another 20mm.
Weight’s down on the 900 GS to 219kg and the tank’s gotten smaller, too. This new, more compact plastic tank now has a 14.5-litre capacity; down 500ml from the 850. Whatever it is, the bike felt a lot less top-heavy than I was expecting it to be. Which is surprising, because the chassis has essentially remained the same as its predecessor, give for a new sub-frame.
Tales from the Saddle
This is the part I’ve been itching to get to. Thumb the starter and the 104bhp, 895cc parallel-twin motor jolts to life with enthusiasm. The raspy exhaust note from the factory-fitted Akrapovič is lively and encourages you to get moving with the vigour you’d expect from a KTM motor. It sort of eggs you on to ride more aggressively. Of course, once the revs do climb the bike settles into a more predictable manner. And the similarities with the KTM end just about there. This engine is actually derived from the F 900 R and XR but is up by 42cc thanks to 2mm bigger bores, new cylinder heads and forged pistons. With 14kg less heft to shift, the new engine releases its power with a lot less resistance, too.
The bike I was riding had five riding modes – Road, Rain, Dynamic, Enduro and Enduro Pro. To be honest, I didn’t even bother with the Rain and Enduro mode for obvious reasons. In Road mode the bike feels enthusiastic enough to encourage you to push your threshold a little further. In Dynamic mode, even more so. But being the dirt junkie I am, I spent the most time in Enduro Pro mode with the traction control off. While in Enduro Pro mode the power is tamer than in Dynamic mode but that doesn’t mean it still isn’t a riot and a half.
It’s when I started to push off-road when I realised how smoothly and predictably the power is sent to the rear wheel. It draws out your inner hooligan because it’s just so easy to do hooligan things. With the traction control switched off, every corner exit turned into a masterclass in controlled chaos — long, graceful power slides that showcased just how beautifully broad and linear the 93Nm of torque delivery really is. And this was on worn out Metzeler Karoo 4 tyres that the bike come stock with. I’m sure with a fresh set of rubber it would’ve been even better.
The electronic rider aids, both for off-road and asphalt, are brilliantly intuitive and can be tweaked on the fly. A single push of a button lets you knock traction control out of the equation or bring it back in when needed. Swapping between riding modes while still on the move unlocks a whole new level of dynamic ability. Newcomers to the dirt can lean on the Enduro mode, which dials down the power delivery and layers on a thick safety net of electronic intervention. But if you’re feeling a little wild, you can kill the TC mid-ride, indulge in a bit of slip, and then flick it back on just as quickly when the trail ahead demands a more measured approach.
Back on the road, the intuitiveness hasn’t taken a hit. The sure footedness and eagerness to change direction is remarkable, despite the 21-inch front wheel. Even in the corners, the bike felt decently planted and ready to explore the outer edges of the knobby off-road biased tyres. The one I was riding didn’t have the fully adjustable Showa setup that the Euro-spec 900 GS gets as an optional upgrade. But the non-adjustable setup worked perfectly well with whatever I threw at it. Though, I didn’t really attempt anything too extreme. The inconspicuous steering damper is neatly tucked behind the headlight to keep things in check.
Head for the Horizon
This one’s shooting for the stars the moment that first spark combusts, every single time. Despite the new F 900 GS being a clear deviation from BMW’s sophisticated and sombre approach to motorcycles, it hasn’t lost out on the sheer standard of quality and approachability BMW has setup for itself. And in the end, the overall versatility of a motorcycle is what earns it that enduro/ adventure badge. It has rekindled the flame that the R 80 G/S ignited in the first place. While it may not be as comfortable as the R 1300 GS, or have that signature boxer-win engine, it has certainly earned its GS chops. Let’s call it a toned down, friendlier version of a KTM.
The ₹ 13.75 lakh (ex-showroom) price of the F 900 GS is ridiculously mouth-watering considering what you’re getting. Of course, you may rack that bill up a bit higher once you take a peek at those optional extras. But for the base price this is still a phenomenal machine.
