The BMW F900 GS Adventure is ready to hit the open road. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe
BMW GS bikes are sort of the double cab bakkies of the motorcycling world. They are very popular, comfortable and equipped to go anywhere yet many of them will never leave the tarmac during their lifetimes.
The major difference between the BMW F900 GS Adventure and its Adventure suffix-less is that the former serves the purpose of the leisure double cab offerings that stays on the tarmac.
And that is exactly how we kept things during the week we spent on one recently. In fact, touring on this bike is so comfortable we didn’t want to get off.
The Adventure comes standard with adjustable touring windscreen. Our tester features the optional wind deflectors which makes a massive difference in reducing air turbulence and wind noise when cruising out on the open road.
Power comes from a two-cylinder in-line 895cc petrol engine. It is mated to six-speed gearbox with anti-hopping clutch, sending 77kW of power at 8 500rpm and 93Nm of torque at 6 750rpm to the rear wheel. The mill isn’t quite the Boxer powerhouse offered on the BMW F1300 GS, but still very accomplished for a mid-sized powertrain.
BMW claims fuel economy of 4.4 litres per 100km and maybe we enjoyed our time on the Adventure too much, as we could only get 5.9L/100km over 522km. Which is still very acceptable when you are in a hurry all the time and will still get you almost 400km on the 23-litre tank.
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The Adventure rides on cross-spoke rims, clad in 90/90 R21 rubberware in the front and 150/70 R17 at the rear. An upside-down manually adjustable Gabel shock allows 230mm of travel in the front, with the dual swing arm at the rear allowing 215mm of travel.
Along with the standard comfort seat the suspension really came to the good when travelling uneven sections of the road between Johannesburg and Potchefstroom.
The F900 GS Adventure comes standard with BMW Motorrad ABS Pro, with twin two-piston calliper 305mm discs in the front and single one-piston 265mm disc at the rear.
Standard seat high is 875mm, which can by lowered to 805mm and heightened to 890mm.
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Standard equipment on the Adventure include 6.5-inch TFT colour display with BMW Motorrad Connectivity, hand protectors, heated grips, LED headlights and turn indicators, aluminium engine guard and 12V power socket.
The Citizen Motoring‘s tester, clad in Black Storm metallic paintwork, also includes the Ride Pro pack which comes at a R43 700 premium over and above the R245 000 starting price. This includes keyless ride, LED fog lights, cruise control, aluminium pannier brackets, M Endurance chain, Dynamic Electronic Suspension Adjustment and Dynamic, Enduro and Enduro Pro riding modes in addition to road and rain.
Its 223kg weight might look on the heavier side on paper, but you really don’t notice it once you get going. Its attractive styling, spirited acceleration, comfort, and easy handling makes it an enticing package for any biker – new or old.
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