If you don’t already know, the “GS” suffix that BMW Motorrad attaches to its adventure models stands for Gelände Strasse, roughly “off-road/on-road” in German.
It highlights the compromise all adventure bike manufacturers must make during the design phase of a new model. Do they make it more rideable in gelände riding scenarios, or do they retain more of its performance during strasse applications? For, as any ute owner who has fitted big mud-slinging treads already knows, upping drivability for the times when the vehicle is off-road always compromises refinement and the onroad dynamics when back in the bosom of civilisation.
So where did BMW draw the line between the two contrary riding environments with the $27,490 219kg, 105bhp F900 GS equipped with the $1500 Enduro package pro upgrade and the $500 Trophy paint livery?
One look at the OE tyres will tell you that this version of the middleweight Bavarian adventurer is a lot more dirt-friendly than before. This example wears Bridgestone Trailmax Adventure rubber, while the official tyre selection is Metzeler’s Karoo 4, and both are considered 50/50 tyres by their makers. In other words, they offer 50% of the performance of a dedicated off-road motorcycle tyre in the wild and 50% of the performance of a proper road tyre when back on a surface that’s rich in grip.
The latter statement also corresponds to the overall performance of the F900 GS, and this is why it’s quite a risky, edgy thing for a bike maker to fit 50/50 tyres from the get-go. Most ADV manufacturers settle for 70-road/30-off-road rubber, while those wishing to add a more rally-ready image may pick 60/40 tyres.
However, BMW didn’t make this bike for tourers seeking out the loneliest back roads at the extreme edges of civilisation; they already have the plush, luggage-friendly $27,990 F900 GS Adventure for those riders. This version is built for those who wish to ride further than the end of the road and then get a bit rowdy on it.
Think of it as a big, brash, power-sliding, backing-it-in, wheel-lifting enduro motorcycle, one that’s intended to consign any recall of the far softer-focus, slightly mediocre F800 GS and F850 GS models that preceded it to history.
As someone who gave up off-road rowdiness decades ago (residual mountain bike hooning excepted), and remembers times spent aboard the original F800 GS, with its characterful 360-degree cranked parallel twin engine, with genuine fondness, I admit I’m not the best qualified to test this roost-flinging, 270-degree cranked mega-enduro. But I do get why BMW needed to make it. The F-series GS models have spent years in the shadow of the larger R-series GS models, the biggest-selling adventure bikes on the global market. Buying one had become an admission that you couldn’t afford the best.
With KTM (890 Adventure), Triumph (Tiger 900), Yamaha (Tenérè 700) and Ducati (900 Desert X) all capturing more middleweight ADV market share than BMW it was time for the latter to build something that would eliminate the prejudices the brand was up against in the segment.
This bike may even prove to be the image-shifter that they’re looking for. It’s certainly good looking and while I’m not exactly the target market of middle-aged former MX/enduro racer, there was enough dirtbike riding muscle-memory left to enjoy its vigorous dynamics.
The harder you ride this bike on sketchy, rough surfaces, the better it feels. The Enduro package pro upgrade includes beefy 45mm Showa front forks and a Sachs rear shock, both with Dakar Rally-busting travel, beefy spring rates, and a comprehensive range of preload, rebound and compression adjustment.
As for the 890cc parallel twin engine, with 93Nm it gives away nothing to the KTM, Ducati, and Triumph competition, and the OE Akrapovic muffler gives it an endearing snarl to match its bite.
All the riding modes of the bike live up to their names – Enduro providing decent slip angles exiting gravel corners before the TC came seamlessly to my assistance and Rain proved useful during a climb over a heavily-corrugated twisty gravel hill, calming the stuttering throttle response for smoother acceleration (I suspect Rain also comes in handy when riding in the gnarly rocky single-track conditions I studiously avoided).
Two handily-placed buttons enhance rider control on this bike – the mode button on the right side of the handlebar, and the TC/ABS button opposite. You get to ride four different bikes after pressing either of them.
If you want a perfectly balanced measure of gelände and strasse, the F900 GS Enduro package pro is the BMW that delivers it.
