BMW F 900 GS specifications, dimensions and price

BMW F 900 GS

Team Throttle says the old 850 GS was a gentle bike with soft suspension and underwhelming power, about as exciting as lukewarm soup, and that the 900 GS is far livelier than you would expect from a bike with such long travel, a 21-inch front wheel and knobby tires, even on pavement.

It lists the seat height options at unladen weight: 34.2 in standard, 32.0 in with the factory lowering, 35.0 in with the high rally seat, 32.8 in with the low rally seat and 34.2 in with the optional-accessory single seat, together with an inner leg curve of 76.1 in on the standard seat.

BMW lists an upside-down 43 mm fork with manually adjustable preload and adjustable rebound and compression, a cast aluminum swing arm with a central WAD spring strut, twin 305 mm front discs and a 265 mm rear disc, and 90/90-21 and 150/70 R17 tires. The wheelbase is 62.6 in, the trail 4.71 in, the top speed is over 120 mph and the torque peak of 68.6 lb-ft comes at 6,750 rpm.

F 900 GS against its siblings and rivals

At $14,395 it costs $3,400 more than the F 800 GS at $10,995 and $2,700 less than the BMW R 12 G/S at $17,095. Ducati's DesertX V2 is $16,995 at 461 lb, and Triumph's Tiger 900 is $15,195 at 483 lb. The BMW weighs 482 lb, close to the Triumph.

The F 900 GS is BMW's off-road-focused mid-size bike. The Adventure is the touring version with extra weight.

Off-road hardware and what it means on the road

The F 900 GS is the most off-road-focused of BMW's parallel twins. It has a 21-inch front wheel and 90/90-21 tires, 9.05 in of front travel and a 34.2 in seat, against the F 800 GS's 19-inch wheel, 110/80 R19 tires and 32.1 in seat. The longer travel and taller wheel make it more capable on dirt and more sensitive to seat height at a stop.

The 3.8 gal tank is the smallest in the F line, and at 482 lb road-ready fully fueled it is 18 lb lighter than the F 800 GS. Team Throttle's point that it is livelier on pavement than the travel suggests is the reason it works as an all-rounder.

Choosing the Adventure version

BMW sells the F 900 GS Adventure at $15,195, $800 more than the standard bike. Motorcycle News describes the Adventure as quite a handful because of its extra weight, so it is the choice for a rider who wants a long-distance tourer and accepts the bulk. The standard F 900 GS is the choice for a rider who wants the lighter, more agile bike.

Both use the same 895cc engine, 105 hp and 68.6 lb-ft. So the difference is the tank, fairing and weight and not the power.

F 900 GS against the Tiger 900 and DesertX V2

Triumph's Tiger 900 and Ducati's DesertX V2 are the closest mid-size adventure rivals.