BMW WSB riders Marco Melandri and Michel Fabrizio unveil the new BMW F800R

BMW Motorrad launched the new 2012 BMW F800R in special colour scheme in Monza and present at the unveiling were BMW World Superbike Team riders, Marco Melandri and Michel Fabrizio. The German bike-maker introduced an all-new Nero Zaffiro Metallizzato paint-job (which in Italian means Metallic Sapphire Black) on the F800R for 2012, but unfortunately it will only be available to BMW customers in Italy, albeit at no extra premium.

The all-black paint scheme certainly makes the streetfighter motorcycle appear even more intimidating than ever before and with its minimalistic body panels showing off the bike’s muscle, the gorgeous F800R finished in black is a definite head-turner. Powered by a peppy 798cc parallel twin cylinder engine, the F800R produces respectable 87PS of horsepower at 8,000rpm and 86Nm of torque peaking at 6,000rpm.

The power delivery on the F800R is creamy smooth and friendly for city commuting as well as highway hauling. Weighing just 177kg, the lightweight and well-balanced chassis of the F800R is adept at handling road undulations and offers exceptional ride quality even on bumpy sections of the road. 

From the many electronic wizardry and safety gambits that have been taking over the mechanical fun side of motorcycles the world over, the BMW F800R too gets a host of tech-bits like ABS as a standard fitment, Tyre Pressure Control (TPC), twin 320 mm Brembo double disk brake at the front (now that’s awesome!), heated grips and a flat instrumentation screen that displays an odometer, 2 tripmeters, a digital clock, cruising range indicator and service interval indicator. Also new on the Italy-exclusive BMW F800R is new body-coloured sports windshield. Considering the fact that BMW Motorrad is soon going to make its official Indian foray as a bike-maker, maybe we can expect a similar special edition model for the Indian buyers.