BMW F 850 GS And F 900 XR Review: Getting The Proper GS Experience

The Periyar National Park is home to leopards, elephants, bison and tigers. Encroaching on such territory requires some pretty special motorcycles. Motorcycles that are not only capable of taking a beating but also zip away rapidly. So, what better place for us to try out the 2022 editions of the BMW F 850 GS/GS Adventure and the F 900 XR than in tiger country? And ultimately, these bikes are meant to encroach on the popularity of the Triumph Tiger, particularly the Tiger 900, in India. Has Bavarian got it right in 2022?

At X-Roads
Before I get to the steak that is the GS, let me get the veggies out of the way with the F 900 XR. Unlike the GS, the XR hasn’t seen a dramatic makeover with the way it rides or the way the engine puts down its power. What BMW has done for the 2022 iteration is kit out the bike with stuff that was optional before like keyless ignition, Dynamic ESA (BMW’s electronic adjustable suspension system), heated grips, ABS Pro (switchable ABS), and more.

This hasn’t really transformed the riding experience of the bike, the adventure sports machine still riding beautifully on tarmac. On broken tarmac, the front suspension feels quite crashy, forcing you to take heed of the road surface a bit more than you would on a full-blown ADV. While the rear shock can be fiddled around with the preload and rebound, you cannot finetune the shock to your liking. You are left to rely on the presets that BMW has fixed, which, to be fair, are more representative of European roads. For India, we could’ve done with a slightly softer tune.

It still is a fun motorcycle, one that is relatively light, allowing you to do some crazy stuff. However, where the XR starts to reach the end of its abilities is where the F 850 GS shines.

Going Smooth
The 850 twins have also been kitted with the same fancy feature set that’s now stock on XR. The notable updates, though, are the changes that BMW has brought to the 853cc parallel-twin motor. On paper, there’s no change in output: 105PS and 92Nm. However, there is a big change with the way this power is put down.

The earlier BS4 iteration had a noticeable flat spot between 3000-6000rpm, post which the engine would go mental, which is something you would appreciate on a naked or the XR, and not an ADV. Bavarian engineers have managed to tune this out, making it a smoother affair in the lower revs as well. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still not much torque low-down. So, you have to wring the throttle, slip the clutch and dart your way through tricky trails. The friendlier tune does encourage you to carry out your adventure riding without being overwhelmed, a big boon for someone who is stepping up to this middleweight ADV segment.

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Another key addition to the GS, which used to be an optional add-on earlier but is now standard and a big game changer, is the Enduro Pro mode. It basically allows you to fully customise how you want the engine response, ABS and traction control to work to your liking when going off-roading. It also has its own dedicated rear shock setting, where the preload is cranked up and the rebound is quicker and more adaptive on the terrain.

Following our instructor and former journo (not to forget my senior at my previous job), Ouseph Chako, the F 850 GS was quite capable of getting me through some really sticky situations that the trail had in store for us. Ouseph runs the School of Dirt in Kerala, so he’s quite privy to the trails and stuff in that neck of the woods. And while he had the elephant that is the R 1250 GS to his disposal to lead us around, he was quite nice to temper his enthusiasm and make sure that each and every one of us escaped the area without as much as a scratch, or a leech bite.

Not Perfect
While the changes made to the GS are welcome, there are still bits that we would’ve liked BMW to improve on its middleweight ADV. Firstly, the lack of proper suspension adjustability is a big downer. You have to load the front-end of the bike to keep the action going, which means keeping a slow and steady pace on tight trails is a bit out of the equation. Technical trails require a lot of care and attention. If there was a way to better tune both ends of the bike to suit the rider, it would have a far bigger pay-off.

Just like it is the case with these ADVs, you cannot shake-off the top-heaviness of the bike. While some of its rivals have managed to mitigate this feeling to a great extent, the GS still makes it feel quite apparent. And it is quite obvious on the GS Adventure, which makes it an even mightier task to keep the bike right side up when off-roading. Not only does the GS Adventure weigh 15kg more than the regular 850, the larger and wider 23-litre fuel tank also makes it quite tricky to find a balance. Couple that with a ridiculously tall seat height of 875mm (15mm more than the GS), and the GS Adventure is surely a motorcycle that is best enjoyed by seasoned riders.

The improved power delivery characteristics also help make the GS/GS Adventure better tourers. No longer do you have to worry too much about keeping the revs high or in the sweet zone as much. There’s enough drive available at lower revs to cruise calmly and make swift overtakes in top cog. With these updates, you just wish that BMW also paid heed to the mechanical noises emanating from the motor. The valve clatter, while being a little subdued from the BS4 motor, is still quite prominent. The gear shifts have a distinctive thud. And overall, you feel that it isn’t quite as polished as BMW bikes are known for.

Triumphing In Tiger Territory?
Let’s get the easier decision out of the way, the F 900 XR is no slouch but it cannot match the versatility of the Triumph Tiger 900 GT. The latter is equally as friendly and powerful, not quite as tech laden but has better hardware. It is one of the finest dual-sport ADVs that you can buy in this segment. And even though the Beemer’s ex-showroom asking price of Rs 12.30 lakh is a good Rs 1.40 lakh less than the GT, due to CBU import taxation, it ends up being a bit dearer than the Tiger.

The F 850 GS Adventure is one for the serious adventurers, one who isn’t going to stop for hours on end to get to the campsite, and in some fashion. It definitely fits the large ADV persona well. It is just that the Tiger 900 Rally Pro does virtually everything that this bike does and again at a price that ends up being more affordable.

What I am really keen on is looking at how evenly matched the regular F 850 GS and the Tiger 900 Rally are now. These two bikes have no extra fancy frills, are manageable for a larger variety of riders, and each possesses strong points that can swing the verdict in their favour. Now to convince the Ed to let me go on a week-long adventure with both of these beauties to get the definitive answer. Wish me luck!