i took my GS in to the dealers for an MOT and an end of warranty check, they gave me this to play on. It's an 895cc parallel twin with 68 pounds feet of torque and 105bhp. it felt smooth on the go and reasonably quick but i was surprised that being a twin it lacked engine braking, as I'm used to larger twin engines maybe that's normal for a smallish twin. As soon as i sat on it i didn't like the seat ,it felt like i was sitting on a plank of wood more like what an out and out sportsbike feels like, i took it from Dundee to St Andrews which is only about 15 miles and my backside was already complaining! you are sitting a bit more over the bike which gave me a slight pain on the wrist but no doubt i would get used to it after a while. the handling was good in the twisties and the Brembo brakes were good, the suspension is non adjustable but it felt pretty good to me. anybody looking for a middle weight bike could do a lot worse than this (you would have to change the seat though ) i think it's about the 10k mark here's a few other photos of it optional top box which looked terrible! stopped of at Balgove larder which is well worth a visit if your near St Andrews Balgove Larder Farm Shop, Butchery & Cafe – Balgove Larder Farm Shop, Butchery & Cafe I got myself a breakfast which although wasn't huge it was enough and it was delicious, they have there own butchery inside
I just sold my F900XR after 2 years of ownership. The major bugbears for me were as follows: Seat comfort (as above), somewhat improved with a BMW “Comfort” Seat An engine rattle that developed after approx. 2000 miles and BMW said this is normal Excessive oil consumption that resulted in the bike being at BMW for nearly 5 months waiting for a new sump part to be sourced. To be fair, they did loan me other bikes for the whole time. Shall we say “I wouldn’t not recommend buying one” but I would recommend buying a used Tiger 900 GT Pro instead! Reggie the Cockapoo wasn’t that impressed either.
@Dougie D I must admit, the boxer engines grow on you and become additive. There’s nothing like them out there.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the BMW F900XR. It's always interesting to hear different perspectives. That engine rattle and oil consumption issue doesn't sound ideal, but it's great that BMW provided you with loan bikes during the repair process. The seat comfort seems to be a common concern, but at least there's an option for a "Comfort" Seat.
I test rode one of these when they first came out before I bought the Tiger 900 (it will be on here but back in 2020). Have to agree about the uncomfortable seat and also note the rubbish screen. Definitely felt like it had less go than the Tiger despite the extra 10 bhp.