a stretch of shorter riders , but BMW has an 835mm lower seat option available ( as well as an 890mm taller seat ). If that ’ s not enough , there ’ s a lowering kit which drops the front and rear by 20mm , making a possible seat height of 815mm - 55mm lower than standard . Our F900GS came with a very nice Akrapovic muffler that happily was still nice and quiet , but with a pleasant note . It also has heated hand grips which are fantastic , a folding riser on the brake pedal to aid braking while standing , hand guards and all LED lights and a USB port . Lastly a narrow but decently-effective screen completes a very solid package on the BMW .
BRAKES AND ECONOMY Braking performance is good and certainly up to the task , but it ’ s not outstanding , especially when compared to those on BMW ’ s 1250 / 1300GS models . Those GS models have four-piston calipers up front and I found I missed their bite and power a bit on the 900 , which has two-piston Brembo calipers along with the 305mm discs at the front . At the rear a single 265mm disc with a single piston caliper does the work . Of course , ABS is standard and the rear can be switched off at the rear wheel . There was some discussion amongst the KR crew that the 14.5 litre fuel tank was on the small
side ( with 4 litres in reserve , leaving 10 litres for typical riding ). BMW says fuel consumption is 4.4 litres per hundred kilometres ( slightly worse than the F850GS ’ 4.1l / 100km ), which gives an approximate range of over 300km to empty – probably okay , but a little more would be nice . But that would only be around 230km to the reserve light . If you want more range , either sling a fuel bladder on the back for more remote rides or look at the 23 litre capacity of the F900GS Adventure , which comes in at 246kg fully fuelled .
THE SKINNY Overall , the BMW F900GS is a match for the competition and a huge step up from where it has been . The engine has the most useable power delivery while perhaps not being quite the fastest or most aggressive in the class . The ergonomics are excellent in feel , but because all fuel is carried high it is a whisker top heavy – perhaps a reason why the fuel tank is small . Hand adjustable suspension is a fantastic addition allowing tool-less adjustment at any time . This is an excellent machine that has a wide range of great capabilities and features . It is up there with the best in class and BMW would not have to do much to make it THE best in class for next year .
72 KIWI RIDER