BMW F 900 R & F 900 XR Unveiled At EICMA 2019

The F 900 R and F 900 XR are based on BMW’s Concept 9cento

• They are powered by an upsized 895cc parallel-twin engine.
• An electronically-adjustable rear shock is available as an option.
• Should make their way to India in mid-2020.

BMW’s Concept 9cento turned a lot of heads when it was unveiled at Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in 2018, and it has now spawned two production motorcycles. The bikes in question are the F 900 R naked streetfighter and F 900 XR sports tourer.

Both bikes are powered by a bored-out 895cc version of the 853cc parallel-twin motor that does duty in the F 850 GS. In these models, it produces 105PS and 92Nm, and is also Euro 5-compliant. This means that the F 900 R is slightly outgunned when compared to other middleweight nakeds like the Triumph Street Triple RS and Kawasaki Z900. Both models get two riding modes, traction control and ABS, as well as keyless ignition and on-board navigation, all of which can be controlled from the colour TFT dash.

In terms of appearance, the R gets a meaty, muscular design with distinctive tank extensions. A slender LED headlight and a golden front fork liven up the front end of the bike, while the rear end looks a little awkward and disproportionate.

While based on the same platform, the F 900 XR is a much taller motorcycle with more upright ergonomics and tremendous road presence. It features a small windscreen and a fairing that doesn’t run all the way down the side of the motorcycle. A long travel upside-down front fork is accompanied by an electronically-adjustable monoshock on the Pro variant.

Being Euro 5/BS6-compliant motorcycles, we can expect BMW to bring both these models to India in mid-2020. We think the F 900 R should be priced around the Rs 11 lakh mark, while the XR will sell for approximately Rs 12 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom).