The BMW F900R is a winter warrior | GRR Garage
As winter encroaches, a Sunday ride on our long-term BMW F900R becomes a polar expedition, the rushing air reminiscent of an Arctic wind and the frozen temperatures eating away at my extremities. The F900R has heated grips, for which I am endlessly thankful, but the lack of faring means that the wind works its way to every inch of my body, thoroughly chilling me to the bone.
With the latest lockdown, the F900R found itself once again confined to the garage, without even the pretense of work trips to stretch its legs. Luckily, I was in the process of doing up my house, and while the BMW fell short when it came to luggage capacity, it was brilliant for nipping to and fro on errands.
But if you think of motorcycles as a quick and easy way to get around then you will be sorely mistaken, especially when the mercury starts to drop. Often, getting dressed will take longer than the journey itself, starting with thermals and thick socks, and culminating in heavy-duty Gore-Tex and winter gloves. With such a pre-ride rigmarole required, I took to taking long detours wherever possible, making the most of any time on the bike. After all, name a better method of social distancing?
The 105PS parallel twin keeps me on my toes as I cut around the countryside, overtaking dopey drivers who seem half asleep at the wheel. Even in sixth gear, the F900R can find in itself the ability to overtake uphill, and the Shift Assistant Pro makes blatting back down through the gearbox easy and aurally enjoyable. Meanwhile, the powerful LEDs and Adaptive Cornering Lights make all the difference as the nights draw in.
Wet, foliage-strewn roads are the bane of any biker’s life, with many motorcyclists living by the rule of the fair-weather rider. However, the traction control and cornering ABS is a reassuring safety net on the F900, at its most vigilant in rain mode. The bike’s well-balanced composure and fluid steering continues to inspire confidence even on the slickest of roads, while the Bridgestone rubbers are yet to put a foot wrong. There remains a lot of travel before the rear brake engages, but providing you remember that fact, the brake is effective.
As a passenger, my boyfriend informed me, the F900R is hideously uncomfortable, although that may be more to do with his 6ft stature than the bike’s own ergonomics. However, having perched briefly on the rear, I can confirm that it is even firmer than the rider’s own seat. I previously lamented the solidity of this seat, which resulted in a numb bum before too many miles, but I failed to mention another annoying irk of the unit… Where it comes to a point on either side of the tanks, the seat was prone to catching my trousers, threatening to rip them on several occasions.
With only a few weeks left of our long-term loan, keep an eye out to find how the F900R fares on the Christmas shopping trips.
BMW
F900R
Motorbike
winter riding
