Motorcycle Review: 2020 BMW F900R Sport | Motourismo

By Inaki Jose

Inaki Jose on the 2020 BMW F900R Sport, riding the sacred twisties of Marilaque.

When you encounter the name BMW, what's the first thing that comes into your mind? Most would say German engineering  and luxury. When I think of BMW, the first thing that pops into my mind is comfort with security. 

I have tried a lot of motorcycles and there is a lot of performance out there, each motorcycle brand has their own X factor but only a chosen few models, yes models and not brand that gives you that certain factor which I look for in a bike. I'm at a point in my riding that I look past the givens which are, performance, features and styling because I believe that each brand is beautiful and have these factors in their own way. What I look for in a bike is that extra riding confidence which will give you that extra boost in riding skills. A boost in riding skills and bike management equals a boost in riding safely. 

Can't help but stare at this 2020 BMW F900R Sport.

Enter 2020 BMW F900R Sport, a 985 cc, 105 horsepower, parallel twin cylinder naked motorcycle. I found the important factors mentioned in this motorcycle. What attracted me with the F900R is the overall bike management, very comfortable to ride and no one does this better than BMW. 

Example given, the BMW GS series which is in a class of its own when it comes to comfort, from throttle management to braking and suspension management. Now take all those attributes and put it in a thinner, smaller and lighter bike. Boom ! You now have the F900R which is BMW's entry to the affordable, midsize naked bike class, P655,000 for the standard and P775,000 for the Style Sport package, which was my test bike. With a mid range power band, teh F900R is easier to control and maximize the power. It delivers smooth power as you roll the throttle but releases an instant burst of manageable power when you chop the throttle. 

Features that really impressed me on the Style Sport  are the following :

MSR Traction control - This contributes a lot to my riding confidence. It made negotiating the twisties of Marilaque comfortable; and with comfort speed comes naturally and confidently.

Full TFT Display - Now this is a work of art, specially that lean angle indicator included on the display. I registered a 41 degree left and 39 degree right lean angle. It just showed that I lean better on the left hehehehe. The TFT display also features easy to switch riding modes on the fly, you can also connect your phone to the bike via BMW Connect App.

Cornering adaptive headlights - This feature switches on the light in the direction of your lean, this feature is so cool, I thought it won't make a difference but it did. 

Up and down BMW quick-shift.

UP and DOWN electronic Quick shifter - Ahhh, I love this because it is not an ordinary quick shifter that allows you to upshift during fast acceleration and down shift on engine brakes, what's really cool is you can do both during slow speeds like 35 Kph. 

Connecting my phone to the F900

Overall, you can take the F900R Sport from urban commute to the sacred twisties of Marilaque without any riding adjustment. The ride comfort and confidence it gives the rider in the city streets multiplies 3 times in the twisties. So if you are looking for breakneck power and constantly challenging the bike to its limits, this is not the bike for you. But if you are one of the riders who want to enjoy the ride confidently, then this is the bike for you.

Although I wish that the F900R Sport packs more horses, I think that would be asking for too much because that would make the F900R a perfect bike and we all know that perfect bikes only exist in myths. 

Thank you SMC Asia Cars distributors Corporation's Gil Balderas, Archie Garcia and Cathy Arrogancia for the constant support. Thank you also RSA Motorrad's Eynard Aquino and Alot Matias for always accommodating us. 

Go visit RSA Motors in Libis QC and look for Eynard or Alot to schedule a test ride.

Ride safe, but ride smart first.