The last month here at Cycle News HQ has all been about naked bikes. More specifically, middleweight naked bikes. The top-line models from nearly all the manufacturers have taken up residence at the office, but there’s one bike I was more curious to ride than all the others—BMW’s revamped 2025 F 900 R.

Photography by Ryan Nitzen
Perhaps revamped is too strong a word. Redressed, perhaps? BMW last gave the 900 R a full makeover in 2020, and it has flown largely under the radar in the U.S. since then. The 900 R is more of a hit in Europe, so much so that BMW has been running the one-make F 900 R Cup alongside select British Superbike rounds (I wonder if that’ll happen here for 2026? Hmm.).
The $8995 2025 model-year bike has seen the 900 R come in for a bit of a facelift, but the bones are pretty much as they were. Still present is the 895cc parallel-twin, pumping out a respectable, if not remarkable, 105 horsepower and 68 lb-ft of torque. However, you do get a new 43mm fork that’s fully adjustable, although preload and rebound adjustability are the only options available at the rear.

Should you feel so inclined, you can spend $445 and pick up your 900 R with the Dynamic ESA package, which provides semi-active electronic damping and preload adjustment. Here’s the rub, like always with BMW—you buy the base bike for a pretty reasonable sum, but when you want to start adding the goodies, that’s where the price will start to climb.
Our test bike came with a variety of accessories, but not the Dynamic ESA. Fitted when we took delivery was the Premium Package, which added an extra $1470 to the price. This included the Headlight Pro (BMW’s version of a cornering headlight that sees around bends while you’re leaning), Gearshift Assist Pro (BMW’s up-and-down quickshifter), Keyless Ride, BMW heated grips and everyone’s favorite, cruise control.
There was also a centerstand thrown on there for an extra $150, tire-pressure monitor (TPM) for $225, and the fancy Intelligent Emergency Call that will contact emergency services if you have an accident for $345. All told, our test bike came in at $11,880, including a $695 destination charge.

Back to what’s new for 2025. BMW has swiped the wheels from the S 1000 R naked bike that weigh a claimed 3.9 pounds less than before, helping in every facet of braking, cornering and acceleration. Less unsprung weight is always a good thing.
There’s been a touch—1.7 pounds to be precise—taken out of the battery, which is still not a lithium-ion unit, unfortunately, and the back end gets function-integrated turn indicators that also serve double duty as the brake lights for when you hammer on the brakes in emergency stops.
That just about does it for the updates to the F 900 R, although there are a bunch more you can get, like a sporty muffler that drops about three pounds and taller (33.9 inches) or lower (31.1 inches) seats.
I’d only ridden an F 900 R once back in 2022, so I went into this test thinking it was an all-new bike (for me). The first thing you notice is its length. At 59.6 inches, the wheelbase feels abnormally long, and once you get going, you notice it doesn’t steer anywhere near as quickly with its lazy 26-degree rake as something like a Triumph 765 RS that I’d just jumped off.

At that point, I began to reevaluate just who the 900 R is designed for. This isn’t a hyper middleweight naked bike (is that even a class?) like the 990 Duke or the Triumph. This is the kind of bike you buy as a commuter that can have a bit of fun when you want without scaring the pants off you.
At a claimed 459 pounds, the 900 R isn’t massive, but it’s not a featherweight, either. After all, Kawasaki claims its new Z900 SE ABS weighs a claimed 12 pounds more, but it has a sportier personality than the Beemer could ever have.
The 900 R’s parallel-twin has been around in one form or another since God was a wee lad, and although it doesn’t have pull-your-arms-out acceleration, it does have a pretty consistent torque curve that makes for easy point-to-point traffic riding, while the slightly tall fifth and sixth gears mean freeway cruising is a sub-5000 rpm breeze at 60 mph.

Zipping between the canyons for our photoshoot, the 900 R was more than happy to play along and give its best big-boy, naked-bike impression. Turn the traction control off, and it’ll throw a front wheel up with the best of them (see our cover shot). However, because the chassis is so long, it’s one of the most controllable bikes I’ve ridden in a long time when it gets on one wheel. After all, this bike is a direct descendant of the F 800 R that legendary, late stunt rider Chris Pfeiffer used and developed until his untimely death in 2022, so it’s got the genes to be a bit of a loon if needed.

This was pretty much a new bike delivered straight to Cycle News, and that meant the gearshift was incredibly stiff at first when going back down the gearbox. This personality trait gradually relaxed a little, but it was still a fairly uncomfortable gearshift, so I hope by the time your 900 R reaches 750 miles on the odometer, the gearshift becomes a lighter and smoother affair.
Ride comfort from the fully adjustable fork was excellent, and the 900 R had a little ace up its sleeve with its remote preload adjuster knob under the seat, so a quick two-up ride to our local café was more than comfortable.

As the miles wore on, I became quite a fan of the 900 R’s seat, at least in terms of the padding and shape. A couple of hours in the saddle didn’t yield too many aches or pains, but I’d still be going for the one-inch taller sport seat to alleviate my poor knees and get a bit more blood flow going if I were sticking a 900 R permanently in the garage.
The BMW F 900 R left me a little perplexed as to BMW’s current stance on naked bikes. They have two of the most bonkers nakeds on the market in the M and S 1000 Rs, but there’s really nothing below them that represents a real stepping stone into that level of hyperbikeness.

The F 900 R is certainly not that stepping stone, and although it was fun enough, it doesn’t have the personality or the performance of any of the current middleweight nakeds. Now, hang on. I know I said earlier I had to reevaluate who this bike is for, but I’m still none the wiser, sadly.
What I will say is that if you don’t get any of the extras, sub-$9000 is a pretty rocking value for a naked such as the F 900 R, and the extras, although adding nearly 30 percent to the price tag, are definitely worth it in my book. CN
2025 BMW F 900 R Specifications
MSRP | $8995 |
Engine | Parallel-twin, 4-stroke |
Displacement | 895cc |
Valvetrain | DOHC |
Bore x Stroke | 86.0 x 77.0mm |
Compression Ratio | 13.1:1 |
Cooling System | Liquid |
Transmission | 6-speed |
Horsepower (claimed) | 105 hp @ 8500 rpm |
Torque (claimed) | 68.6 lb-ft. @ 6500 rpm |
Fuel System | Electronic fuel injection, ride-by-wire |
Clutch | Wet, multiplate slipper, anti-hopping function |
Frame | Bridge-type steel |
Front Suspension | 43mm inverted fork, fully adjustable; 5.3 in. travel |
Rear Suspension | Monoshock, preload and rebound damping adjustable; 5.6 in. travel; optional ESA |
Front-Wheel Travel | 5.3 in. |
Rear-Wheel Travel | 5.6 in. |
Front Brake | 4-piston radial-mount calipers, 320mm floating discs, ABS |
Rear Brake | 1-piston floating caliper, 265mm disc, ABS |
Front Tire | 120/70-17 in. |
Rear Tire | 180/55-17 in. |
Rake | 26.0° |
Trail | 4.5 in. |
Wheelbase | 59.6 in. |
Seat Height | 32.9 in. |
Fuel Capacity | 3.4 gal. |
Weight (claimed, wet) | 459 lbs. |
Click here to read the 2025 BMW F 900 R Review in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
Click here for the latest Cycle News Naked motorcycle reviews and news.
Click here for more BMW motorcycle reviews and news.