BMW F 750 GS Test Ride Review

BMW F 750 GS Review

Bike Tested: BMW F 750 GS; Road Test No. 1129; Test Location: Mumbai

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 16,85,500/-

The F 750 GS is the latest and most accessible middle-weight GS motorcycle

Out of all the adventure motorcycles that I have tested till date, they have been either a Triumph or a Ducati. This is when we consider the middle-weight or premium motorcycles in the adventure category. For the first time, I could get my hands on a German adventure motorcycle but almost 6 years back, Faisal got to ride the BMW F 650 GS. So to keep things in place, BMW gave us the most forgiving and the latest middle-weight adventure tourer, the F 750 GS. The quest was to find out if the BMW F 750 GS was an improvement over the F 650 GS or a completely new motorcycle altogether.

Motor Quest: In the name BMW F 750 GS, the term GS stands for Gelande Sport which means all-terrain sport. While India is getting its fair share of GS motorcycles in recent years, GS motorcycles have been produced and sold worldwide since the 1980s.

Styling – The BMW F 750 GS is stonker in terms of looks. This has a lot to do with the top-of-the-line adventure motorcycle, the BMW R 1250 GS. The body lines, appearance and styling have been majorly derived from the elder sibling. All the changes and toning down of power, weight, size have been done to compensate for the price of it. With its appearance, the F 750 GS might appear quite large. The 15-litre fuel tank adds up to the mass and buffed look of it. Adding to the rather spectacular looks is the bikini fairing that goes from the fuel tank and extends further till the headlamp housing. The extreme front end consists of the decently protruding beak right between the set of asymmetrical LED headlamps and the front fender, it is topped by a rather small windscreen.

The Austin Metallic Yellow colour scheme is unique to the BMW F 750 GS

There’s bare minimum exposed appearance of the chassis and more of the bulky body cladding repping BMW. Addition of a bash plate and a pair of tubular crash guards on the periphery of the engine are blatant. For both the rear side profiles there are tubular bits and fibre sections for eased mounting of panniers and a top-box plate come as standard as well. The F 750 GS we’ve tested was mounted with 10-spoke alloy wheels shod to tubeless rubber and a cast aluminium dual swing arm at the rear. The upswept exhaust adds up to the looks and the exhaust canister stays exposed just like the older F 650 GS, however, it is on the right side this time.

Instrument Cluster and Switchgear – The instrument cluster looks very sleek and comes loaded with a ton of features, has an equal number of switches to toggle in and out of the menu. Not to forget, such a premium system comes with the price of it, an easy Rs. 50,000/- to be shredded-off your pocket. With the 6.5-inch TFT display, you can switch from riding modes, alter the rider aids, use navigation, check the next service appointment, media and phone connection via Bluetooth. You can also change the suspension setting and also access the cruise control. The console even offers auto day-time light, engine temperature and surrounding temperature display. All of these options are offered in a full electronics package and can be surfed from the joystick on the left side unit and the switches around it.

Addition of the fully digital console on the Pro model adds a lot of oomph

The digital screen has a satin finish but that does not become a problem for the rider in having just a glance at it on the go. The screen changes the background colour as the surround light changes. Most of the controls are on the left-hand side and the right-hand side just has two switches. One of them brings the motorcycle to life and another helps you change the riding modes. The fit and finish of the switches and the joystick are quite sturdy and easy to use. Most of the switches are coloured in black and white except the ignition, hazard light and the horn, those are in red and white.

Ergonomics – The ergonomics of the BMW F 750 GS are rather on the comfortable end likewise to other adventure motorcycles out there. The rider’s position goes upright with the raised handlebar and the slightly front-set footpegs. The motorcycle may look intimidating with its looks but is easy on the go and the seat height is just right at 815 mm. The rear suspension canister is electronically controlled and pressurises the suspension to make it harder/softer as per the rider’s demand which increases the ride height significantly. The fuel tank is covered with large body cladding which lets the rider grip the tank tight while catching some air and/or standing on the footpegs. The single-piece seat has soft cushioning for both rider and pillion, to keep the ride nice and comfortable.

Performance – The BMW F 750 GS is powered by the same sibling engine, an 853cc parallel-twin mill churning out 76.3 PS of power at 7500 RPM and 83 Nm of torque at 6000 RPM. The power distribution is aimed for the mid and top-end, latter for the most. The bike redlines at an early 8500 RPM while the throttle response is fairly decent and not choppy. The powerplant is mated to a 6-speed gearbox and there are no complaints against it as it is pretty smooth, shifts effortlessly without demanding much of heed. How can we possibly miss out on the quick shifter, it does butter smooth shifts and it’s worth paying for. The max mileage we managed to fetch was 20 km/l on a city-run and 24 km/l on a highway, considering the tune of the motor, the mileage has been impressive. Even though the engine would heat up to some extent, the airiness and liquid-cooling managed it pretty well.

The parallel-twin motor rumbles like a V-twin, thanks to its 270° firing order

Rider aids include four riding modes – Dynamic, Rain, Enduro and Road. All the four modes give a different character to the bike, thereby altering the power as well. Road mode keeps the motor deficit of power but on a bearable scale, though the traction control gets a bit intrusive at times. Dynamic mode lets you give some beans to the engine without letting the rear completely loose on gassing it hard. Rain mode chops down straight 12 PS from the total and makes the motorcycle even more docile to keep the paint up and the rubber down. For light off-roading and gravel roads, the Enduro mode works just fine, altering traction control as well as the throttle response. However, the urges of having just a bit more power like the off-road sibling are always there.

Riding Dynamics – The ergonomics are in the rider’s favour and for a road-going adventure motorcycle, the BMW F 750 GS is very capable. Cruising at early triple-digit speeds is doable but the short windscreen contributes very minimally. However, it comes in handy as it does not bother during off-road duties. The bridge type chassis feels rock-solid in terms of quality and the centre of gravity is set somewhere close to the rider footpegs, offering an overall good composure, so much so that even after weighing in 224 kgs, the manoeuvres don’t bother the rider. It gets 19-inch front and 17-inch rear alloys shod to Bridgestone Battlax adventure tyres offering good grip on-road. Although, they are quite slide-friendly as you hit gravel or go off-road.

Though the BMW F 750 GS looks intimidating, the feedback, once you get on the saddle, is contrasting

The suspension travel isn’t as much as the off-road version possesses but it still gets the job done. The front telescopic forks are non-adjustable while the rear monoshock comes with electronic damping and height adjustment like mentioned earlier. For a road-going motorcycle, the F 750 GS has good braking feedback with the 305 mm dual disc setup at the front and a 265 mm single disc at the rear. The braking can be a minor overkill if the bike changes its playground. Switchable traction control comes in a lot handy while the ABS is switchable too. The centre of gravity is low slung making it quite an easy motorcycle to do any kind of duties.

Verdict – The BMW F 750 GS is the most accessible middle-weight adventure motorcycle coming from BMW. It is a completely different motorcycle when we bring in the old F 650 GS. It is definitely a looker along being quite comfortable for the rider as well as for the pillion. It is more suited for road-duties but can handle off-road just as well. However, it misses out on the hardware that its elder sibling gets while also missing out on the extra punch from the motor. The BMW F 750 GS comes at Rs. 1.3 lakhs cheaper than the F 850 GS while it also dials down to Rs. 15 lakhs for the standard variant. The dynamics and the build quality are solid and one of major reasons to get one would be the BMW badge and the easiness this middle-weight offers.

What’s Cool

* Build quality is top-notch
* Feedback from the brakes is impressive
* The electronic package includes a host of features
* Headlights are really powerful and do a good job of illuminating the terrain

What’s Not So Cool

* Misses out on front USD forks
* Windscreen is a bit too small
* The engine feels tuned down a bit too much against its elder sibling

BMW F 750 GS Specifications

* Engine: 853cc, Liquid-Cooled, Parallel-Twin
* Power: 76.3 PS @ 7500 RPM
* Torque: 83 Nm @ 6000 RPM
* Transmission: 6-Speed
* Fuel Type: Petrol
* Fuel Consumption: 20-24 km/l
* Frame: Steel Bridge Frame
* Tyres: 110/80/19 (Front), 150/70/17 (Rear), Bridgestone Battlax
* Suspension: 41 mm Telescopic Forks (Front), Electronically Adjustable Monoshock (Rear)
* Brakes: 305 mm Dual Discs (Front), 265 mm Disc (Rear), Switchable ABS

BMW F 750 GS Dimensions

* Length x Width x Height: 2255 mm x 922 mm x 1225 mm
* Wheelbase: 1559 mm
* Seat Height: 815 mm
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 15-litres
* Kerb weight: 224 kgs (dry)

Testers’ Note:

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