BMW has just launched the F 850 GS Adventure in India and priced it at Rs 15.40 lakh (ex-showroom, India). BMW’s bigger GS motorcycles are adventure tourers and their Adventure variants are usually more hardcore versions of what is already a capable motorcycle. BMW Motorrad India has made only the 'Style Rallye' package available in the country, which comes with the signature BMW blue-and-white colour scheme, larger windshield, and a golden finish on the rim outline and upper tube of the front fork.
In India, the F 850 GS Adventure costs Rs 2.45 lakh more than the base variant of the standard motorcycle. So what do you get for the extra money?
For starters, the Adventure offers more fuel capacity with a 23 litre tank, which is eight litres more than what the GS 850 can hold. Apart from the larger tank, the Adventure also comes equipped with added crash protection, which results in a considerable increase in kerb weight – 244kg, in comparison to the 229kg standard 850 GS. The Adventure's seat height is also 15mm taller at 875mm. This is because it gets the 'Comfort Seat' as standard - an optional accessory on the 850 GS.
For the extra money, the GS Adventure also offers adjustable rear brake and gear levers, a bash plate, knuckle-guards and an adjustable windscreen.
Powering the standard GS and the GS Adventure is an 853cc inline-twin-cylinder engine that has been detuned to better suit our fuel; it produces 90hp at 8,000rpm and 86Nm of torque at 6,250rpm. In comparison, the international-spec bike produces 95hp at 8,250rpm and 92Nm of torque at 6,250rpm. Both come with Rain and Road riding modes and Automatic Stability Control (ASC), which is BMW’s version of traction control. Both motorcycles are available with a host of optional accessories and additional rider aidsthat include a 6.5-inch TFT display with smartphone connectivity, ‘Dynamic’, ‘Enduro’ and 'Enduro Pro' riding modes along with Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) and BMW’s ABS Pro that enables cornering ABS.
The BMW F 850 GS will go up against the Honda Africa Twin (Rs 13.5 lakh) and the top-of-the-range Triumph Tiger 800 XCA (Rs 15.16 lakh). While the parallel-twin Honda, at 998cc, enjoys a slight displacement advantage, the performance figures are very similar, with the Africa Twin churning out 89hp at 7,500rpm and 93.1Nm of torque at 6,000rpm. Meanwhile, the Triumph 800 XCA also puts out a very similar power figure, with the in-line triple making 95hp at 9,500rpm and a comparatively lower 79Nm of torque at 8,050rpm.