There’s a secret formula to Nintendo’s Super Mario games that has made them each once-in-a-generation hits… over and over again. They’ve always had top marks in visual presentation, sound design and scoring, tight controls, movement, impeccable polish, you name it, they’ve got it all nailed, every time. But, the real magic, the thing that makes them not only smashing commercial successes, but also revered icons with long-lasting legacies is their masterful blend of approachability and depth. A child can pick up Super Mario Bros. 3 and start having fun immediately, and an adult can spend many hours honing skills to traverse its levels faster. This is what was going through my head while I was bringing the 2025 BMW F900 R home.

Just like video games might not be first thing you think of when talking about motorcycles, the 2025 BMW F900 R is probably not the first bike you’d think of when talking about Beemers; it’s not one of the big boxers they’ve built their reputation on, and it’s not one of the new generation of 1000cc missiles that have been making waves. The F bikes have always been charming middleweights that are pretty good at everything for a great value, and this updated street-oriented Roadster model is no different, adding more features, more edge, more style, and more fun, without adding more to the bottom line. 

Visuals and graphics

It’s not radically different at a glance, save for the radical tri-color paint scheme, complete with a gold fork and red wheels. Those red 17-inch wheels are lifted off an S1000 R, and reduce unsprung weight by 4lbs. The gold hardware is a new inverted front fork that is fully adjustable for preload, rebound, and compression to easily get things dialled exactly how you like. The tail is trimmed down a little bit to look leaner and meaner.

Ergonomics have also been rethought to be a bit meaner, too. The handlebar has been moved slightly forward and the footpegs shifted rearward, producing a more aggressive riding position. It isn’t a dramatic change, but it’s enough to alter the way the bike feels beneath you, and it’s significantly more aggressive than something like say, the F 900 GS I rode last year.

BMW has also made rider aids standard that were previously optional. Cornering ABS Pro, Dynamic Traction Control, and Dynamic Brake Control now come included, while riding modes (Rain, Road, and Dynamic) give the F 900 R a level of on-the-fly adjustability that matches many bikes well beyond the $13,860 asking price of this tester. The rear shock is electronically adjustable too, able to toggle between Road and Dynamic modes.

Score and gameplay

The heart of the F 900 R is unchanged: a 895cc parallel-twin producing 105 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 69 foot-pounds of torque at 6,750 rpm. It’s not eye-popping power, but it’s more than healthy enough to be a hooligan and in typical BMW fashion, it punches harder than the numbers convey. Most of the muscle is made in the middle of the rev range, ideal for effortless passing and digging out of corner quickly. It also sounds surprisingly hearty for a mid-size twin, with a pronounced, guttural intake snort around five grand that’s almost nasty (in the cool way), and only gets angrier as you wind it out to its 9,250 rpm redline. If you really send it, you’ll find it starts running out of breath at the upper reaches of its rev range, but it never gives up, and it’s more than quick enough in 99% of real road cases. 

To that end, it’s very refined when you’re not playing with it. That same strong mid range makes commuting a breeze, and it isn’t a chore to sit in traffic, with a slipper clutch that’s light and forgiving, and generally slick engine operation. In its milder ride modes, it’s a pussycat, easing on and off throttle gently, only really growing fangs when left in its angriest Dynamic mode – and even then, it’s still manageable, not artificially abrupt in the slightest, and all the more rewarding when the road opens up.

Controls and movement

If the engine is solid, the handling is the real highlight of this middleweight Roadster, to use BMW parlance. The trimmed weight of 459 pounds (stocked with fuel and ready to ride), revised front fork, and more aggressive riding position, all add up to a bike that loves being thrown through corners. It’s agile, likes to lean, and has good feedback through the front end with fairly easy steering effort. 

Braking is handled by four-piston Brembo calipers up front clamping onto 320 mm discs, backed by BMW’s ABS Pro – able to compensate for lean. Stopping power is strong and predictable, with excellent stability even when braking hard into corners, and it’s stable even under extreme stops, with gentle feedback from the ABS through the billet-aluminum rear brake lever.

It’s an easy bike to get acquainted with, and rewards being pushed hard with predictable behavior, good balance, and most importantly, good feedback, to subtly let you know what you could be doing better. Everything from the engine, steering, brakes, and quick shifter has a deliberate action that keeps you tacitly tuned into the action at every step – it’s easy and approachable, but not numb or overly nice to you.

Presentation and polish

On that note, I found the F 900 R wasn’t overly nice on longer rides, but part of that is on my lanky, six-foot frame. The more aggressive ergo has you leaning a lot more forward than other F 900 bikes, with your feet tucked up closer to your body, and I started to feel unmentionable parts of me going numb on the narrow seat after an hour and a half or so. Stock seat height is 32 inches, and BMW does offer higher seats that raise that to 34 – which I feel would be a necessity to help stop the bike from feeling too small.

Technology integration is typical BMW—well thought-out and premium. The 6.5-inch TFT display is crisp and easy to read, and the brand’s scroll-wheel controller remains one of the best systems for navigating menus on the fly. There’s also all the info you could ever want, and the Sport screen shows peak lean angles, traction intervention, braking forces, the works. Pair it with your phone and a headset and you can access navigation, calls, and media playback. 

The fuel tank is fairly small at 13 litres; I was surprised to see it saying it was at reserve capacity with about 70 kilometers of range estimated remaining, from an estimated 260-ish when full. Whatever, it’s not a long hauler anyway, I didn’t mind having to stop and stretch. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t trust it to go the distance. Fit and finish are excellent, it’s mechanically well refined and can be configured to be downright docile. Plus with options like (hot) heated grips and cruise control, this isn’t stuck being relegated to short, fair weather rides. 

Replayability

That Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge might have seemed expensive when my Mom bought it in the early 90s, but I’m fairly sure that cost has amortized to less than a penny per hour of fun by now. My niece has picked it up and started the cycle all over again, a testament to its enduring brilliance.

There are bikes that are faster and/or more practical, but the 2025 BMW F 900 R delivers on the things that matter in spades. It’s quick, fun, looks properly cool, and is an excellent instrument for riding fast, learning how to ride faster, and the mundane commuting stuff that makes you want to ride it more and in turn, ride it better. That it delivers top-tier finish and tech with exciting performance for a very reasonable ask makes it all the more appealing to novices like me, and seasoned veterans alike. It’s the clever balance of a low skill floor and high skill ceiling that makes it rewarding for any and all, and if that’s not value, I don’t know what is.