2009 Bmw F800r
2009 BMW F800R
Naked Bavarian
BMW's lineup of middleweight parallel-Twins continues to grow. Two years ago at Milan, the company introduced the F800GS, possibly the most attractive (and instantly successful) variation on its parallel-Twin platform. That bike followed in the footsteps of the F800ST sport-tourer and sportier S version also introduced in 2007, the latter of which was only sold in the U.S. that year. For '09, the Bavarian bike-maker showed off its latest, the F800R naked roadster.
No tech specifications were released, but the R is based on the F800ST with a twin-spar frame and the inclined-cylinder version of the 87-horsepower parallel-Twin. The most obvious variation is the use of chain final drive instead of a belt, a surprising move by the men in Munich. With a claimed dry weight of 401 pounds, the F800R should be a versatile commuter, a good light-duty sport-tourer and, in the hands of BMW-sponsored rider Christian Pfeiffer, a great stunt rid ing machine! Unfortunately, there are no plans to bring the R to the U.S. in 2009. -Bruno dePrato
