What is the BMW F 450 R?
BMW Motorrad has unveiled the F 450 R as its new lightweight naked roadster. The F 450 R shares the same 420 cc parallel-twin platform with the F 450 GS but adopts road-focused styling, chassis settings and equipment.
The new F 450 R is BMW’s latest entry point into its roadster range, effectively replacing the G 310 R.
What engine powers it?
Power comes from a 420 cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin petrol engine shared with the F 450 GS, albeit with a different set of tune to suit its roadster role. The parallel-twin engine produces 48 hp at 8,750 rpm and 43 Nm of peak torque at 6,750 rpm. The engine is paired to a six-speed gearbox and chain final drive.
How does it look?
The BMW F 450 R features an aggressive naked-bike silhouette, with its styling clearly inspired by BMW’s larger S 1000 R roadster. It features a compact, forward-leaning stance, a sculpted fuel tank, a short tail section and a distinctive LED headlamp design.
What rider aids are offered?
BMW F 450 R comes equipped with a comprehensive electronics rider package as standard, with additional performance and convenience features on higher variants. The standard list includes:
- Three ride modes: Rain, Road and Dynamic ride modes
- ABS Pro (Cornering ABS)
- Dynamic Brake Control (DBC) allows the rider to manage braking in emergencies.
- Dynamic Traction Control (DTC)
- Engine drag torque control (MSR)
The higher variants offer:
- Riding Modes Pro: available on M Sport models, adds a configurable Dynamic Pro mode as well as sport-display functions and a lap timer.
- Shift Assistant Pro: enables clutchless upshifts and downshifts.
The range-topping M Sport variant with the innovation package adds BMW’s Easy Ride Clutch (ERC) alongside Shift Assistant Pro. The system allows the rider to pull away simply by opening the throttle with a gear engaged, without the need to operate the clutch. When paired with BMW’s Shift Assistant Pro, the rider can also make clutchless upshifts and downshifts using the foot-operated gear lever.
What are the chassis details?
The BMW F 450 R incorporates a tubular steel space frame with the engine acting as a stress member. While the frame is shared with the F 450 GS, it offers a tweaked steering geometry on the F450 R for sharper handling dynamics. The motorcycle rides on 17-inch cast-alloy wheels, wears a 110/70 front tyre and a 150/60 rear tyre, and carries a weight of 175 kg.
The suspension duties are handled by a 43 mm KYB upside-down fork for front suspension, while the rear uses a directly mounted KYB monoshock. Wheel travel is 140 mm at both ends; the rear shock offers preload and rebound adjustment, while M Sport variants add adjustable compression and rebound damping at the front fork.
The braking hardware consists of a 310 mm floating front disc with a Brembo four-piston monobloc fixed calliper, paired with a 240 mm rear disc and a single-piston ByBre floating calliper.
What features does it have?
The BMW F 450 R comes equipped with a 6.5-inch TFT instrument display, which brings smartphone connectivity, navigation capability and multiple display layouts. The screen includes a Pure Ride display for everyday information and a Sport screen that can provide more performance-oriented data.
Additionally, the equipment list includes:
- full-LED lighting
- a USB-C charging socket
- heated grips.
How many variants are there?
BMW is offering four versions of the F 450 R: Base, Exclusive, M Sport and M Sport with Innovation Package. The base motorcycle provides the fundamental F 450 R experience with standard tech and features, while the Exclusive version adds Shift Assistant Pro and sport suspension. The M Sport adds BMW M-inspired styling, Riding Modes Pro, Shift Assistant Pro and the sport suspension package
