BMW F 450 GS review, first ride: A new benchmark for middleweight ADVs in India?

BMW F 450 GS steps out of the G 310 GS's shadow with a new twin-cylinder heart and adventure intent but beneath it all lingers one question, is this finally a true GS? Let's find out.

The G 310 GS was never quite the motorcycle it should have been. Decent enough for a learner, but wearing the GS badge felt aspirational rather than earned. BMW Motorrad knew it, riders knew it, and if motorcycles could talk, the G 310 GS would probably have admitted it too. Enter the F 450 GS. This is not a facelift, not a parts-bin update. It is a ground-up, all-new motorcycle, and critically, one that is entirely designed, developed and manufactured in India by TVS at its Hosur facility. No other motorcycle in this segment can claim to carry the DNA of a legendary adventure bike lineage while being completely built on home soil. That alone makes the F 450 GS one of the most significant motorcycle launches of 2026, and the pressure on it to deliver is enormous.

Is it a real GS?

Stand next to the F 450 GS, and the GS family resemblance is unmistakable. The iconic flyline sweeps from front to rear, the distinctive front beak references its bigger siblings, and the X-shaped LED headlight, borrowed directly from the R 1300 GS, makes an immediate statement. On paper and in photographs, the F 450 GS looks properly imposing. In person, however, the motorcycle is noticeably compact. For those who have spent time around the F 850 GS or the R 1300 GS, the baby GS will look and feel like a significantly smaller machine. That is not necessarily a negative, but it is something to be aware of, particularly if you are buying based on how it looks in press images. What impresses in the metal is the quality. Panel fits are tight, switchgear is borrowed from more expensive BMW Motorrad models, and the overall finish is a genuine step above what the G 310 GS ever offered.

The 6.5-inch TFT display is crisp, informative and easy to read on the move. Controls fall naturally to hand, and the heated grips, standard across all variants, are a thoughtful touch.

The 43mm KYB upside-down forks wear gold anodisation that gives the front end a premium look, and the steel tubular space frame uses the engine itself as a stressed member, which contributes to significant weight savings over a conventional design.

At 178kg wet, the F 450 GS is on the lighter side, and that number becomes very apparent when you first pick the motorcycle up off its sidestand. The swingarm, a hollow-cast aluminium unit, is 1.5kg lighter than the piece fitted to the G 310 GS and is technologically comparable in design to the unit found on BMW’s F 900 models. Underneath all of this sits a 19-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear, cast aluminium on the Base and Exclusive variants, with the GS Trophy optionally available with wire-spoke wheels, and 220mm of ground clearance. The numbers say adventure tourer. The proportions say compact and approachable.

What’s it like to ride?

Before we go any further, a word of context. Our time with the F 450 GS was limited, and a proper road and off-road test will follow once the motorcycle arrives at the Auto Today office. So treat this as our first impressions, we’ll be sure to bring you a more comprehensive road test soon.

At the heart of the F 450 GS sits a completely new 420cc, water-cooled, parallel-twin engine with a rather unconventional 135-degree crankshaft offset. That firing interval sits between the even-fire 180-degree setup of a traditional parallel twin and the 90-degree V-twin, borrowing characteristics from both. BMW claims that 80 per cent of the 43Nm of peak torque arrives at just 3,000rpm, and on the move, that translates into a motor that feels accessible and friendly rather than peaky or demanding. The engine has a character to it, not the dramatic thump of a large V-twin, but something more than the sterile smoothness of a typical parallel. It pulls cleanly, builds up speed confidently, and the exhaust note is more of a refined growl. Peak power of 48hp arrives at 8,750rpm, and the engine is happy to be worked, though it clearly rewards riders who use the torque band rather than chase the redline. Power delivery is linear, with a strong mid-range that makes it easy to ride in real-world conditions. It does not demand constant gear changes, and the quickshifter works cleanly when you are riding with intent. It is not the most aggressive engine in the segment, but that is clearly not the brief here.

The F 450 GS immediately feels at home on tarmac. The chassis is stiff, steering is light, and the motorcycle changes direction with an agility that its adventure bike proportions would not suggest. The KYB suspension, with 180mm travel front and rear, is tuned on the softer side of the spectrum, which makes it forgiving over broken surfaces and comfortable over longer distances. It is not the sportiest setup, but for a motorcycle that is aimed at touring as much as trail-riding, it makes sense. Braking is handled by a four-piston Brembo Monoblock calliper gripping a 310mm disc up front, with a ByBre unit at the rear. The front brake is powerful and progressive, with good feel through the lever. ABS Pro, which uses lean-angle sensors to adjust braking force in corners, comes standard across all variants. Handling in tighter sections is where the F 450 GS genuinely impresses. The lightweight construction and well-sorted geometry mean it can be placed precisely where you want it, and it responds to rider input without drama. The riding position strikes a good balance between seated comfort and the ability to stand on the pegs when the road surface deteriorates, with an ever-so slight edge towards sporty.

A word on the Easy Ride Clutch, or ERC, which is standard on the GS Trophy variant. The system uses a centrifugal clutch mechanism that automatically engages and disengages depending on engine speed, meaning the rider does not need to touch the clutch lever for normal riding. In slow-speed, urban traffic, it works well. The motorcycle is noticeably relaxed to ride in stop-start conditions.

Off-road, at very low speeds, the reduced need for clutch modulation is welcome. However, the ERC is a mixed bag. At higher speeds and during more spirited riding, there is a slight disconnect in feel that takes adjustment. The absence of a park-in-gear function on slopes is a genuine oversight. And while the system is clever, experienced riders may find themselves overriding it more often than expected. It is a tool that serves a specific purpose well, without being universally better than a traditional setup. On a related note, the omission of cruise control is disappointing for a motorcycle that is clearly capable of comfortable long-distance touring.

Verdict

The BMW F 450 GS is the motorcycle the G 310 GS always should have been. It is genuinely well-built, properly engineered, and carries the GS badge with conviction. The new parallel-twin engine is characterful and usable, the chassis is sorted, and the electronics package is impressively comprehensive for the segment. Where BMW has priced the motorcycle at Rs 4.70 lakh (ex-showroom) for the Base variant, going up to Rs 5.30 lakh (ex-showroom) for the GS Trophy, we were expecting closer to the Rs 4 to 4.5 lakh range for a made-in-India product. However, the most balanced pick seems to be the mid-variant called the Exclusive, priced at Rs 4.90 lakh (ex-showroom).

It is not an unreasonable ask for what is on offer, but it is not the aggressive pricing some had hoped for. As for rivals, the KTM 390 Adventure and Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 are the obvious comparisons, but the F 450 GS’s twin-cylinder engine puts it in a class of its own for now. There is the Honda NX500, but it is on the pricier side. A proper twin-cylinder rival from Aprilia, in the form of the Tuareg 457, is still some time away. Until then, the baby GS has the segment largely to itself. To sum up, this is more of a touring companion and road-focused adventure bike than a hardcore off-road machine, and that is perfectly fine, as it does both quite well.

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