BMW F 450 GS: Which variant makes sense

The much-anticipated BMW F 450 GS went on sale in India a few days ago. Available in three variants—Basic, Exclusive, and GS Trophy and with prices starting from Rs. 4.70 lakh, the baby GS is a little more expensive than it should be. That said, if you are considering buying the bike, there’s one variant that makes sense.

Before proceeding, let’s take a look at what each variant offers. The Basic variant is pretty well equipped with features such as a 6.5-inch TFT, ABS, traction control, heated grips, and more. It is available in the Cosmic Black colour only.

The mid-spec Exclusive variant gets a plastic bash plate, knuckle guards, and a tall windscreen. It also gets the Riding Modes Pro and the Shift Assistant Pro as standard.

The GS Trophy variant gets adjustable suspension, different paintwork, an aluminium bash plate,and the Easy Ride Clutch, or the ERC. But, at Rs. 5.30 lakh (ex-showroom) or, more importantly, well over Rs. 6.5 lakh on-road, does it make sense to spend all that money?

The variant to buy

All things considered, the variant that makes the most sense for the money is the mid-spec Exclusive. It gets all the electronic gizmos you’d need, while offering a proper manual clutch and a decent amount of underbody protection. Yes, it does miss out on adjustable suspension, but that can always be fitted later on, when BMW makes it available for sale over the counter. The aluminium bash plate can also be had as an accessory. But, if you are not inclined to pay for an original bash plate, there should be aftermarket options in due course of time.

One will only have to make do with the fact that it is available, for now, in black only. Perhaps a wrap over the bodywork should work for those who want to add some colour to their bike. We also hope BMW introduces more colour options to this variant as part of next year’s updates.

All said, with money being no object, the F 450 GS Trophy is for those who want the ERC. It does cost a lot more than the Exclusive, but the convenience of the ERC is what would justify the price delta. Not to mention the attractive colour of the variant. The only thing to keep in mind is that one needs to recalibrate the way one rides, considering how the ERC operates, and prevent excessive clutch slip and wear.

The Base F 450 GS should ideally be for those on a strict budget and can’t justify the Rs 20,000 extra for the Exclusive. Alternatively, if one doesn’t care for the Pro ride modes/ quickshifter, the Base model would serve as a good platform to buy and then spend on accessories like crash protection, saddle stays, top box rack, fog lights and more.