Baby corner carver joins fast-growing F450 range

It’s not a surprise to see BMW add a full-faired sports version to its F450 range on the heels of last year’s F450GS launch and the recent addition of the F450R roadster but we didn’t expect it to appear quite this quickly.

Heading for production in early 2027, the F450RR is essentially a faired version of the F450R, sharing the same chassis mods and suspension that appeared on that machine at its recent unveiling. The addition of lower, narrower clip-on bars and bodywork designed to mimic the S1000RR make for convincing baby sports bike to compete with the likes of Kawasaki’s Ninja 500, Honda’s CBR500R or CFMoto’s 450SR.

The bike’s specs mirror the F450R. It uses the same 35kW, 420cc parallel twin that debuted in the F450GS, and the steel tube frame design is shared by all three models, although the R and RR get lower suspension and 17-inch wheels for a much sportier rake and geometry. The RR gets uses the same subframe as the F450R, noticeably different to the GS’s version and with a 790mm seat height and removeable pillion pegs. It carries the same tail bodywork as the F450R, and the faired RR even shares the roadster’s headlight, albeit repositioned into a fixed front cowl.

That fairing’s design includes the inevitable winglets and borrows from the S1000RR’s design philosophy with an asymmetrical set of side panels that feature gills on the righthand side and a simpler air vent on the left.

Performance-wise, the 35kW peak comes at 8750rpm, paired to 43Nm at 6750rpm, with 80% of the torque on tap as low as 3000rpm. Like the rest of the bikes in the F450 range, the engine uses an oddball 135-degree crankpin offset to give a distinct character, while a counterrotating balancer shaft makes sure everything stays smooth.

The F450RR is being made in four versions: Base, Sport, M Sport and M Sport with Innovation Package. The Sport version gains BMW’s Shift Assistant Pro quickshifter and sport suspension that adds compression and rebound damping adjustment to the 43mm KYB inverted forks. All models have adjustable rear preload and rebound.

Step up to the M Sport model and the spec adds BMW’s Riding Modes Pro to the package along with an M Motorsport paint scheme. Riding Modes Pro means it has more display options for the 6.5-inch TFT dash, with track-oriented features like a lap timer, as well as an additional, configurable ‘Race Pro’ riding mode alongside the standard bike’s trio of Rain, Road and Race settings.

Finally there’s the M Sport with Innovation Package version, which takes the M Sport model and adds BMW’s Easy Ride Clutch (ERC) – a centrifugal clutch system that allows you to start or stop without touching the lever, while the quickshifter means it’s not needed for gearchanges on the go either. That ERC can also be optioned with the other models, and even retrofitted to versions that didn’t leave the factory with it.

The existence of those riding modes hints at one of the F450RR’s key features: a full set of rider aides backed up by a six-axis IMU. That means there’s cornering traction control and lean sensitive ABS, both unusual in this segment of the market, and their settings are tweaked with the riding modes that also change the throttle response.

Like the F450R, the cornering ABS works through one Brembo four-pot front caliper and a single-piston ByBre at the rear, while the Dynamic Brake Control, tied into the ride-by-wire system, prevents accidental openings of the throttle if you’re on the brakes.

There’s all the expected phone connectivity for media, music and navigation on the dash, and pleasingly you don’t need to download a special app for the first two: they’re just done by Bluetooth. For turn-by-turn navigation on the screen, controlled by the bar-mounted pod, you do need to have the BMW ConnectedRide app installed, though.

At 177kg with its 14-litre tank full, or 178kg for ERC-equipped versions, the F450RR is only 2kg heavier than the naked F450R despite its extra bodywork, and in countries where the pricing has been announced it’s surprisingly affordable, coming in as a direct competitor to the Honda CBR500R in terms of cost.