BMW will introduce a naked roadster and fully-faired sportsbike based on the F 450 GS platform in the coming couple of years in India
BMW F 450 GS is expected to launch in January 2026 in the Indian market. While we still await the adventure bike to go on sale in our country, BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Flasch has revealed something interesting. He confirmed that there will be at least two more models based on the F 450 GS platform. Flasch further added that the 450cc platform will replace the 310cc platform in India and hence, it will spawn a naked roadster and fully-faired sportsbike as well, apart from the F 450 GS adventure. Needless to state, it is as big a news as the motorcycle aficionados were hoping for before the year end.
It is safe to assume that both the naked and fully-faired models, based on the 450cc engine platform, will share steel trellis frame and aluminium swingarm with the F 450 GS. However, they could be introduced with 17-inch front and rear wheels as compared to the 19-inch front wheel of the F 450 GS. In fact, the suspension travel could also be shortened.
Recently, Markus Flasch stated that the decision to equip the F 450 GS with a 19-inch front wheel in place of a 21-inch unit was taken on the basis of customer feedback. Furthermore, the company engineers were of the view that a 19-inch front wheel will lend a perfect balance to the bike for road use as well as off-roading purposes. BMW can also use the 450cc platform for other models without much modifications with 19-inch and 17-inch wheel setup.
The F 450 GS gets the Automated Shift Assistant (ASA) as standard feature. We believe that this semi-automatic gearbox could also be offered with the naked and fully-faired motorcycles based on the 450 platform. All the three bikes, including the F 450 GS, based on the 450cc engine platform will be developed by TVS at its factory in Hosur, Tamil Nadu.
TVS will also use this BMW platform to roll out new bikes in the 450cc segment. In fact, it will also be used by TVS-owned Norton motorcycles for its upcoming middleweight motorcycles in the Indian market. While TVS presented the Tangent RR concept at the EICMA 2025, which is based on the F 450 GS platform and will spawn a fully-faired motorcycle, BMW is likely to launch the naked roadster version once the ADV bike goes on sale.
TVS has even commenced the testing of its upcoming 450cc fully-faired sports motorcycle based on BMW F 450 GS platform. So, in all, the Indian two-wheeler industry is going to see a plethora of middleweight (450cc) motorcycles from the trio of BMW, TVS and Norton in the coming couple of years.
