In a lot of international markets, KTM and BMW are fierce rivals. But what the Germans did not have so far was a sub-500 cc motorcycle – a segment where the Autrians have scored a lot of brownie points the world over. But not anymore…
BMW is venturing into this 300 cc battle with its first product G310 R slated to be launched in India in the first half of next year (officially confirmed by BMW). Why this motorcycle holds a lot of significance is because it will be the first true test for KTM yet and gauging by their (BMW’s) international placement strategy (under Duke 390), it will be all aggression for sure!
For our market, BMW is still some time away from starting their promotional campaigns, but in a few international markets they recently carried out media rides and we have a lot of interesting bits to capture from the reviews posted…
We are basically concentrating on these three reviews for now..
- COSTA RIDES BMW’S NEW G310R by Canadamotoguide.com
- 2017 BMW G 310 R First Ride Test by Ultimatemotorcycling.com
- 2018 BMW G 310 R – FIRST RIDE REVIEW by Cycleworld.com
Summary of Interesting Facts
G310 R – Quality, Fit & Finish
First things first, all of them are of the unanimous view that, though it is the cheapest BMW and is made in India by TVS, G310 R boasts of fantastic quality, fit and finish for a sub $5000 motorcycle. Earlier, BMW claimed that all motorcycles made here will have to pass their quality standards and going by what we hear G310 R will be no exception.
In fact, a few portals also claim that the visible quality and finish is better than KTM Duke 390!
G310R Engine Behaviour & How it Rides:
It has been best defined by Canadamotoguide. They say that
The counterbalanced engine is mostly smooth; the mirrors are clear at 90-100 km/h, with a buzzing vibration increasing at about 110, which was prominent in the handlebar, foot pegs and gas tank by about 115
The bike smooths out a bit at higher speeds and can cruise all day long at 120 km/h.
All of them say that the engine is responsive and torque has a very good spread. Canadamotoguide was also quick to point out that all the six gears are closely-spaced and at 110 km/h the engine rpm is around 7000. What this means is that G310 R will be short-geared (like Duke 390) and is being designed to be a nice little city-gadabout! Regarding vibrations, as you can read, these guys say that they are fairly-well contained, but are present!
Seat Height Options:
In its standard form G310 R gets a seat height of 785 mm. Canadamotoguide informs that there are other seat height options as well but they will come at a price. Which basically means that if you want to reduce or increase your seat height on the G310 R, you can, by paying some additional amount.
G310 R Instrumentation:
The cockpit of G310 R gets the following information meters
- Speedometer
- tachometer
- Gear position indicator
- Clock
- Fuel gauge
- Fuel economy meter
- Trip Meter
Yes there is a fuel efficiency meter as well which tells you how much petrol is the motorcycle consuming.
G310 R Exhaust Note:
The best description comes in the form of the following statement.
subdued compressor-like exhaust note.
So, clearly the big single cylinder engine, like KTM 390s, is not impressive in terms of aural experience.
G310 R’s ABS & Brakes
BMW is offering ABS as standard on their small ‘R’ (which stands for ‘Roadster’) BUT it is not switchable (Duke 390 comes with switchable ABS). Even its Adventure sibling G310 GS comes with switchable ABS.
Powered by Bybre brakes, G310 R has ‘acceptable’ stopping power, as per the reviews. They are not complaining but do not sound very upbeat about it.
G310 R’s Customisation Options & Accessories
BMW will offer the following major customisation options
- Top case
- 12-volt power outlet
- heated grips (most probably will not be available for India)
- saddlebags
- Center stand (yes, it will come standard with a side stand only)
G310 R Warranty
BMW will offer G310 R with a best-in-class three-year warranty which we expect to percolate to India as well. In comparison, KTM Duke 390 is warranted for 2 years.
So, there we are… waiting for possibly the most interesting motorcycle launch of next year! Regarding price, we have given three reasons why it should be priced under Duke 390.
