BMW G310GS

[Smithy]

I went for a test ride yesterday on the G310GS and was pleasantly surprised, it punches well above its weight. The motor although quite revvy is very tractable and certainly smoother than my F650. It was a dream to ride around town, light and flickable with decent brakes and sat on the dual carriageways I went on at 65mph easily with more to come. It also feels like a full-size bike and handled my 5'10", 20 stone self really well with plush suspension and ride.

I know 313cc isn't much and may not suit some people but I found it enough and certainly would buy one when funds allow.

Ian

[Andy M]

Good review, thanks for posting. This is another one on my 2020 shopping list. I  detest BMW branding, but could probably get over that.

Does it have CANbus or conventional electrics?

Andy

[Smithy]

Hi Andy

To be honest I'm not sure about the electrics, mostly because I don't understand electrics much at all. I understand what you mean about BMW branding, but then again it is difficult to find any big bike company without an element of 'lifestyle' branding. I suppose the biggest drawback with BMW is that some people say it stands for Bring More Wallet!

Ian

[Half Ton]

Rally Raid are already building parts for them (not quite available yet) i.e.. spoked wheels,front fork mods etc. I think this is going to be an awesome bike with a few trick bits on.

[timbo]

Nice real world report Ian. Thank you 😉

[silver]

Thanks for the report. I just sold my f800s after 4.5 years of fun as I now want something lighter. What was low speed steady state like at 30. Some bikes are very sensitive to throttle and difficult to maintain steady speed. Had a 690 duke that was appalling at 30 steady. Got rid of very quickly. Thanks for review.

[Smithy]

Hi Silver (so tempted to put Hiyo Silver away! But then I would be showing my age.)

From what I remember of the test ride the 310 was very smooth and I didn't notice any surging or snatchiness. Definitely smoother than my then owned F650.

Ian

[xbally]

I have a 690 Duke and have to agree the fuelling is poor unless you are riding it like you stole it. They are great fun but i can see how it would easily become tedious when commuting. There's a place in Hinckley which does a re-map which i'm considering in the spring.

[Moto63]

Told you to go for the 390 Martin....could have saved yourself the remapping cost .😁😁😁👍. Still glad to hear you're enjoying the 690 tho👍👍
Cheers, Michael

[xbally]

Thanks Michael.The 390 would have been great at another time (and maybe in the future) but for the moment the 690 suits my needs better. I seem to recall you changed the exhaust on yours? Did you just change the can or the complete system?

[Moto63]

Evening Martin, I changed the pipe from the link pipe through to the can itself. I went for a high level Austin racing titanium system, quite loud but absolutely transformed the way the bike performed and I don't just mean in speed terms. It now pulls right through the rev range and performs more like a single shud rather than like a twin , which it did with the standard system on it.

[silver]

I had a ride on an ex demo on monday and left a deposit, i loved it although it runs out of puff from about 80.  The fuelling is spot on with no snatchiness, stable at speed and virtually vibration free. Feels like a big bike but without the weight. I think they are on a winner here. Picking it up on thursday from cheltenham. I shall be coming back the scenic route. Thats me now with 3 singles and a tripleAll the best .

[xbally]

Evening Martin, I changed the pipe from the link pipe through to the can itself. I went for a high level Austin racing titanium system, quite loud but absolutely transformed the way the bike performed and I don't just mean in speed terms. It now pulls right through the rev range and performs more like a single shud rather than like a twin , which it did with the standard system on it.

Thanks Michael. I take it your bike still has the cat' fitted then?

[Guzziless Steve]

You are paying a lot to have the BMW badge on a Chinese bike though.

[RonXBR]

The G310's both R and GS are built in India under a joint venture between BMW and TVS. Had a test ride on one of the R versions and was impressed. Easy to ride and handle. Not the fastest, but on the kind of roads I ride, anything over 60mph means you're in the hedges, instead of riding between them. For the money, build quality is good. Of course some parts are not top notch, but this is an entry level bike. Brakes are Bybre, made in India Brembo's. These type of companies can't afford to put their name to some kind of cheap product. Will probably get one of these at some stage soon. It will have to be the R model, as I have legs which mean my backside is close to the ground.

Ron.