GQ South Africa — May 2017

BMW G

310 R

bmw-motorrad.co.za

0-100km/h in

6.8 seconds;

top speed 145km/h

PERFORMANCE

14 l/100km

CLAIMED FUEL BASE PRICE

310cc liquid-cooled R65 000

one-cylinder

25kW and 28Nm

POWER

MAY 2017 GQ.CO.ZA 49

GREAT DRIVE

G WHIZZ! THE

BABY BEEMER

For the first time in 50 years BMW has a bike under 500cc,
and the new G 310 R takes boring out of small two-wheelers

Words by Dieter Losskarn

Y

ou’ll ind the Snake just

past the biker meeting

point of Rock Store. It’s

a popular, yet treacherous

stretch of road in the Santa Monica

Mountains outside LA, irst

popularised by Steve McQueen

blasting through on his Triumph.

I am driving BMW’s newest bike,

the G 310 R. It’s been a while since

BMW built a one-cylinder motorcycle

under 500cc – the last one was the

250cc R 27 in 1966. At irst glance

the G 310 R resembles a F 800 R. he

snub-nosed S 1000 RR look-a-like

front end gives it thrilling presence

and street cred for a mere 310cc,

though it doesn’t feel downsized at

all. With a seat height of 758mm even

taller riders will have no problem.

Surprisingly, this is the irst BMW

motorcycle not made in Germany.

It was designed and developed in

Munich, but is being produced more

cost eiciently in Bangalore, India

in co-operation with the sub-

continent’s third-biggest bike

manufacturer, TVS. It took almost

three years to transfer the Bavarian

BMW spirit to India; like getting

a lavoursome fusion of crispy pork

knuckle and

tandoori right.

he G 310 R is

assembled in

adherence to

the strict

standards of the

Berlin facility.

hough 80 per

cent of the parts

(f ra me, bra kes,

fairing and seat)

are made by TVS

or sourced in

India, the G 310

R conforms to

BMW’s brand

identity in terms

of performance,

quality and

styling. he other

components like

the Kayaba

upside down fork

The

310cc

has no

problem

keeping

up with

bigger

bikes

and non-adjustable central shock,

the Continental ABS, LCD

instrument and 17-inch Michelin

Pilot street tyres are imported.

At the heart of the bike is a

brand new liquid-cooled one-

cylinder with four-valves and

a power output of 25kW. he

engine is itted backwards into

the frame, with the inlet at the

front and the exhaust at the back

to create a more eicient air low

into the powerplant. he motor is

closer to the front wheel for better

weight distribution and front-

oriented driving behaviour.

At 160kg it is an agile and

comfortable everyday bike that

will attract novice customers

without aggravating seasoned

BMW enthusiasts. he carmaker

predicts sales of 200 000

motorcycles annually by 2020.

And there is more good news.

An enduro version, the G 310 GS,

is already available (and may even

outsell its sibling).

Back along the curv y canyons

outside LA, the premium lea

awakens above 5 000rpm with

a crisp sound. Rev it high, shift

gears often and the G 310 R has

no problem keeping up with

bigger bikes. To answer your

pressing question: does a BMW

from India work? Yes, it deinitely

does. Trust me, I am Bavarian.

he G 310 R is a real BMW, and it

will be a best-seller.