Rennie Scaysbrook | April 7, 2018
Son of a GS
Important things come in small packages. Meet the brand-new BMW G 310 GS.
This bike means more to BMW that you could imagine. The G 310 GS represents a shift in thinking, a move to make the BMW brand inclusive for not just the well-heeled among us, but riders from every corner of the globe. A brand-new BMW for under $6000 has never happened in my lifetime, and I’ll admit to thinking it’s something I would never see—but then again, I didn’t think I’d see an entry-level GS, either.
The new 310 GS will put BMW ownership on the table for so many new riders. BMW will sell a lot of these bikes.
The 310 is not exactly a full-blown German ADV bike (to read our world intro report on the G 310 GS, click HERE. Its roots come from India, in the TVS Motors-built G 310 R roadster (click HERE).
at the North American launch last year. The GS is essentially the same bike, with the same base engine and chassis, but there’s a new exhaust and heat shield, longer travel suspension, a two-inch taller seat (a low-seat height is available), the obvious bodywork updates, tires, enduro footpegs, wider handlebars and switchable two-channel ABS—a feature many bikes twice the capacity and twice the MSRP don’t have.
Click here to read this in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN WING
The 310 is the only single-cylinder GS in a lineup now six bikes strong, but it’s not the first. That honor goes to the F 650 GS, which later morphed into the G 650 GS and was discontinued last year. So, the little 310 has a special place in the BMW team, as it’s over half the capacity of the next bike in the lineup—the F 700 GS.
Lady in red: Choose one of the base colors and it’s a few hundred bucks cheaper than the Motorrad paint scheme.
Inside that hard-working lump of alloy sits a single piston capable of revving to 10,000 rpm, and if you’ve ever had a single cylinder engine revving that hard you’ll know it’s a gnarly sound. BMW claims 34 horsepower at 9500 rpm and 21 lb-ft of torque at 7500 rpm for the little 313cc Indian motor, coupled to a six-speed gearbox. Those numbers aren’t going to set your pants on fire but they are only hauling a bike weighing a claimed 374 pounds fully fueled, ready to go.
That’s the most immediate thing you notice about the mini GS—the sheer lack of weight. Anyone who has ridden a GS will know they are not the smallest or lightest of bikes, especially the 1200 and 1200 Adventure, and the 310 feels like a bicycle in comparison.
Build quality is very good on the little BMW.
The suspension is certainly soft but it does an admirable job of soaking up small to medium sized bumps and dirt-road potholes. Hit something too hard and the fork will blow through the stroke very quickly, and as the fork is not adjustable (preload adjustment on the shock only), this is something you must keep in mind. Despite this, it is genuinely surprising just how much fun you can have on dirt roads on the little GS. The lack of weight makes for a supremely maneuverable machine, and the Metzeler Tourance dual-sport tires have a good level of wet-weather dirt grip as well as adequate grip for the street.
That badge means an awful lot to BMW, so they had to make sure they got the new bike right.
The fact you can switch the ABS off on the fly via the little switch on the left handlebar is a major factor in what makes this bike a genuine off-road-capable ride. The brakes themselves are more than up to the task and like the ones found on the KTM RC 390 sport bike (they are made by Bybre, a subsidiary of Brembo and made in Mexico).
Bybre makes the front brake. It’s the same as ones found on little sportbikes like the KTM RC 390.
The muffler is one of the few changes made, compared to the G 310 R.
The GS’s street manners are impeccable for a bike of this price. It’s a genuinely enjoyable bike just to cruise around on thanks to the relaxed riding position, although you do have to keep that little motor spinning up high to keep it in the meat of its power. There’s not much in terms of bottom-end torque if you’re a gear too high—you need to be on the boil to keep the motor in its happy zone, especially so if you decide to hit the freeway. The motor is good for 90 mph with a tailwind, and will happily sit on 75-80 mph all day—once you get used to the sound of that piston screaming up and down the bore just below your crown jewels.
Basic off-road riding is no problem on the 310. Go any harder than this and you might run into problems.
Where this motor shines, though, is not on the freeway but in twisty, slow-speed backroads and, you guessed it, dirt roads. Anything below 50 mph and the TVS-build motor is having a great time, and as there’s only 34 horsepower on tap, it’s easy to control while still providing enough go to be fun.
Preload adjustment is on the shock, but there’s no adjustment up front.
Those taller riders used to bigger ADV bikes will find the ride position a little cramped but it’s nothing a set of bar risers won’t fix. The seat height is reasonably tall at 32.9 inches, so this is a bike that should fit a huge range of body sizes and if you find this bike too tall in standard trim, you can knock 0.6 inches off the seat height with the low-seat option.
The dash is a little bland, but contains everything you need, including a gear-position indicator and remaining-fuel meter. You’d be amazed how many bikes three-times the price don’t have those simple additions.
Adventure riders will be happy to see you can take the rubber inserts out of the pegs to get more traction in slippery conditions, but they may scoff at the cast alloy wheel setup as standard and the plastic engine guard. BMW doesn’t offer a spoked wheel for the GS, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get them (scroll down).
San Diego back-road riding was a cinch on the 310, with surprisingly good grip offered by the Metzeler tires.
It’s easy to look at an ADV bike costing under $6000 and think it’s going to be rubbish, especially as Indian-made motorcycles still suffer from a stigma of underperforming manufacturing, but the truth is, the G 310 GS is an excellent bike for the price. And the important part is it feels like a GS. It doesn’t feel like a cheap knock-off—build quality is very good, as is the ride experience, so when you consider this is a BMW for under $6000, it’s hard to fault. There are many 250cc single-cylinder dual sport bikes out there that will easily eclipse the BMW’s off-road capabilities, but none will be as good on the road, which, let’s face it, is a large part of adventure riding.
BMW and TVS Motors have done an excellent job with the G 310 GS. CN
Take One 310, add Rally Raid
British company Rally Raid has a long history in making excellent adventure products, products that can turn a bike from an everyman’s ADV machine (such as the G 310 GS), into a real off-road-capable machine that can handle seriously rugged riding.
They’ve recently turned their attention to the 310 and are now offering various kits for the smallest GS.
They center around suspension upgrades, which come in two different versions depending on your budget and riding goals and can be made to lower the bike. Rally Raid also provides heavy-duty 17-inch rear, and 19-inch front, spoked gold rims that can be made tubeless, an alloy bottom engine guard, tall adventure windshield, a Scorpion Racing exhaust, a bar riser kit as well as a fat/taper bar. The full range is not yet uploaded to the Rally Raid site, but to see what else they have, click HERE.
BMW also provides a range of accessories but these mainly focus on luggage like a 30L top-case and racks, as well as the lower 32.3-inch seat and a high comfort seat of 33.5 inches. BMW also provides items like an additional accessories socket, dual USB charger and the Motorrad navigation system.
To have a look at the full accessory range from BMW, click HERE.
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SPECIFICATIONS
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2018 BMW G 310 GS ($5696 base/ $5940)
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Engine:
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Liquid-cooled, SOHC, 8 Valve, parallel twin
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Displacement:
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313cc
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Bore x stroke:
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80 x 62.1mm
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Compression ratio:
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10.6:1
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Clutch:
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Wet multi-plate
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Transmission:
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6-speed
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Chassis:
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Tubular steel frame in grid structure w/ bolted rear subframe
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Front suspension:
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41mm conventional fork
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Rear suspension:
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Monoshock with preload adjustment
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Front brake:
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300mm disc, four-piston caliper, ABS
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Rear brake:
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240mm disc, single-piston caliper, ABS
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Front tire:
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110/80-19 in.
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Rear tire:
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150/70-17 in.
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Wheelbase:
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58.2 in.
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Seat height:
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32.8 in.
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Fuel capacity:
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2.9 gal.
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Weight:
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373 lbs. (ABS curb, claimed)
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Color:
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Cosmic Black, Racing Red and Pearl White metallic
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