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I am 165 cms tall and I could flat-foot due to the hump right there
Ergonomics – The BMW G 310 GS is an adventure motorcycle and as we hear adventure, higher ground clearance with higher seat height is evident. At 835 mm, the GS is tall to get on, but the softly sprung suspension would sit down a little and the rider would have enough height to tip-toe. The seating posture is upright and the adjustable handlebars come to good use as the rider can find and adjust to a perfectly comfortable posture. The G 310 GS gets the GS family ergonomics and hence the metal footpegs are centre-set and get rubber pads which can be removed for more grip while off-roading.
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Power delivery is very linear yet the 310 motor has a strong mid-range
Performance – Powered by the same 313cc engine, the BMW G 310 GS produces 34 PS of power and 28 Nm of torque. These numbers are exactly the same across all the three 310s. However, the BMW engines get a slightly different state of tune. The low-end has more punch while the mid-range and the top-end are relatively the same. It’s a single cylinder unit and the vibrations are evident but the buzz kicks in after 7000 RPM. During idling, there is some sort of vibrations and the exhaust note isn’t interesting. It becomes throaty post 6000 RPM and the motor redlines at 11,000 RPM.
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Throttle response is so good, you could actually carry a wheelie
The exhaust note gets throaty and loud as the revs go higher, it sounds really good towards the redline
The clutch is light and the gearbox has crisp shifts. However, first gear is tall and the motorcycle redlines at 58 km/hr while the rest of the gears are short and you need to shift to third gear to reach the ton. Cruising at 100 km/hr in 6th gear, the tachometer stays at around 6000-6500 RPM which is pretty decent. There is no harshness in the engine except for the vibrations which kick-in in the top-end. The reverse-inclined 310 motor feels like it’s built to last!
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One can find various comfortable riding positions according to the road
Riding Dynamics – The stint with the GS was for a small duration but we took it to all kinds of roads. From road to off-road to no-roads and the GS didn’t stop. There were places which felt like the bike would get stuck or something would hit the belly or the engine. But the high ground clearance and the dual purpose tyres kept the motorcycle going. The suspension also did such a fabulous job. The BMW G 310 GS would just glide over irregular road undulations and would work better on extreme off-road conditions. But when there was no road, just stand up and it became very easy to tackle any terrain.
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Holds the line well, but doesn’t stay as planted while cornering
Ride quality is so good, the G 310 GS doesn’t require a second thought to go over the worst of roads
However, the loose soil was an issue as the tyres were dual purpose Metzelers which were meant for only road and slight off-road riding. The only gripe about riding dynamics was that the suspension was too soft and tipping the GS into corners wasn’t confidence inspiring as it wouldn’t stay planted. But the same was fun off-road. Braking performance is outstanding and the switchable ABS helps a lot during off-roading. But the GS just nose-dives under hard braking as the long-travel suspension (40 mm increase in suspension travel both at the front and rear) comes into play.
