Big Adventure In A Small Package

WE RIDE THE EAGERLY AWAITED BMW G 310 GS IN AUSTRALIA BEFORE ITS INDIA LAUNCH!

- Sunil Gupta

 

IT is a matter of great pride that a premium motorcycle marque like BMW is producing their small capacity bikes in India. It is a matter of greater perplexity as to why it isn’t being sold here!

Earlier we had ridden the BMW G 310R in Australia this time it was the turn of its adventure sibling, the G 310GS.

The small adventure offering from the bavarian manufacturer makes far more sense than its roadster counterpart. The 310R would have to take on the might of the Austrians in the form of the already entrenched Dukes. Not an easy battle that! The 310GS on the other hand will have first mover advantage, with KTM’s Adventure 390 still nowhere close to realisation. The only direct competition it will have is with the Royal Enfield Himalayan which was plagued with issues when first launched.

Why this bike makes perfect sense for India?

Currently, the 200+ cc is one of the fastest growing segments in the Indian motorcycle industry. Riders are desperate to upgrade to something that will be a whole lot more fun than their current bike, without burning a hole in their pocket. Therein lies the success of the KTMs. In India there being a dearth of racetracks and proper stunting a sport in its infancy, most riders take to touring to indulge their biker cravings. And it really doesn’t matter what the motorcycle is, sport, naked, carbed, fuel injected; all these bikes are used to traverse the length and breadth of the country.

So why not a dedicated tourer like the 310GS. The Mahindra Mojo, Bajaj Dominar, Royal Enfield Himalayan and even relatively new entrant UM Motorcycles are targeting riders who want to travel.