DOUBLE TAKE

The BMW G 310 R gets a number of minor updates and an attractive price tag, making it a far more appealing motorcycle

- AATISH MISHRA

I own a KTM 390 Duke and love it for precisely two things — how sharp it is, and the price to performance ratio it delivers. So when BMW launched the G 310 R in 2018, I found it a tad too expensive. I hadn’t ridden it when I made that judgement but on paper, it was down 10bhp and cost ₹70,000 more than the KTM. BMW was a premium badge and all that, but you don’t ride a badge. You ride a motorcycle, and the whole package matters.

Fast forward to 2020, the update to the G 310 R coincides with the switch over to BS6 and with it comes a revised price. BMW has dropped prices of the G 310 R significantly and it now sits a fraction under the KTM 390 Duke making it a far more appealing option, for a larger group of prospective buyers. So much so, that BMW Motorrad dealers have been overwhelmed by bookings, and aren’t sure when production can be ramped up to satisfy the demand. There’s a fair bit that is new on the updated G 310 R. First up, the styling. It looks like a compact version of the S 1000 R and you can now draw a direct family lineage, since the latter has gotten rid of the asymmetrical headlamps. It cuts a handsome shape and has presence, particularly in this polar white paint scheme. The headlamp has now got LEDs (with a good spread and throw in high beam), as do the indicators and the taillamps. Other less noticeable changes are the switch over to ride-by-wire, a new slipper clutch and the addition of adjustable levers for both the brake and the clutch. The updates also come with a weight penalty of 5.5kg.