[G310Admin]

Balanced & Agile

As reviews from owners start rolling in, one common characteristic found is that overall the G310R is smooth, balanced and agile off its feet. Much like what you will find from some publications, CycleWorld being one. But there has been some complaints about steering and transmission.

When shopping this bike I once said I was looking for reviews and could not find many… so now that I have it let me share my own observations.

Got mine June 12th, first one sold by my local dealer in Montreal, QC. I rode it to work every day since, even under rain. Very pleased with it so far.
This is not my first bike, got higher displacement bikes in the past, but this time just felt I did not need a big bike for the common usage I’m needing it for. My daily commute distance is 30km round-trip and in the city, no highway, so the average speed I reach is very low. Something light, easy to maneuver and affordable were my criteria, and these are met with this bike. Here the registration under 400cc is cheaper, and it also reflects on for insurance (rare thing, a check from them is even in the mail for the difference compared to my previous bike).

The bike is smooth and to my surprise does not vibrate the way I was expecting from a mono-cylinder. My last bike as a KTM 690 and I could barely see in the mirrors since they were vibrating so much! This is a no-issue with the G310R.

Overall the bike inspires confidence, seems the weight is really well balanced. Feels well “planted” and so you don’t fear to lean it in the curves. VERY quick from switching from a side to another, will be fun to ride in twisty roads for sure. The stock tires, Michelin Pilot Street are doing a great job. Unless putting the bike on a track, I would not see the need to swap these tires before using all the thread they have!

Source: A week later...

I rode my bike today for about 100 clicks mileage still under 300. I really like this bike, feels well balanced overall and fairly surefooted. Rear breaks are very good, fronts are good. Suspension is great at this price even without adjusting the rear. Clutch is fantastic and very light on effort with a great progressive release.

Yes the ride is truly fantastic and this is a brand new bike so it will just get better as the suspension is broken in. The bike is a bit less confident once you hit 100 km/h and over as it's fairly light but overall I'd say a very civilized ride all along. Minimal vibration also. No hotspots anywhere your body usually touches or brushes against, you can tell the designers took great care on making sure engine heat is managed away from rider at all times.

I had heard Bimmer trannys are finicky at times so I guess my experience is part of this. While I've experienced this on Homda CBR as well the frequency was far less often and it took a lot less effort to get back in gear.

Nevertheless this bike is worth every penny and then some. It has surprisingly good pull even in 6th. gear, never feels underpowered.

More than a few people felt like they had to stop and compliment the bike ) even next to my buddy's F800R. I think the beautiful pearl metallic paint has something to do with it.

Even though it's only 300cc it has a lot of power from very low rpm.i was very happy with the power of the bike generally.

The gear box was bad on my first test drive.i couldn't find neutral at all!vey disappointed with the gear box.but when I tested the bike again after few weeks and the bike had 800 klm, things were very better!so I suppose later on with an oil change the gear box will be fine with the neutral problem.

The suspension is very good with the bad Greek roads.

Source: Information on G310R arrival to Canada!
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Brakes

Brakes have been getting positive feedback especially as owners continue the break-in process which could over time get rid of the diving that some publications have been reporting. So far members like Zente and Ligkonakos are happy.

Been reading a lot of reviews and they say the brakes are pretty soft. Most reviewers seem to be on either brand new bikes or demo's with very few miles / kilometers on them. So to the new owners out there how do the brakes feel to you. Can you stop quickly? Does the front brake seem to be soft and require a good amount of rear brake applied to achieve good stopping power? Also do they seem to get better as you break in the bike overall? Any other comments are greatly appreciated while I await my G310GS.

Brakes are definitely beast. I generally tend to avoid using brakes altogether if I can help it, but a two times I had to use them full-force due to reckless drunk drivers (I should stop riding on Saturday nights). I was riding at about 75-80km/h steadily and I reached 0 km/h in about ~1.5-2 seconds. First time ABS kicked in, second time I didn't need ABS but I noticed I came to a stop slightly slower.

Front brake is solid, rear brakes feel a bit iffy. I mainly use them in conjunction to front braking or if I'm cruising at 20-30km/h in the city or if I'm taking some sharp turns, for better balance.

They definitely feel better with usage though, I remember they were pretty stiff and felt like they were "sliding" on the wheels rather than making friction with them on the first few kilometers.

Source: To all owners, How are the Brakes?
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Seat Options

With three seat options on any bike will come healthy discussion of what owners experience is like in the process. Some concerns have been brought up which future owners should pay close attention to.

Has anyone managed to order a low seat?
Im told you have the buy the bike with the stock seat, then buy a low seat, fit and throw away the stock seat.
Also centre stands are not avaiLable to order in the uK

why do BMW market a bike to new riders and then make it expensive for them to get on the road, Nice intro into the BMW family.

I was told that the different seats where an option and didn't cost any extra if you ordered the seat with your bike (i.e. you only get 1 seat). The problem was that the dealer didn't have any high or low seats for the demonstrator, so I just went with the normal seat and am happy with it. I agree that each dealer should have at least one of each so that potential buyers can try them out and order them at the start (at no additional cost) and not have to buy them as a separate item at a later stage.

Source: low seat non option?
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Transmission

While gearing does complement the G310R's powerplant there has been valuable feedback from owners on what switching through the gears is like. It has reportedly got better with more miles. Although not much of a concern, future owners should pay attention here as well.

The transmission gears are very close. To reach a cruising speed of 50km I find myself shifting up to 4th gear. Riding in the city mean you’ll constantly be switching gears. 1st gear is very low. Seems like you can almost use the 2nd gear as the first one. (I might consider putting a front sprocket with one more tooth when/if that becomes available to see if it better fits my city pace). That being said, when I’m done with the break-in maybe I’ll end up cruising the bike in higher revs. Right now still sticking (maybe a bit too strickly!) with manufacturer’s recommendation of running under 6K RPM. I went on the highway reached about 100km/h at the 6000 RPM mark, so I did not test the bike in much higher speed yet. Ride was still very stable at that speed.

Brakes took a good 50km to start to be somewhat responsive. Same goes for the shifting mechanism where the more I ride the better it gets. On the way out of the dealer, I was having a hard time putting it in Neutral (found it was easier to find neutral when down from 2nd than up from 1st gear) . Also got the ‘-‘ mark a few times in the first rides. Never had issue finding 6th as other reported. From all new bikes previously owned, this is probably the one asking the more mileage to break-in the transmission, at least from what I recall. I’m at 220km and I hope things will still improve in that area.

I think going from 1st to neutral is difficult by design, couldn't do it while the engine was running, but managed it very easily when the engine was off. Just goes to show the high level of quality design that BMW has put into the bike.

Source: A week later...
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Steering

Feedback on steering and suspension has been neutral and also another area to watch as owners put more miles on. But as an everyday bike made for the global market with sufficient dampening and stability, we can see these areas getting a passing grade so far.

On the negative side, steering could be more responsive (tires are new though so it could improve), gearing is clearly designed for Asian markets, really feels like it could use a 7th. or a bit more space between the gears.

The suspension is very good with the bad Greek roads.

The only basic negative for me is that on the high way and open roads i feel the bike very light and don't feel secure.maybe because I used to fazer that was a bike very stable on the road with a lot of speed and air crashing on you,i think I will get use of it ,it is normal because these bikes were not built for high ways and very open roads.
When I test the bike to narrow mountain roads the feeling there was great,the bike had power and it was stable and I was confident.

Source: Information on G310R arrival to Canada!

 

[Mikestib1]

My 310r only has 100 miles on the odo and initially when coming to a stop and going from second to neutral, I would end up in first gear. Once I made sure to set the clutch lever play to 1mm with the engine warmed up, much less problem. On my bike the gearshift lever seemed too high. I adjusted the linkage so the lever is about 3/8" lower and all shifts and neutral are perfect. If you choose to adjust the gearshift Be aware both lock nuts are reverse thread so you need to turn clockwise to loosen them.

 

[LiquidCool]

I don't suppose someone can provide a video tutorial for those who has never owned a bike and has small hands? I had some trouble gripping the student bike clutches at my riding class.

 

[porth]

Make sure you reach forward over the brake lever with your fingers (all 4) while rolling off the throttle with your thumb. Squeeze the brake lever with your hand moving in a forward direction (i.e. don't pull the brake lever so that you are rolling on the throttle). Hope that hasn't confused you.

 

[angiedave]

Ill try your mod Mike, I lifted brake pedal, much better on the ankle now.

 

[Guest]

LOVE the bike and am having an absolute BLAST on it. Reminds me of my first few years of riding. Just pure and light fun.

Dislikes:

Really buzzy engine during break-in but I get it...

Clutch at take-off/1st gear is absolutely numb. Hoping at first services it gets a little more feel to it.

Overall I grin every time I get on it. Right now it is my ONLY transportation so it goes everywhere in everything!

B