[Zente]

Just registered a little while ago and hopefully I will be able to pick a few brains before I get my G310GS. I have been riding motorcycles since 1971 on and off road but mostly on. This will be a downsize for me as I am retiring my old 1971 hard tailed Harley chopper. I have ridden Kawasaki's, Honda's, Harley's and in the dirt the old Hodaka 100 super rat as well as few kdr's. I will hopefully be able to get my first BMW around the first of the year if all goes well. Any insight from other small displacement riders will be of great help.

Thanks and Good to be here.

 

[LiquidCool]

Welcome to the forum and great to have experienced riders on board!

I'm waiting for the GS model too! But the wait seems to be a long one and it's going to be my first bike. There's already a few ride reviews on here for the R model, though the GS will most likely feel different.

 

[bmwrider]

I take it you have come to a point where you're tired of the bigger CC bikes? I typically see that from guys that have been riding for a while, they come back to the smaller CC stuff, but not too small, this G310R is perfect. I can see myself coming back to this after a coupe years with an S1000RR

 

[Zente]

Yea my Harley is around 600lbs and it is a pain in the butt to move in traffic ( and it only gets about 35mpg ). SoCal freeways are basically big parking lots from 6:30 am to 9:30 am and then from 4pm till around 8:30pm M-Sat and that is "Without" any accidents. I plan on getting used to the GS for a few months and then take some 1500 to 2000 mile ( each way ) trips to see family and friends in the mid-central USA ( Texas, Tennessee, Montana, and Colorado ). To go from LA to San Diego ( 120 miles approx ) non peak hours takes about 2hrs - 2hrs 30m during rush hours plan on 4-5hrs or longer. We are allowed to lane split and use CarPool ( HOV ) lanes on motorcycles but splitting lanes in heavy traffic on the freeway with a Harley is Asking to be hit. The drivers in the HOV lanes think they are exempt from speed limits and treat them as a race course. I generally keep my speed at about the speed limit ( 65mph ) or a hair above 65-70mph.

 

[Boer]

Hi from Norway.
I downsized from my Harley sportster 1200. I couldnt use my sportster no more, becouse of my shoulderproblems, and my shoulders love the G310R, no pain no more

 

[LiquidCool]

Didn't know what the Harley sportster 1200 was and had to look it up. Seems like the handlebars makes your shoulders raise a bit when you're cruising, I can see how that gets tiring over time. Guess it's a Harley thing from what I'm reading here.

 

[angiedave]

Hi Z, I rode a Suzuki van van before the 310 and as I found it hard to keep up with the flow of traffic on her but the 310 is like a superbike to me plenty of torque, not interested in overtaking just keeping the idiot car drivers from trying to knock me off ! I feel much safer on the 310. all the best, dave.

 

[Zente]

Thanks for the heads up Dave. I am hoping that the GS will be pretty close at freeway speeds to the R. I am going to use a smallish Military backpack with the Molle system as my rear bag and add additional packs and bags as needed to hold my riding gear. I think I can organize and keep accessible all my essential stuff better than a typical soft sided pannier and use the Molle strapping system to attach it much like the DrySpec D78 bags. If anyone has insight on packing a motorcycle for long trips please let me know so I can get some tips.

 

[LiquidCool]

I think great packing guides are from adventure rider blogs, people who has already gone through the planning process and troubleshoot all the problems you may come across. Depending on what kind of trip you take, an extra gallon of gas wouldn't hurt.

 

[Sidewinder]

Welcome welcome

A lot of people are in for the downsizing but just wondering why not keep it on the side and have something to cruise out with on the weekends?

 

[bmwrider]

Hi Z, I rode a Suzuki van van before the 310 and as I found it hard to keep up with the flow of traffic on her but the 310 is like a superbike to me plenty of torque, not interested in overtaking just keeping the idiot car drivers from trying to knock me off ! I feel much safer on the 310. all the best, dave.

Yup, always hated anything under 200 unless it was for purely city riding. Lucky for Suzuki an increasing amount of people are moving into cities making the new Van Van 200 ideal. It helps that these are within reach of the typical scooter crowd.

 

[LiquidCool]

At least with the 310, you also have the option of going on the freeway if you ever need to do it. Not sure about the vanvan because of its engine and how much it'll struggle getting up to speed. Though I have heard great things about its couch-like seat.

 

[SlickRick]

The Van Van is ideal for city riding, especially when you have to tackle uphills where anything smaller would struggle. Just not too sure if they're freeway friendly.

 

[Zente]

Well my old Harley is a ridged framed chopper I built in the 70's so it is a back and kidney killer. It looks cool but really is not ride-able for me any more. It still has drum brakes, an extremely stiff clutch, that many people today can hardly pull ( too used to hydraulic systems and soft clutches ). It also has a kick starter that can ( if a centrifugal advance spring breaks ) throw you over the handlebars and break your knee. Not to mention had close to 150k miles on it last time I had a odometer on it ( which was 10 years ago ). I have been offered $3500 for it the way it sits by an HD mechanic and sales guy I know from my local HD dealer. So with that money to offset the cost of the new G310 GS it is a win win. I get a new bike I will ride and I get the old beast out of my garage that I hardly ever ride anymore.

 

[Sidewinder]

That does sound pretty treacherous and tedious to ride :|

But hey, if you aren't gonna miss it too much and the G310 GS is going to be a lot more ideal for you, then that'll be great!

 

[LiquidCool]

Oh god, I had to ride a dirt bike with a kick starter during my new rider course and that thing is horrible. Maybe it's because the bike has been through a lot, but it took so much effort to kick that lever down to start the bike.

The G310GS will be so much better in comparison.

 

[EvryDayRide]

Well my old Harley is a ridged framed chopper I built in the 70's so it is a back and kidney killer. It looks cool but really is not ride-able for me any more. It still has drum brakes, an extremely stiff clutch, that many people today can hardly pull ( too used to hydraulic systems and soft clutches ). It also has a kick starter that can ( if a centrifugal advance spring breaks ) throw you over the handlebars and break your knee. Not to mention had close to 150k miles on it last time I had a odometer on it ( which was 10 years ago ). I have been offered $3500 for it the way it sits by an HD mechanic and sales guy I know from my local HD dealer. So with that money to offset the cost of the new G310 GS it is a win win. I get a new bike I will ride and I get the old beast out of my garage that I hardly ever ride anymore.

Lol, with how much of a death trap you make the old Harley out to be, I'm somewhat surprised to hear that the dealership wanted it. At least the g310r is a lot safer and more gentle on your back with how upright it sits.

 

[Sidewinder]

Probably because it was a real good looker and sounded badass. They like that kinda stuff because it sells

 

[angiedave]

Hi Z, when you get your GS and maybe don't want the topbox carrier ill do you a swop for my grab handles ? the carrier looks standard on the GS but hens teeth more available than the carrier for the 310 !