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new g310r not as smooth as I'd want it to be?

8K views 41 replies 12 participants last post by  Rahul@G310R 
#1 ·
My new 310r is only 200kms old and is due its first service in 2 weeks. when I try to rev it around 5k + rpm (under 6-7k) I feel the engine taking too much strain as if its asking for an upshift. this kinda bugs me as on YouTube riding reviews I see people with g310r usually driving around 8k rpm.

Also, due to this, its demanding faster gear shifts in city traffic than id prefer. 3rd to 4th gear is too fast then usually I have to slow down and alas downshift again.

do things get exceptionally better after first service? or does my riding experience /style is lacking something? somewhat newbie here to biking (and this is my first bike so apologies in advance if I sound like an idiot or something😅)
 
#9 ·
There are 2 ways to generate power with an internal combustion engine:
1- Big cylinders (or lots of CC) revving slowly.
2- Small cylinders (or less CC) revving like mad.

Guess what category our 313cc puts us in.....(Hint, not a Harley)

A search with this: bmw g310e power curve dyno will show you that at 6k rpm our motor is barely making 20 hp, but is close to its whopping maximum 19 NM of torque.

Also remember this is the same motor as the TVS Apache RR 310. So yeah once your 1000km is over (and even before for short periods) you can let her rip.
 
#20 ·
Hi,
As a rider for over 20 years, I think that you already have 2 very good replies:



I am sorry to say but the engine is going to remain the same and things are not going to change dramatically after the first service. This is a hard revving engine and if you want to remain in 3rd gear while doing 50kmph, then you'll be revving the engine past 4-5k rpm and that is when you will feel that the engine is getting strained, which in reality it is not cuz it does come alive at that rpm. But I know what you mean so I would say that you just need to get used to this engine characteristics. From my experience, you will be able to do 30kmph in 3rd gear at roughly 3k rpm and that is when you will feel that the engine is relaxed. Go beyond 3k rpm and you will feel that the engine is stressed. Again, perhaps you feel like that cuz you're used to riding a more relaxed engine.
But maybe I can still contribute something, since you state that you are a new rider, and there is a bit more to the total picture.
1) Running in
You should run the bike in, as specified in the manual.
This will extend the life of the motor, but will have little effect on it's overall feel. ( I actually did 1,000 miles, not just the specified 750 )
2) This bike is a single cylinder.
This format is inherently unbalanced, since there is only the weight of a single piston being thrown up and down inside the motor- up, stop, down, stop, back up.
Even with balancing weights on the crank to counteract the forces created, it will never be as smooth as an inline twin cylinder, or triple, or the most balanced of all inlines, a
four. In these formats the pistons are timed to rotate in an order to help smooth out vibration by counteracting the weight of one piston with the weight of another.
Other options, like BMW's famous 'Boxer' twin engine have 2 'opposing' cylinders. One cylinder comes out of one side of the engine, and the other on the other side.
The weight of one piston is counteracted by the opposing piston on the other side- Inherently smoother than all the above.
3) High revving engines
As the quote above, with modern lubricants and technology, engines are designed to rev high. It's not a problem !
So, I really think the concept of 'strain' at only halfway through the rev. band is misleading.
The bike is NOT 'straining', it is vibrating ( sure ), and getting nearer to the higher level of power output ( 'coming on cam' ),
That's not doing the bike any harm at all. In fact, it's exhibiting both the designed performance ( more power at higher rev.s ) and the limitations of the motor's format. ( single
cylinder at faster revolutions = more vibration )
I grew up riding 2 stroke 'screamers', which were all about maximum BHP in very narrow power bands at the very top of the rev. range.
That simply meant high rev.s or zero power. Check out reviews of the Kawasaki Mach III H1 from the 70's for the most extreme illustration: 2 choices- power off, power on !
The red line is your guide for the limits of the engine, and as a fail-safe, there is an automatic rev. limiter which just cuts the engine if you go over it.
But that says nothing about your comfort !
If you don't like the feel of the high rev.s, you'll learn how to avoid them.
4) Gears
Gears are primarily designed to maximise the power of the engine to obtain the highest speed possible.
Anyone using a pedal bike knows that to try to start off in top gear is near impossible.
Likewise, you cannot possibly pedal fast enough in a low gear to get to the same speed you can in top gear.
Now, transpose this to the motorcycle, thinking of what you asking your motor to do in each gear.
Now, question: Why do you want to 'cruise' in a low gear ? What are you trying to achieve ?
It seems to be a bit like looking through the wrong end of a telescope. You can do it, sure. But, why would you ?..
If you want the bike to feel 'lazy', choose a higher gear. Less rev.s, less vibration, but less power/slower reactions to the throttle.
Lower gear at the same speed means more rev.s, and it'll feel 'busy' !

I hope some of the above helps.
 
#10 ·
I own the GS and I read in my user manual that I should not rev beyond 6k for the first 600Kms or so. Then I should not rev the engine beyond 7k for upto 1000Kms. I am a bit hazy on the kms but my point is, it has that info there in the user manual, and I stuck to it. I suggest you go through the user manual and stick to the figures mentioned there until your first servicing is done. Then you can slowly go about lighting up snowflakes once you get comfortable with the revs.
 
#17 ·
It’s never going to be smooth. I also have an RT and that engine is smooth. I’ve done over 300 mile days on my 310 but it vibrates the whole time. There are certain engine speeds that are acceptable. I installed a smaller front chain sprocket to let the bike wind up easier. After 11,000 miles I like my 310 a lot.
If you want smooth this is the wrong bike.
 
#19 ·
The 310 is a small relatively high performance engine, it needs revs to make significant power. If you want a bike that makes enough power to cruise easily at low revs then you need to at least double the capacity to 650cc or more. Sorry, it seems that you bought the wrong bike.
 
#24 ·
From your preceding posts, a sprocket change is probably what you are looking for.
Also, our bikes are reputed as having short lower gears and long higher gears. This means that you can expect to change the first three gears pretty rapidly.
Earlier in the thread, Hasselman suggested a 15 tooth front sprocket. There are numerous threads on this subject on the forum (either removing on adding a tooth to the front sprocket)
As far as I know this should not affect warranty.
As for the "official service guys" only they can answer your question, but an independent mechanic can do it easily, and most DIY people can also do it without breaking a sweat.
 
#25 ·
From your preceding posts, a sprocket change is probably what you are looking for.
Also, our bikes are reputed as having short lower gears and long higher gears. This means that you can expect to change the first three gears pretty rapidly.
Earlier in the thread, Hasselman suggested a 15 tooth front sprocket. There are numerous threads on this subject on the forum (either removing on adding a tooth to the front sprocket)
As far as I know this should not affect warranty.
As for the "official service guys" only they can answer your question, but an independent mechanic can do it easily, and most DIY people can also do it without breaking a sweat.
That's exactly what I am looking for!

but will first service have any significant affect at low gear performances?
 
#33 ·
It has been very helpful to me adjusting to the 310 that I have years of cruising small sailboats with outboard engines.

When you have 50+ miles to your next anchorage, and zero wind, you crank that little 6hp single cylinder outboard. I set throttle at 80% and lock it, many folks go WOT and lock it. Then set the waypoints on the autohelm, and head below decks to make coffee and choose a book to read. It is very frequent that I run the little outboard engines like this 16 hours straight. And they last many years performing this way.
 
#38 ·
Lots of good responses here, but the bottom line is the bike is engineered to use the whole rpm range it's rated for...use all, or at least most, of that rpm range before bothering to shift. If you own or previously owned bikes with larger engines, you have to re-train yourself and give yourself "permission" to go high on RPMs (and smile as you do!).
 
#41 ·
My new 310r is only 200kms old and is due its first service in 2 weeks. when I try to rev it around 5k + rpm (under 6-7k) I feel the engine taking too much strain as if its asking for an upshift. this kinda bugs me as on YouTube riding reviews I see people with g310r usually driving around 8k rpm.

Also, due to this, its demanding faster gear shifts in city traffic than id prefer. 3rd to 4th gear is too fast then usually I have to slow down and alas downshift again.

do things get exceptionally better after first service? or does my riding experience /style is lacking something? somewhat newbie here to biking (and this is my first bike so apologies in advance if I sound like an idiot or something😅)
The G310R's power delivery is very flat stock, it has no additional power from 6-9k rpm. If your not reving beyond 9000, your not even close to the power band.
 
#42 · (Edited)
I believe that the 310 is quite a balanced engine. It has enough torque right from 3000 RPMs and one can casually sit at 4th gear at 40-50 kmph without any engine protest.
However, the engine definitely wakes up at 5000 RPMs (which can be heard from the engine note) and goes berserk till the redline.

In essence, the 310 has a dual nature - a relaxed ride <5k RPMs and a hooligan at 5k+ RPMs. This was one of the biggest reasons for me in considering the less powerful G310 over the Duke 390. The Duke doesn’t like <5k RPMs at all and one needs to constantly keep shifting the gears. Whereas the G310 can do 40-100+ in 4th gear without any protest.

Regarding vibrations, I think that they make themselves felt only in the first 3 gears. 4th gear onwards it becomes a much smoother affair. Mine is the BS4/EURO4 G310R that is just closing on 3000 kms.


Cheers!
 
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