To absolutely no one's surprise, BMW officially announced the G310, a single-cylinder entry-level machine due here in mid 2016 to take up the battle with KTM's Duke 390 and RC390, as well as the small-scale roadsters from Japan. As part of BMW's plans for global domination, the G310 shores up the brand's low-cost segment, currently bedrocked by the G650 thumpers. What's more, it's expected to be part of a line of bikes on this platform, likely to include a supersport-styled RR variant and an off-roady GS iteration.
An entirely new design, the G310R uses a 313cc liquid-cooled single with a reversed cylinder head. Intake air enters at the front, with the exhaust facing aft. As expected, the cylinder is rocked backward to make room for the electronic fuel injection and part of the airbox near the front of the tank and to shorten the exhaust path to the large, right-side muffler. (There doesn’t appear to be an under-body canister, so the large muffler is probably carrying a catalyst.) Large, S1000R-style flanks help disguise the odd-looking, rear-canted engine.
BMW is claiming 34 hp at 9,500 rpm, which would put it well behind the KTM 390 single and the Japanese twins—Kawasaki’s Ninja 300 makes 34.5 hp at the rear wheel while Yamaha’s larger R3 engine puts down 37.3 hp.
Chassis wise, the G310R is what’s expected for the class, a steel-tube frame, single shock rear, and an inverted fork up front. Brakes are single discs front and rear, with Bybre (Indian Brembo) calipers. Two-channel ABS is standard. According to BMW, “The compact, dynamic proportions and the short wheelbase promise fast changes of direction, while the high rear conveys a lightness that is suggestive of the bike's sporty genes.” Specs are still in short supply, but we do know the G310 has a 30.9-inch seat height and a claimed wet weight of 349 pounds. (If true, that would undercut the Honda CBR300R by 10 pounds; the last one we had weighed 359 pounds on our scales.)
We don’t have prices yet, but we'll make that information available as soon as we hear. We can only hope that it’ll come in near the KTM Duke 390’s $4,999 MSRP.
