The G310R is, clearly, no boxer but the ‘reverse’
cylinder – exhaust header coming out of the
rear of the cylinder – sets the bike apart from
the competition. The 313cc single is by no
means the biggest hitter compared to the twin
cylinder machines in the class, but still manages
to pack decent mid-range punch. Certainly
impressive when you consider the engine is
designed with lower compression, so as to run
on the lower grade fuels you might find in
other less civilised parts of the world.
My limited fuel consumption test figure
shocked me. Taken from a 100km/h, 65km
long run – prime conditions for good figures –
it returned 3.4l/100km. Given that the bike has
that lower compression ratio I was surprised it
was that good. Independent results may differ.
With the exhaust out of the way the design has
allowed the engine to be placed a little further
forward in the frame than normal.
64 KIWI RIDER
This translates to a little more agility, something
that sets the sector apart from bigger LAMS
type bikes.
The BMW really does stand out with its agility,
particularly when you consider it’s wearing
big boy shoes. The G310R has a large (for its
engine capacity) set of wheels and tyres.
Front and rear are the standard 17-inch fare,
with the rear a 150/60 and the front 110/70.
These combined with the ABS system and
that light weight mean you have a great
chance of avoiding wayward traffic.
The bike has a conservative riding position
with relatively forward placed foot-pegs and
controls, giving you a comfortable heads up
view of the world. Traffic and general city
dashes are the G310R’s sport. The bike steps
away from the lights easily quick enough to settle
into a safe buffer distance from most cars.
You also get to pass a bunch of cars at every