All You Need To Know About The 2018 BMW G310GS In One Commute

Ride along on the daily commute for a review of BMW’s new small adventure bike

Success can be both good and bad, in life and in the world of motorcycles. BMW’s famous GS, for example, has gone from a wacky idea in the early 1980s to defining a category in the modern era—if you haven’t seen the On Two Wheels episode, check it out here. The flagship R1200GS boxer has sold well for decades now, and it’s a moniker known around the world.

It sounds like nothing but good news for BMW, except when the time comes to build a smaller sibling. The Bavarians have had success with F650 and F800 variants (single and parallel twin, respectively), but now the time has come for a genuinely small GS. The G310GS uses an Indian-made TVS Apache engine—in fact, most of the parts are sourced from India—to create a burly little 30-hp adventure bike. BMW is hoping the mighty GS name will carry this little bike into success as well. But as handsome as the G310GS is, I learned as soon as you turn the key and start riding there are some hurdles to clear.

It’s a bit of a lumpy power curve on paper. The little GS doesn’t make enough power for it to be a problem, but the engine definitely isn’t as smooth in delivery as some other bikes in the class.Zack Courts

Quick Specs

PRICE $5695
DISPLACEMENT 312.2cc
MEASURED WET WEIGHT 382 lb. (173kg)
FUEL CAPACITY 2.9 gal. (11L)
SEAT HEIGHT 32.9 in. (835mm)
MEASURED HORSEPOWER 29.5 @ 9490 rpm
MEASURED TORQUE 18.7 lb.-ft. @ 7500 rpm