If you’re out for spending ₹3-4 lakh on a motorcycle, the much-awaited BMW G 310 R must have surely made it to your list of probables. BMW, however, has been postponing the bike’s launch for some time.
The reason for the delay is BMW Motorrad’s weak reach in India. The brand currently operates out of just four showrooms across the country, and these cater to only the company's large capacity motorcycles like the S1000, K1600, R1200 and bigger GS bikes. It hence intends to expand its dealer network to make the relatively mass-market G 310 R more accessible, As per Vikram Pawah, president of BMW India, "We need to have an adequate retail infrastructure before it (the G 310 R) becomes available here."
The result of a collaborative effort between BMW Motorrad and TVS motors, the G310 R features a unique, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder motor that’s rearward inclined. This layout allows for a more compact packaging of the motorcycle, and also better weight distribution. The motor makes a good 34hp and 28.4Nm.
TVS's Hosur plant has already commenced production for the motorcycle, and is currently exporting it to Europe and USA. Expect it to hit Indian roads in early 2018 at an estimated ₹2.5 lakh, but there’s no launch date as of now. There’s even a chance that TVS’s fully faired version of the G310 R will go on sale before the BMW. The delay in the launch of the G310 R is also likely to result in the postponing of the G301 GS, its adventure touring sibling.
