BMW G 310R A worthy competitor?

Treachery

Moderator
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It will be interesting to see how long it takes BMW to get the faired version into production and into the US. Small and naked is an even more limited marked than small and faired. Reasonably good bet that both will come in above the KTMs on price too.

But...what do I know?
 

Ryanthegreat1

New Member
This red white and blue color scheme is pretty. Not so much a fan of the banana seat.

And is it just me or do the forks look really raked out? Maybe it is just a naked bike thing to slow down the steering? Sort of how the RC has a steeper rake than the Duke.
 

OldVet

New Member
Made in India so quality will be compromised like our beloved RC's. I wonder what the price will be for this thing?
 

snarfsnarf

New Member
From what I heard from someone at BMW during a meeting, there are no concrete plans on bringing this bike into North America. Price point is still trying to be figured out, along with what the price would effectively be if it was brought into NA.

It is mostly targeting the market in Asian countries, as they have a huge small displacement bike market, versus here in NA.
 

rick

New Member
I could get into that for the right price. It pretty porky compared to the RC at 350 lbs dry and it makes 10 less horsepower.
 

Seth

Member
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Some comments on the revzilla article:

Wow... That's... um, ugly. Honestly at first glance it reminded me of the GSX-750 from Suzuki. Just more spindly. And, much as I appreciate the value proposition of a good Suzuki, that look doesn't really scream "Premium Product" the way a BMW(-priced) motorcycle should.

Tinwoods > Wrencher86 • 2 months ago

You, along with other swill find it ugly; while, me and many others won't. Like all opinions, few, if any, are ever fact. I think it will look great for those who looking for a small-displacement, modern-looking naked bike.

Wrencher86 > Tinwoods • 2 months ago

Swill? Slow your roll there, buddy. It's my opinion about a motorcycle. It's not like I was talking about your mother.

If you like it then that's great. BMW will gladly sell you one. I personally think there are better looking bikes in the 300cc range that also offer better value.

Blah aka Piglet > Wrencher86 • 2 months ago

Typo for "others will". Context matters.


Lol this was good.
 

vetiarvind

New Member
Made in India so quality will be compromised like our beloved RC's. I wonder what the price will be for this thing?

Sorry, but that's pretty dumb. Cheaper to manufacture does not imply lower quality standards. They said that to the Japanese, Koreans, Chinese and now Indian made products. Spot the trend?
I agree that the plastic fuel tank feels cheaper than metal, but they did it on purpose to make it scratch proof. I love this bike, and I owned a Kawasaki before.

Then again, I do agree that KTM needs to be more aggressive with QC. Maybe since they don't have the model range as the bigger manufacturers so they're more focused on short-term profits.
 
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Sorry, but that's pretty dumb. Cheaper to manufacture does not imply lower quality standards. They said that to the Japanese, Koreans, Chinese and now Indian made products. Spot the trend?
I agree that the plastic fuel tank feels cheaper than metal, but they did it on purpose to make it scratch proof. I love this bike, and I owned a Kawasaki before.

Then again, I do agree that KTM needs to be more aggressive with QC. Maybe since they don't have the model range as the bigger manufacturers so they're more focused on short-term profits.

Just pointing out how you are so quick to bag OldVet's comment RE quote "Made in India so quality will be compromised like our beloved RC's" I agree with OldVet so saying this comment is Dumb is pretty Dumb in itself as you clearly contradict yourself with QC comments - If it is made in India quality will be down - end of story
 

psych0hans

Member
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If it is made in India quality will be down - end of story

Unfortunately, this is quite close to the truth, we Indians are too prone to cut corners. It's not like high quality does not exist in India, it just comes at an equally high price, and a budget bike isn't likely to be of too high a quality and corners will be cut. That being said, I'm hoping BMW quality will be better than KTM at QC.
 

sturge

New Member
I'm sure KTM/India are very capable in learning and improving but...based on many of our experiences with the RC390 so far, KTM appears to have room for improvement in QC at their India facilities. Only time will tell....

Those of us who are old enough can remember back when 'made in Japan' was a bad thing...they evolved and constantly improved their quality and processes. One big example is during late '70's and into the '80's the US auto industry was suddenly being left in the dust by Nissan, Toyota, Mazda and Honda. Also, the electronics / TV's / stereo gear / etc (Sony for example) really began to take off. It forced big changes and improvements for USA and the rest of the world which ultimately is a good thing.
 

rick

New Member
Yeah, after the issues I've had with my RC390, being made in India isn't exactly a selling point. If KTM had insisted on better QC we'd all probably have better bikes though. Maybe BMW will.<br />
It's also gonna be hard to justify RC390 money, if that ends up being the case, for something that competes more directly with the slow and heavy CB300F and its $4k MSRP.
 

Bagwell

Member
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The R3 is very intriguing from Yamaha. I know Graves is tuning it and getting close to what the RC390 gets stock. The Graves kit is pricey though. I have always wanted the cool 125s, 250s, and 400s that Europe and or Asia got. This is one of the first neat little bikes to come to the US in a long time so I hope it continues with all the manufacturers including BMW. I do hate the trend to make bikes in cheaper places and sometimes lose quality in the process but hopefully it will get better if it is a trend that continues.
 
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