Hi Guys,
I've been a member on kiwibiker for a while, but sans bike. I joined to help me decide what kind of bike I might like to get. That was umm years ago.
About a month ago I finally got around to buying a bike. I got a BMW g310gs. It turns out the Ulysses guys in chch were having their monthly mtg on the day I picked up my bike. So my second ride was to head over to join them. So by that you can deduce that I'm not that young. I've come back to bikes after far too long. My last bike was a Honda VT250 when I was in my early 20s.
My first bike was an Honda SL125. Man I loved that bike. It had an upright riding position, rather than hunched forward like the VT. I had that in mind when I came to select my bike.
Anyway, anyway anyway, I choose the G310GS for pretty much that reason. I was looking for something that I could commute on, but also take on some weekend rides. I have delusions of going on some wee SI adventures which may include some off-tarmac type roads. I figure I'll be joining the Ulysses guys for Sunday rides to start with anyway.
You wouldn't believe the exhaustive research I did before picking thís bike, but for me that has actually been a real pleasure. It turns out when I was getting serious about buying that the small adventure bikes were starting to come out. I think I have read every review and youtube video of the X300, G310 and other lighties under development
BTW I'm 5' 8" chap with about 31-32" inseam
I test rode the following bikes, in this order
Some naked bikes:
Yamaha MT03 - I loved it. Seemed to be loads of power and smooth delivery. That was a wheeeee moment. Good ergonomics. This bike fit me nicely
BMW G310R - I already knew about the pending G310GS, so I wanted to see what the engine was like. Again nice bike, but the MT03 had it for power and comfort,.. and price.
Then on a subsequent weekend:
Duke 390 - Wow! People say this is a hooilgan machine. They're right on. Awesome bike, but perhaps too much of a stallion for me and my missions.
Z300 - I was interested in the X300 and wanted to see what the motor was like. The x300 was in the shop, but not as a demo. Nice smooth power delivery, but you needed to wind the thing up.
I reckoned if the G310GS was a comfortable bike, then I would wait for that. However I was telling myself that if BMW take too long to launch it, then I'd go for the MT03. Then I was fortunate to be in Frankfurt in September at the same time as the motor show. And BMW were there with their bikes, including the G310GS. So I was able to swing my leg over it and see how it felt. The riding position felt comfortable so I figured I'd wait the extra 2-3 months before it came available here.
Ok, so I've not had many rides on it, and I've been told to keep the revs under 6000 for 1000km! Probably a good idea for me as I need to get the hang of riding again, and also get the hang of this bike. However I reckon this thing is starting to come alive around that point. First impression though: I feel real tall riding it.... "Man I'm big!". I've got big smiles looking at it, sitting on it, and riding it. The seat and riding position is really comfortable for riding. I can flat foot if I adjust by butt over the seat, but otherwise I'm on my toes if I sit central while waiting at lights. Also if I just put my foot down while sitting central the seat kinda digs into your inner thigh. The real niggle of the seat height is maneuvering backwards to park. I'm probably going to order the low seat, though I think it doesn't drop things down much. It might be enough though to sort this out.
I do wonder though what BMW were thinking with this one. According to their configurator I'm not tall enough for this machine, but I am able to fit several large adventure models. Go figure.
http://www.bmw-motorrad.com/com/en/e...ats_start.html
The only other niggle is the clutch lever. I've got relatively short fingers, so it's a bit of a stretch. I've read some reviews that say the clutch has a light feel, but
I disagree. I've taken to putting the thing in neutral at lights during my commute, to give my left hand some relief. I don't recall having to do that on my previous bikes.
Apart from that I am really really happy with this bike. My last ride, today, was a decent break-in ride up the port hills. I was wondering if I was going to have to drop it down and keep the revs up going Dyers Pass, but I was actually having to hold the thing back. The thing has plenty of pull.
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Originally Posted by Katman
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