Photo: BMW
It's been over two years since the first rumors about small-displacement BMW GS machines surfaced first, and interesting things happened in the meantime. Now, a new hope is rekindled by certain declarations made by a BMW top brass, hinting that we might, in fact, get to see such a bike soon.
Recently, BMW Motorrad UK’s Director Phil Horton talked to the media, and his exact words mentioned a GS-like bike based on BMW's first-ever small-displacement machine, the G310R. “New models aside, the line-up isn’t as comprehensive as it needs to be. But there are plenty more bikes to come, including, hopefully in 2017, a G310R GS-style derivative,” added he, being probably the first BMW official to speak openly about this long-awaited motorcycle.
Even though, in the absence of an official statement from BMW Motorrad, Horton's words cannot be taken as a guarantee that the house of Munich would certainly be showing this bike this fall. On the other hand, Phil Horton has a long history with BMW, and we're inclined to believe that there's more than words to this story.
In fact, we've talked to Ola Stenegard, one of the chief designers at BMW Motorrad, and he was able to confirm, between the lines, that zie Germans will, in fact, build more models using the G310R platform. He was not allowed to disclose confidential information, but you know how these interviews go, you can spot certain things if you pay enough attention...
Making things even funnier are the motorcycle designers who picked up the idea and already tried their hand at an adventure version of the altogether sweet G310R. Oberdan Bezzi's BMW G310R Scrambler is only one of the renderings that almost made us drool.
The past three years saw a resurgence of small-displacement bikes, with almost all the major manufacturers paying more and more attention to this segment, especially because it turns out to be a very profitable one.
Stricter emission standards and licensing laws add to the slightly shifting preferences among customers. That is, a small adv bike could appeal to both a new rider and an older one who can no longer pick up heavy machines from the ground.
Not exactly intended for round-the-world trips, a G310GS bike could, however, accommodate enough luggage for a neat, one-week adventure, or even more, let alone weekend outings. Small, light, economical and fun, such a BMW, if priced correctly, could be the one model that brings a whole new lot of customers for the brand, and we'd put our money on the fact that BMW knows this only too well.
It is really too much to say that we are expecting the BMR G310GS this autumn?
Even though, in the absence of an official statement from BMW Motorrad, Horton's words cannot be taken as a guarantee that the house of Munich would certainly be showing this bike this fall. On the other hand, Phil Horton has a long history with BMW, and we're inclined to believe that there's more than words to this story.
In fact, we've talked to Ola Stenegard, one of the chief designers at BMW Motorrad, and he was able to confirm, between the lines, that zie Germans will, in fact, build more models using the G310R platform. He was not allowed to disclose confidential information, but you know how these interviews go, you can spot certain things if you pay enough attention...
Making things even funnier are the motorcycle designers who picked up the idea and already tried their hand at an adventure version of the altogether sweet G310R. Oberdan Bezzi's BMW G310R Scrambler is only one of the renderings that almost made us drool.
Is a G310GS machine a sound idea?
Even though some might say that there is no point in developing a G310R version that can also do off-road with flying colors, at least for a bike in that class, the surrounding reality seems to be a different one.The past three years saw a resurgence of small-displacement bikes, with almost all the major manufacturers paying more and more attention to this segment, especially because it turns out to be a very profitable one.
Stricter emission standards and licensing laws add to the slightly shifting preferences among customers. That is, a small adv bike could appeal to both a new rider and an older one who can no longer pick up heavy machines from the ground.
Not exactly intended for round-the-world trips, a G310GS bike could, however, accommodate enough luggage for a neat, one-week adventure, or even more, let alone weekend outings. Small, light, economical and fun, such a BMW, if priced correctly, could be the one model that brings a whole new lot of customers for the brand, and we'd put our money on the fact that BMW knows this only too well.
It is really too much to say that we are expecting the BMR G310GS this autumn?
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