The first BMW bike that you can ride with a Class 2A licence will be here next year
 
SINGAPORE — If you’ve always wanted a BMW motorcycle but baulked at the size of the bikes (or the size of their price), then the G 310 R is for you.

It’s the first BMW roadster under 500cc, and the first one you’ll be able to ride with a Class 2A licence (which is for bikes up to 400cc).

That’s because the G 310 R is powered by a 313cc engine.

The four-valve, twin-cam single-cylinder engine is good for 34hp at 9,500rpm and 28Nm at 7,500rpm, which should be perfectly adequate for the 159kg (dry) machine.

Style-wise, it resembles a scaled-down version of BMW’s S 1000 R, or perhaps the latest F 800 R.

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It’s slated for launch in Singapore in the third quarter of 2016. There’s no indication of pricing but the G 310 R should cost comfortably less than $20,000 without COE. It’s built by a contract manufacturer in India (TVS Motor Company) although BMW takes pains to say it developed the bike itself in Munich.

The G 310 R’s construction is fairly straightforward, too. Apart from the single-cylinder engine, there’s a tubular steel frame. Still, some fancy bits appear in the form of upside down forks and standard anti-lock brakes. The instruments are based on a large LCD display.

BMW says the G 310 R is characteristically easy to ride, and promises long-distance comfort on the bike with responsive but unthreatening handling. The saddle height is a manageable 785mm, so it’s obviously suited to smaller riders, too.

The G 310 R makes its appearance at a time when BMW is flying high in the bike world. Up to October this year, the brand is fifth on the Singapore sales charts with 322 registration, 13 bikes away from overtaking Austria’s KTM to become the number one non-Japanese bike brand here.

A Class 2A BMW could be just the thing to propel the brand’s sales to the top of the pile after heavyweights Yamaha and Honda, who have more than half the motorcycle market between them.

Knowing BMW, a naked roadster is just the start for the G 310 series. A mini-adventure style G 310 GS, perhaps a sporty G 310 RR, a touring oriented G 310 ST or G 310 RT could follow in due course.

This small bike could be the start of something big for BMW.

Meanwhile, enjoy a gallery of G 310 R pics below. Use one as wallpaper to inspire you if you haven’t got your Class 2A licence yet…