BMW Motorrad debuts India-bound G 310 GS Adventure at EICMA 2016

After showcasing the first ever sub-500cc naked street motorcycle from its stable – the G310 R — at EICMA 2015, BMW Motorrad has followed up by debuting its adventure avatar – the G 310 GS — at the ongoing EICMA 2016 in Milan today.  

There were many welcome surprises at the BMW Motorrad press conference at the EICMA motorcycle exhibition in Milan, Italy, but perhaps the biggest one, for developing markets such as India, was the announcement of the mini GS.

According to the German bike maker, the G 310 GS will share the same 313cc single-cylinder motor powering the G 310 R, but it will be tuned differently for the dual purpose motorcycle. With deliveries in Europe slated to start later this year, an India launch date is still not specified, but there might be sometime before you could see the bike here as the company is yet to launch the G 310 R as well.

Nevertheless, the G 310 R and mini GS are sure to make worthy rivals to KTM’s more hyper small-capacity bikes, the BMWs delivering on crucial counts of added comfort, with an overall plusher ride as missed on the ultra-sporty and aggressive Dukes. BMW has lost precious time to KTM and its strong value, razor-sharp Bajaj-built bikes, but better late than never, the company is now well on its way into India with sensible positioning and its huge brand appeal in its corner, as it will also start its solo operations from early 2017.

HP4 Race concept

It was an action-packed conference, with new R 1200 GS, R nineT Urban G/S, G 310 GS and K 1600 GTL models all unveiled to the world’s media. However, that wasn’t all, as there was one more surprise left in store—the HP4 RACE—which was shown as an advanced prototype.

Pegged as the most advanced, most exclusive motorcycle BMW Motorrad has ever built, the motorcycle features a full carbon frame and carbon rims which will later be seen in the production bike. BMW Motorrad chief Stephan Schaller confirmed though that it will be hand-built in extremely limited numbers and available for delivery in the second half of 2017.