A BMW motorcycle cheaper than Bajaj built motorcycle? Yes! That’s true

BMW-TVS announced their alliance way back in 2013 and since then, their first joint product has become one of the most anticipated motorcycles around the world. Last year, the TVS-BMW G310R naked motorcycle was revealed, and the bike even became one of the main attractions at the 2016 Auto Expo. Now that the motorcycle is getting closer to the launch, the price of the motorcycle has been announced in the UK market. The G310R is not very far from launch in the Indian market and it is quite possible that the price of the BMW G310R will be lower than the KTM 390 Duke in the Indian market.

Cheaper than Bajaj made Duke 390? How?

The strategic alliance inked between BMW and TVS is not limited to technology transfer but to build new products from ground up. It was announced some time back that TVS factory in Hosur will produce the motorcycles. BMW or TVS has not shared any plan to producing the G310R anywhere else, which means G310R will be exported from India to the UK market which will pay additional import duty on the motorcycle.

This is similar to the KTM 390 Duke, which is also produced in Bajaj’s Chakan plant is exported from here to the UK market. Priced at GBP 4,290, the G310R is cheaper than KTM 390 Duke, which is priced at GBP 4,550 in the UK. Made in India, the G310R would not attract any such taxes when sold in India. Logically, the G310R should be less than the 390 Duke in India.

Competition in India

The BMW G310R is powered by single-cylinder, liquid-cooled 313cc engine that produces a maximum of 34 BHP. This puts the G310R against the direct competition of KTM 390 Duke which is powered by 373cc, liquid cooled engine that produces a maximum of 44 BHP. Even though the KTM offers more power, it is known to have very harsh engine. BMW G310R is expected to be a lot smoother than the 390 Duke.
The G310R will also compete against the Benelli TnT 300. The China made motorcycle is powered by a parallel-twin liquid cooled 300cc engine that produces 38.26 bhp of power. Mahindra Mojo is another motorcycle in the same segment. It is powered by single-cylinder liquid cooled engine that produces a maximum of 26.82 BHP. The Mojo did not sell much to put an impact on the segment and may not affect the sales BMW G310R one bit.

Specifications

The BMW G310R is powered by liquid-cooled single cylinder engine that generates a maximum power of 34 BHP at 9,500 rpm, the torque maximizes at 28 Nm at 7,500 rpm. The engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox and the motorcycle can reach a top speed of 145 km/h.

There is no ARAI certificate for the fuel efficiency yet, but it’s expected to return around 30.30 km to a litre. Disc brakes with ABS are standard. The G310R will get upside down front forks and a mono-shock at the rear.

Launch and price in India

The BMW G310R is expected to launch in India by the end of this year. There is no concrete news from BMW or TVS as of now but if the international launch happens in coming months, the Indian market will also receive the product soon

. In India, the 390 Duke sells at Rs. 2.15 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), if we follow the international price module, we can expect the G310R to be cheaper than 390 Duke. Even, even a sub-2 lakh rupee price may be in the offing for the TVS-BMW bike.