India-made BMW G 310R & GS 310R to be launched in 2018, at prices similar to KTM Duke

BMW Motorrad has just revealed that it will launch two affordable bikes in India next year – the G 310R and the GS 310R. Both bikes are already being built in India, by TVS Motors. However, BMW sells this bikes globally under its badge. In turn, TVS gets access to technology for use in their own bikes such as the Akula 310. These bikes are already on sale in international markets and are getting good reviews for their high quality builds. In India, they will be launched in the second half of 2018.

The other big development regarding these bikes is that they will be priced close to the KTM Duke 390’s prices. This will make them quite affordable. A lot of bikers in India have been looking forward to these bikes, and the new developments will allow them to plan their next purchases accordingly.

While both bikes will use the same 310 cc, four stroke-single cylinder petrol engine with liquid cooling and fuel injection, styling will be very different. The G 310R is a street bike like the KTM Duke 390 and is meant mainly for city use.

On the other hand, the GS 310R is the smallest capacity BMW bike to use the GS badge – which signifies that it is a an adventure bike. The GS 310R will take on the Royal Enfield Himalayan but will be priced much higher. It gets longer travel suspension to take on poor roads and also gets a fairing that is meant to reduce wind blast for the rider. Expect to pay about 3 lakh rupees for the adventure version, which will make it a competitor of the upcoming KTM Adventure 390. The G 310R will be the cheaper one.

Now, many of you may be wondering as to why BMW Motorrad is taking so long to launch these bikes despite manufacturing them in India and exporting them to international markets. Well, it is because the company wants to have a established sales and service set up for these bikes before beginning sales. Since these bikes have potential for much higher volumes than BMW’s bigger capacity motorcycles, having a good after sales set up is critical for success.

Via Overdrive