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Hi Folks,
It is almost a month and I think it’s the right time to introduce you all to the new member of my family – the BMW G310 R. This content is to bring to light the decision process & laughable attempt to justify the purchase. So, without further ado lets get on with my journey to get my third bike!
Previously I owned a BSIV KTM RC 390 which I had to sell, for its relentless pursuit of hanging out at service centre every weekend. So much that for 6 straight months I hadn’t known what a Sunday was, nor was I able to watch matches of Liverpool, Formula 1, or the Doctor hoping he would win the race. Alas, I lost my patience and gave up the fight to resolve the electronic issues that plagued my bike. Exactly 2 years since purchase, 15k approx. on the ODO I decided to let it go.
Then for few months, I relied on my humble Elite i20 1.2 petrol to ferry me to & fro from office and weekend rides. But soon the agony of being stuck in traffic for 5 hours on a daily basis creeped in, and the hunt for my next 2 wheeled machine started. I wanted something I could cruise with but would also give me that zing (ref: James May) but still be economical enough to own. Thus, I started with writing down my priorities-
Having driven an R15 V2 as my first bike, Yamaha was the definite choice of motorcycling brand, and it was fixed that I had to get a JAP. Thus, Honda slid into the picture with its reliable products & because of it being a JAP. Kawasaki, I wasn’t so sure, because of the spare part struggles I had read / heard / witnessed of, but still a JAP.
Thus, I zeroed down to- Yamaha R3, Honda CBR 250R, Honda CB300R, Kawasaki Ninja 300
I immediately wrote off the ninja, no offense to the owners, but it is now an old design & model which is discontinued elsewhere. With the 400 being too far away in the price bracket, Kawasaki was off the list.
Yamaha R3 was the obvious choice, twin cylinder, legendary reliability, and that sweet sound had won me over. I was ready to extend my budget by a lac to get it. Went to the showroom in Mumbai, and to my surprise, they didn’t have a display bike. Somehow, I managed to get a look & feel at their service centre, where a gentleman’s bike was had been serviced & repaired post-accident. The bike was with them for more than a month, is what the service manager said. I sat on it and it was an awesome feeling. I was sold on to it. Then a thought crept in, let me check for spares, why the one month, I straightaway went to the spares division and asked for a R3 oil filter, “not in stock”. I said when would you get it, “no idea”, can you order it, “yes sir, but can’t confirm you a timeline”.
That put me off, weeks of drooling over the bike, the videos watched, all the hype, all smashed, as even the basic spares weren’t available. My dream of owning an R3 broke there and then. Plus, this model too was out of production for markets abroad, thus, I didn’t want to risk it.
Went to Honda Showroom, the sales personnel said upfront that it was unwise to get a CBR 250R, now that it was too old and that would be difficult for spares and he pushed me to have a look at CBR300. I test drove this beauty and my god it’s a gem. Amazing bike, the LED headlamp, and that neo café racer styling, the red colour (my fav colour is RED, i20 is in it too) it sounded perfect, ahem not as smooth as a unicorn, but that could be attributed to the character of the high capacity single cylinder. Plus, Honda was also offering a 5-year warranty that could be purchased. I took the quotation & left and started the wait for the shubh muhurat to book my bike.
While these visits were on, I made an analysis of my earnings, my financial statements and how buying a bike would make sense than to use a car for the same journey. Each and every penny was accounted for, e.g. clutch overhaul for the car, age of car, mending for small nicks, travel time (intangible), comfort of AC (intangible), service costs, need for replacement of car due to age & wear and tear etc… So many formulae and sheets that I ended up in a state of analysis paralysis.
Then walked in an idiot friend, guruji esque, who said, bike is more like you enjoying your few months of bachelorhood left. So, don’t compare that intangible with amount spent. Make a wise decision on finance and get one if you want one.
Also, this guruji owned an TVS Apache RR310 matte black. He gave me a test ride of his bike and it was splendid too. All this just a week prior to my booking. For 3 weeks I was fixed on buying that Hinda, and now I was on a TVS that I didn’t want to buy, but like the feel of it.
Surely, I wasn’t going to buy the TVS, as for me it is a bit over styled (personal opinion and not to offense anyone). But in matte black it hid its curves so well that I considered it. Only to find that next day they launched a Gloss finished black colour with updates and I struck it off too. But then guruji gave one more piece of wisdom – BMW G310 R & GS. He gave me all info about how his friend worked for the design of it and the engine & the reliability and all things that mattered to me. Being an Auto Engineer, we went into details of suppliers, spares part logistics management & how the production line for TVS & BMW bikes are different are different even today. Plus, the 3-year unlimited kilometre warranty (can be extended to 5 years) showed the confidence they have on this product
I decided to give this one a shot, the GS is not me, I am no off roader, so I went to test ride the R, no harm in considering it right. Little did I know what was going to happen. I test drove the bike (for a good half hour, courtesy the sales personnel) and the following thoughts crept in in my mind: like the comfort – upright seating position (big tick), suspension was just magic- soft for the bumps yet stiff enough for some spirited riding (even bigger tick), tank range of 330 km (very big tick), popularity (immensely big tick), looks (I am sold). But wait what are these vibrations, probably a test bike and hence. But I had been fooled onto this once (KTYAMMM). Thus, I asked the sales personnel about it, and he said that the 2019 production models had been sorted out for this. There is a software update which fixes certain parameters related to engine in such a way that it makes it less vibey. I wanted to see & feel it for myself. I told him that I would do the payment if he started a 2019 model bike (waiting for delivery) and allowed me to at least sit on it. To my pleasant surprise, he refused saying it was a customer bike and he wouldn’t do. Confidence on the dealer increased multifold. I enquired about the service costs and certain key media reports on the exorbitant costs, he calmly attended to all my questions even spoke of charges that were applicable for each service. Now with service intervals of 10k kms, the cost was justified as coming to lesser than of similar bikes for similar km range. I went back, wondering if a software update really fixed the vibes and hunted for the same info online (youtube, forums etc). but couldn’t find one. Later in the day, he gave me a call and said he had a 2019 bike coming in as test ride bike in a week. I booked my test ride and drove it in comparison to both 2018 & 2019. Leaps & bounds ahead this one was, less vibey (single cylinders do have vibes) smoother gear shifts, and this was a new bike, only 22 kms, and was freely revving. Believe me, it was as if the old model was done by a new joinee, and this one was fixed by the dept head of vibrations. Yeah!
I watched more videos of both the Honda CB300R & BMW G310R, on youtube, re-watched a lot of them, did some more analysis of choice of words used by reviewers, their expressions, then I thought, I am being such an idiot. Why am I making a decision based solely on how others feel, this is my bike, they are both good, in fact all the bikes are. Again, it went back to what Jeremy & James say, it has to give you that fizz… and I made myself a nice cup of tea and thought of the same.
And the BMW it was. Not because of just the brand, ok it played a role, but because you sit in the bike, its bulky, it big, its soft enough to ease your bums on a long ride, economical enough to ferry on for at least 300 kms on a tank full, and mostly, I was smiling when I was riding the test ride bike.
Come Sep 12, 2019 I booked it in the pearl white colour, delivery slated to Dusshera i.e. Oct 8, 2019. Took the delivery, mom and me both grinning that we got a BMW in the house, albeit a 2-wheeler, but still a BMW. Did the Puja and here started ‘Make Life a Ride”
Small issues that I later found out on my bike
One Month update (please allow me the 3 days margin)
1st service done – I chose not to wash & chain clean the bike as I do it myself, and the bill amounted to INR 4.5k
About the issues, I got the first sorted out during the 1st service, but the second one was something that got missed out. When I go the bike back, it was still there and then I thought, probably since its an all plastic one it should be there. Guruji was on leave to find out more about this. Once he returned, he said it was not so, confirmed from his friend in TVS, and I went last week to Showroom/ SVC to see the demo bike, and it wasn’t there in that bike. Made a video, shared to the service manager on whatsapp and he swiftly arranged for a pickup and checked it. It seems they missed to assemble the grommet & bushes on the plastic panel which mounts on the fuel tank. Will be covered and repaired in warranty, parts ordered. Estimated waiting time is this or next weekend i.e. Nov 16, 2019. A long wait, but considering such parts aren’t generally required, I let it slip.
The gear shift was fixed by arresting the loose clutch, i.e. clutch adjustment was out of spec. I am yet to check as bike is at home & I am with my humble i20.
But mostly, I like the endeavour of the sales person, the service manager in helping me resolve my concerns / issues with the bike.
Yes, it might be overpriced (despite the 1 lac rupee discount), yes it has only 12 service centres, yes that symbol might attract the unwanted attention too,
but I paid for an experience & the Bike makes me happy and the service too……
Thanks guys for reading through this long purchase decision & one-month update, wish you all a happy festive season and happy riding.
Ride / Drive safe & responsibly
It is almost a month and I think it’s the right time to introduce you all to the new member of my family – the BMW G310 R. This content is to bring to light the decision process & laughable attempt to justify the purchase. So, without further ado lets get on with my journey to get my third bike!
Previously I owned a BSIV KTM RC 390 which I had to sell, for its relentless pursuit of hanging out at service centre every weekend. So much that for 6 straight months I hadn’t known what a Sunday was, nor was I able to watch matches of Liverpool, Formula 1, or the Doctor hoping he would win the race. Alas, I lost my patience and gave up the fight to resolve the electronic issues that plagued my bike. Exactly 2 years since purchase, 15k approx. on the ODO I decided to let it go.
Then for few months, I relied on my humble Elite i20 1.2 petrol to ferry me to & fro from office and weekend rides. But soon the agony of being stuck in traffic for 5 hours on a daily basis creeped in, and the hunt for my next 2 wheeled machine started. I wanted something I could cruise with but would also give me that zing (ref: James May) but still be economical enough to own. Thus, I started with writing down my priorities-
- Reliability
- Comfort
- Power
- Looks
- Mileage / tank range (yes, not only related to my current economical status, but I wanted the Fuelling station guy to forget me, an issue that arised thanks to the miniscule gall bladder of the KTM)
- Service centre proximity
Having driven an R15 V2 as my first bike, Yamaha was the definite choice of motorcycling brand, and it was fixed that I had to get a JAP. Thus, Honda slid into the picture with its reliable products & because of it being a JAP. Kawasaki, I wasn’t so sure, because of the spare part struggles I had read / heard / witnessed of, but still a JAP.
Thus, I zeroed down to- Yamaha R3, Honda CBR 250R, Honda CB300R, Kawasaki Ninja 300
I immediately wrote off the ninja, no offense to the owners, but it is now an old design & model which is discontinued elsewhere. With the 400 being too far away in the price bracket, Kawasaki was off the list.
Yamaha R3 was the obvious choice, twin cylinder, legendary reliability, and that sweet sound had won me over. I was ready to extend my budget by a lac to get it. Went to the showroom in Mumbai, and to my surprise, they didn’t have a display bike. Somehow, I managed to get a look & feel at their service centre, where a gentleman’s bike was had been serviced & repaired post-accident. The bike was with them for more than a month, is what the service manager said. I sat on it and it was an awesome feeling. I was sold on to it. Then a thought crept in, let me check for spares, why the one month, I straightaway went to the spares division and asked for a R3 oil filter, “not in stock”. I said when would you get it, “no idea”, can you order it, “yes sir, but can’t confirm you a timeline”.
That put me off, weeks of drooling over the bike, the videos watched, all the hype, all smashed, as even the basic spares weren’t available. My dream of owning an R3 broke there and then. Plus, this model too was out of production for markets abroad, thus, I didn’t want to risk it.
Went to Honda Showroom, the sales personnel said upfront that it was unwise to get a CBR 250R, now that it was too old and that would be difficult for spares and he pushed me to have a look at CBR300. I test drove this beauty and my god it’s a gem. Amazing bike, the LED headlamp, and that neo café racer styling, the red colour (my fav colour is RED, i20 is in it too) it sounded perfect, ahem not as smooth as a unicorn, but that could be attributed to the character of the high capacity single cylinder. Plus, Honda was also offering a 5-year warranty that could be purchased. I took the quotation & left and started the wait for the shubh muhurat to book my bike.
While these visits were on, I made an analysis of my earnings, my financial statements and how buying a bike would make sense than to use a car for the same journey. Each and every penny was accounted for, e.g. clutch overhaul for the car, age of car, mending for small nicks, travel time (intangible), comfort of AC (intangible), service costs, need for replacement of car due to age & wear and tear etc… So many formulae and sheets that I ended up in a state of analysis paralysis.
Then walked in an idiot friend, guruji esque, who said, bike is more like you enjoying your few months of bachelorhood left. So, don’t compare that intangible with amount spent. Make a wise decision on finance and get one if you want one.
Also, this guruji owned an TVS Apache RR310 matte black. He gave me a test ride of his bike and it was splendid too. All this just a week prior to my booking. For 3 weeks I was fixed on buying that Hinda, and now I was on a TVS that I didn’t want to buy, but like the feel of it.
Surely, I wasn’t going to buy the TVS, as for me it is a bit over styled (personal opinion and not to offense anyone). But in matte black it hid its curves so well that I considered it. Only to find that next day they launched a Gloss finished black colour with updates and I struck it off too. But then guruji gave one more piece of wisdom – BMW G310 R & GS. He gave me all info about how his friend worked for the design of it and the engine & the reliability and all things that mattered to me. Being an Auto Engineer, we went into details of suppliers, spares part logistics management & how the production line for TVS & BMW bikes are different are different even today. Plus, the 3-year unlimited kilometre warranty (can be extended to 5 years) showed the confidence they have on this product
I decided to give this one a shot, the GS is not me, I am no off roader, so I went to test ride the R, no harm in considering it right. Little did I know what was going to happen. I test drove the bike (for a good half hour, courtesy the sales personnel) and the following thoughts crept in in my mind: like the comfort – upright seating position (big tick), suspension was just magic- soft for the bumps yet stiff enough for some spirited riding (even bigger tick), tank range of 330 km (very big tick), popularity (immensely big tick), looks (I am sold). But wait what are these vibrations, probably a test bike and hence. But I had been fooled onto this once (KTYAMMM). Thus, I asked the sales personnel about it, and he said that the 2019 production models had been sorted out for this. There is a software update which fixes certain parameters related to engine in such a way that it makes it less vibey. I wanted to see & feel it for myself. I told him that I would do the payment if he started a 2019 model bike (waiting for delivery) and allowed me to at least sit on it. To my pleasant surprise, he refused saying it was a customer bike and he wouldn’t do. Confidence on the dealer increased multifold. I enquired about the service costs and certain key media reports on the exorbitant costs, he calmly attended to all my questions even spoke of charges that were applicable for each service. Now with service intervals of 10k kms, the cost was justified as coming to lesser than of similar bikes for similar km range. I went back, wondering if a software update really fixed the vibes and hunted for the same info online (youtube, forums etc). but couldn’t find one. Later in the day, he gave me a call and said he had a 2019 bike coming in as test ride bike in a week. I booked my test ride and drove it in comparison to both 2018 & 2019. Leaps & bounds ahead this one was, less vibey (single cylinders do have vibes) smoother gear shifts, and this was a new bike, only 22 kms, and was freely revving. Believe me, it was as if the old model was done by a new joinee, and this one was fixed by the dept head of vibrations. Yeah!
I watched more videos of both the Honda CB300R & BMW G310R, on youtube, re-watched a lot of them, did some more analysis of choice of words used by reviewers, their expressions, then I thought, I am being such an idiot. Why am I making a decision based solely on how others feel, this is my bike, they are both good, in fact all the bikes are. Again, it went back to what Jeremy & James say, it has to give you that fizz… and I made myself a nice cup of tea and thought of the same.
And the BMW it was. Not because of just the brand, ok it played a role, but because you sit in the bike, its bulky, it big, its soft enough to ease your bums on a long ride, economical enough to ferry on for at least 300 kms on a tank full, and mostly, I was smiling when I was riding the test ride bike.
Come Sep 12, 2019 I booked it in the pearl white colour, delivery slated to Dusshera i.e. Oct 8, 2019. Took the delivery, mom and me both grinning that we got a BMW in the house, albeit a 2-wheeler, but still a BMW. Did the Puja and here started ‘Make Life a Ride”
Small issues that I later found out on my bike
- February 19 production bike, hence, the software wasn’t updated (software release in June 2019)
- Tank panels had this weird creaking noise
- Hard Gear Shifting (3-4, 4-5 & 5-6)
One Month update (please allow me the 3 days margin)
1st service done – I chose not to wash & chain clean the bike as I do it myself, and the bill amounted to INR 4.5k
About the issues, I got the first sorted out during the 1st service, but the second one was something that got missed out. When I go the bike back, it was still there and then I thought, probably since its an all plastic one it should be there. Guruji was on leave to find out more about this. Once he returned, he said it was not so, confirmed from his friend in TVS, and I went last week to Showroom/ SVC to see the demo bike, and it wasn’t there in that bike. Made a video, shared to the service manager on whatsapp and he swiftly arranged for a pickup and checked it. It seems they missed to assemble the grommet & bushes on the plastic panel which mounts on the fuel tank. Will be covered and repaired in warranty, parts ordered. Estimated waiting time is this or next weekend i.e. Nov 16, 2019. A long wait, but considering such parts aren’t generally required, I let it slip.
The gear shift was fixed by arresting the loose clutch, i.e. clutch adjustment was out of spec. I am yet to check as bike is at home & I am with my humble i20.
But mostly, I like the endeavour of the sales person, the service manager in helping me resolve my concerns / issues with the bike.
Yes, it might be overpriced (despite the 1 lac rupee discount), yes it has only 12 service centres, yes that symbol might attract the unwanted attention too,
but I paid for an experience & the Bike makes me happy and the service too……
Thanks guys for reading through this long purchase decision & one-month update, wish you all a happy festive season and happy riding.
Ride / Drive safe & responsibly
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