German motor giant BMW Motorrad is getting ready to officially launch its Indian operations in October this year, and many of its famed bikes will be manufactured at the TVS plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. This is a big news for India where the premium motorcycle market is booming, writes Ammar Alvi.
After a lot of speculations, BMW Motorrad, the motorcycle division of BMW, has announced it will start selling its premium range of bikes in India in October this year. At present, one can purchase BMW motorcycles through either Deutsche Motoren, in Delhi and NCR or Navnit Motors for the rest of the country.
The company had made its presence felt at the Auto Expo, where it was believed that they would announce their official entry into India. It is expected that the company is also set to open dealerships in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru.
TVS’ alliance with BMW Motorrad, for a sub-500cc motorcycle began over two years back and the ‘310 R’ is the first product to come out of the stable. The company is known for its big and brawny motorcycles and is present in India with its full range in Sport, Tour, Roadster and Enduro categories.
While it will be manufactured in the country, the entire design and development of the motorcycle has been done in Germany. In fact, G 310 R has a strong resemblance to F 800 R and R 1200 R as well
The G 310 R has been making a lot of news and has also been spotted testing in India. It is powered by a single-cylinder 313cc engine that churns out a solid 34bhp@9,500rpm and 28Nm@7,500rpm.
The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission and can hit a maximum of 145kmph. BMW says it has put in a lot of efforts in the motorcycle.
The engine leans backwards so as to centralise most of the mass and keep the centre of gravity lower. BMW claims an efficiency of 36kmpl for the two-wheeler.
Other interesting bits include dual-channel ABS on a 300mm disc brake upfront and a 240mm disc at the rear. Suspension duties are handled by 41mm USD forks up front and a mono-shock unit at the rear.
This will be the first ever instance of BMW Motorrad foraying into the sub 500cc motorcycle segment. But then, such is the pull of the Indian performance motorcycling market as well.
The G 310 R will go up against the Mahindra Mojo, KTM Duke 390 along with other motorcycles in the segment. Since it will be manufactured at TVS’s plant in Hosur, one expects BMW to keep the prices as competitive as possible.
While Mahindra Mojo is priced at Rs 1.58 lakh, CBR250 R and Ninja 300 are priced at Rs 1.60 lakh and Rs 3.6 la kh respectively.