A short report on our G310R after using it for the weekend, before we start to strip it down to check fitment of the adventure kit we have been developing, using a G310R that we have had for a few months.
The first impression I got when seated on the bike was how much roomier it was compared to the street version. This seems to be caused by slightly wider handlebars, and not such a deep seat cavity. It is very much more sit on, rather that sit in position.
Both the front brake and clutch lever is very long, this would make fitting hand guards extremely difficult, so one of the first tasks will be to machine and develop some shorter folding levers with adjustable span.
A nice touch on the left cluster is a separate flasher for the headlight, and a really good idea is an ABS switch that can turn the ABS on or off whilst moving,it does not need the bike to be stationary to operate this.
The initial feeling of the suspension, both front and rear, was that of not enough static preload and also the springing was too light and slightly underdamped.
Both front and rear brakes were quite good and it was easily possible to make the ABS come in when breaking hard, the standard issue Metzler tires bedded in quite well and seem to suit the bike.One thing that did concern me was the use of blade type switches for both the front and rear brake, the rear brake especially leaves the switch very exposed, and we would look to probably change this to and in-line hydraulic switch. Also we noted that the side stand switch was very low and exposed and this would be one of the first things to be broken when riding off road. It looks quite possible that dummy side stand switch plug could be developed so that this switch could be bypassed and removed from the bike.
Acceleration was quite acceptable for the size of the motorcycle, and There definitely seemed more torque than the street model but I think this was down to better fuelling maps rather than increasing power, it seemed to just roll on and off the throttle much better and smoother.
Overall fuel consumption for the weekend was 70 mpg, this was a mixture of backroads and main roads and it was quite windy. When the fuel light came on for low fuel it showed 40 miles range left, and when I filled the tank to the brim it took exactly 9.1 L of fuel, which is exactly 2 imperial gallons. So I would suggest a reasonable range of 150 miles before fuel would be needed, and the seat was very comfortable for the two hours that you would be in the saddle on a general trip.
I did get a chance to ride the bike in the dark, and the headlight was that quite good with a very pronounced cut-off for the dip beam, and the backlit LCD display for the Speedo and warning lights worked well.
We have a UK magazine that will be coming to test the bike in standard trim this week, and then we will start work checking all our development parts before we fit our spiked wheels and do more off-road testing.
The first impression I got when seated on the bike was how much roomier it was compared to the street version. This seems to be caused by slightly wider handlebars, and not such a deep seat cavity. It is very much more sit on, rather that sit in position.
Both the front brake and clutch lever is very long, this would make fitting hand guards extremely difficult, so one of the first tasks will be to machine and develop some shorter folding levers with adjustable span.
A nice touch on the left cluster is a separate flasher for the headlight, and a really good idea is an ABS switch that can turn the ABS on or off whilst moving,it does not need the bike to be stationary to operate this.
The initial feeling of the suspension, both front and rear, was that of not enough static preload and also the springing was too light and slightly underdamped.
Both front and rear brakes were quite good and it was easily possible to make the ABS come in when breaking hard, the standard issue Metzler tires bedded in quite well and seem to suit the bike.One thing that did concern me was the use of blade type switches for both the front and rear brake, the rear brake especially leaves the switch very exposed, and we would look to probably change this to and in-line hydraulic switch. Also we noted that the side stand switch was very low and exposed and this would be one of the first things to be broken when riding off road. It looks quite possible that dummy side stand switch plug could be developed so that this switch could be bypassed and removed from the bike.
Acceleration was quite acceptable for the size of the motorcycle, and There definitely seemed more torque than the street model but I think this was down to better fuelling maps rather than increasing power, it seemed to just roll on and off the throttle much better and smoother.
Overall fuel consumption for the weekend was 70 mpg, this was a mixture of backroads and main roads and it was quite windy. When the fuel light came on for low fuel it showed 40 miles range left, and when I filled the tank to the brim it took exactly 9.1 L of fuel, which is exactly 2 imperial gallons. So I would suggest a reasonable range of 150 miles before fuel would be needed, and the seat was very comfortable for the two hours that you would be in the saddle on a general trip.
I did get a chance to ride the bike in the dark, and the headlight was that quite good with a very pronounced cut-off for the dip beam, and the backlit LCD display for the Speedo and warning lights worked well.
We have a UK magazine that will be coming to test the bike in standard trim this week, and then we will start work checking all our development parts before we fit our spiked wheels and do more off-road testing.