I was interested to ride the 310GS and see if it
could fill the confidence and capability gap I
know I share with some other riders. For me, it’s
the gap between my Yamaha XL250 and my
BMW 700GS.
The 250 is a little tractor with its 21-inch front
wheel. I’ll have a go at taking it anywhere but
it’s just too small and uncomfortable on long
adventure riding days. On the other hand, I can
happily ride my F700GS all day, even fully loaded
with luggage, but when things start getting tight
and technical, the size and weight quickly
become apparent. That limits exploring on my
own – I need to have confidence I can get out
under my own steam.
So, I took the 310GS up through both gravel
and sealed roads in North Loburn and
Whiterock and then up to the top of the Okuku
Pass. The Pass road is a winding little road with
a variety of riding surfaces – from jaggedy rock
with loose stuff on exposed hillsides, through
slushy hairpins in forested sections, which then
drops down into the Lees Valley. A big storm
had gone through the night before so there
was quite a lot of loose rock, small broken
branches and slippery bits to navigate.
Heading out from home onto the first 5km of
gravel, I quickly got the feel of the 310GS on the
loose stuff and was happy to sit through it on
the comfy seat. I like the torquey feel of the bike
– it has a good road presence and I found it
easy to settle into. As a smaller bike I found it a
little buzzy going up through the gears but
things smoothed out at open road speed. The
Akrapovic exhaust sounds great on the open
road sections – there’s definitely a desire to blip
the throttle going down the gears. However, I
noticed farm stock was quite unsettled as I rode
past so my preference would be for a quieter
exhaust note.
Next, I happily clipped along through slushy
gravel and had no problems skipping tracks to
accommodate oncoming traffic. Back on the
seal again, the 310 was rock-solid through
corners sprinkled with fine gravel and silt. On to
the rougher stuff, I felt confident moving around
on the bike, tackling broken branches, trickling
around slushy hairpins and giving it a squirt here
and there. I stood up a couple of times although
I didn’t really need to. As with my F700GS when I
first got it, standing felt a bit awkward – a set of
risers would solve that. I was impressed with the
tyres – they handled a variety of surfaces well
and gripped well under braking.
I had a smile on my face when I stopped at the
top, and would have happily kept going if I had
the time. Turning the bike around on a hill with
loose footing was absolutely no problem either.
The 310GS is a great fit for younger, less
experienced or increasingly “sensible” adventure
riders; it would also be a good choice for
commuting and exploring city streets and
unfamiliar places.
So, does the 310GS fill the confidence and capacity
“gap”? Yes, I think it would be an excellent choice,
especially for day trips and holidays where you
want to have a pokearound and do some tricky
bits, while still being able to carry some luggage
and be master of your own fate.
104 KIWI RIDER