[silverstreakcbe]

Hello everyone! Happy to be still hanging around amid a hectic work schedule. Have been ferrying between hometown and Bangalore due to office activities. During the previous three rides, I was observing how my body is responding to the ride stress and fatigue. After careful consideration and prolonged thought, I decided to replace my bike with something else. The major reasons were ride comfort, stiff suspension, and vibrations. In addition to this, my age was creeping into my thoughts. So, what do you do? Discuss with the most trusted advisor, Wife!!
After a prolonged discussion, finally, we decided to sell Meteor and go for another bike. So, the first and foremost thing to know was to select the bike. Spent around a week looking at all resources available, blogs, vlog, and expert advice. I narrowed down to 2 bikes, KTM 390 Adventure and BMW GS 310.

Test Ride:
KTM Showroom is very near to my home and BMW showroom is outside the city. But still, I made up mind to first checkout BMW during weekend as I can visit KTM anytime whenever I get time. On Sunday, I reached the showroom. It was empty, understandably. One of the desk executives told me that the bike sales representative is gone for lunch and will be back in 30 minutes. I agreed to wait and spent time walking around gazing at the new BMW cars lined up.

Poor guy came up hurriedly and enquired about my intentions. Then after some discussion, I asked about the test drive. Had to fill-up a form and provide my ID for the same. I was to ride till the bridge ended and then return. It was hardly 1 km of ride. After I came back, first thing I said to him was I could not make out and I would need more distance and time for the test ride. He said he will talk to his lead and arrange.

Eventually, I did get another chance to do a test drive and this time I had my wife in pillion, and we took it out for a spin and this time we did a quiet a distance, but only on highway.

Test-ride Verdict:

• Very smooth ride, neither bumpy nor too numb
• Riding position was upright, but not aggressive.
• Throttle response was very good and in no time the bike was in cruising speed.
• Suspension was the pleasant experience, we could not feel the jolts on the flyovers and bridges that we rode
• Pillion seat height was a concern for my wife

In all, the test ride was very satisfying, and I discussed it with my wife as well. She also felt happy on the bike comfort and ride quality. We decided to go ahead with the booking.

After getting the bike delivered, again went out of station on official work. Returned a week later. There was a long pending ride promised to my daughter on the Meteor which never happened. Since this was a good opportunity and she liked the biked, we decided to do a ride to Ooty via Kotagiri. Initially i had planned to drive her till pykara and come back. But, ultimately returned from ooty due to heavy traffic all the way. After a week later, went for another ride, this time with wife towards Valparai. Both my rides were on twisty and curvy roads with some decent tarmac. I am writing this after reaching 500KM.

Verdict after 500KMs on ODO:

Dislikes

• Breaks: Rear break: I really need to get used to it. The lever goes down a bit and then bites the disc. Though it has the required bite during high speeds, but still it does not give me the confidence similar to front.
  
• Gear Shifts (Upshift/Downshift): Lots of concerns here. I have to get this checked during first service. Below are my issues, when i checked reviews online, suggests that it should be fine after first service. I will wait till then.
  

  • False Neutral: I have heard this on many RE bikes, but i never faced it on my Meteor. But i am surprised to see it on GS310. First of all, finding neutral is tricky, have to get used to. But even when i get it, the vehicle jumps once i leave the clutch lever.

  • Upshift: From 1st to 2nd. This has happened to me at more than couple of times, the gear does not up-shift from first to second and stuck at neutral. So, i had to again put it to first and then to second.

  • Downshift: From 3rd to 2nd. Though i did not encounter this on my second trip. But this occurred to me during first trip. From 3rd it goes directly to 1st.

Likes

• Breaks:Front break: Spot on. period.
  
• Handling:Very impressed. The Hand-bar position is very convenient and light that it was easy to handle at any point. Be it in a busy traffic within city or through the winding roads with sudden turns, it was very good
  
• Suspension: SMOOTH SAILING. Eats out everything on its way. I have done more than couple of times towards Pollachi in my Meteor. The Cement tarmac is very bumpy ride and while returning i felt the rumbling of these cement roads. But on GS, it was smooth, real smooth. It eases out all the bumps and undulations on the road.
  
• Power: READY to REVVVV! Open the throttle and there she goes, grunting. It takes a while to notice you are doing 3 digits.
  
• Vibrations: Nothing concerning till now. The mirrors are useless, shakes even on city speed limits. I do feel numbness after some time but i dont know if it had anything to do with throttle level padding.
  
• Efficiency: Did not check yet. I am planning to observe after first service.

Having said all this, do i like the bike. ABSOLUTELY, YES!!. I am happy with the Bikes overall performance and Ride Comfort and everytime i ride the bike, it gives me more confidence that i have made a right choice and brings on a smile

Booking experience:
Since it was March end, we were given some discounts and offers if we closed the deal by March end, for their financial year end targets. After some contemplation, we went ahead and booked the bike on 28-03-2024. I was told the bike of my choice was available and could be delivered in 15 days.

The delivery process is a bit complicated. The bike will go all the way from Hosur to Chennai, there they will do a Temporary registration, then it will be transported to delivery location, then again, the permanent registration. There were a lot of teams involved in this entire process. They were very professional, but it makes a more cumbursive process for all to work seamlessly and yet to be aligned.

However, there were no hiccups in my case. The execution process was very sequential, invoicing team, verification team, insurance team, RTO team, calling and confirming on the set of activities from time to time. The one activity that I had to do was related to temporary registration, is to take print out of Form-30, sign it and send it along with my photographs to their Chennai office. Apart from that, to attend the call from RTO team promptly to share the OTP during the temporary registration process.

The waiting period:
Once the temporary registration is completed, you never know when it will be transported to the actual delivery location. My bike registration was completed on 8th April, but got transported only on 15th. It entirely depends on their logistics planning. During this waiting period, there is no communication at all. When I checked on most of the vlogs, it was suggesting 5 months, some were saying 1 month. This was worrying me. There are no SMS or notifications sent on the status of their bike delivery. I did try to be patient till 15th, but since I had to travel in the coming weeks, I had to call them and enquire. Fortunately, my bike was transported the same day.

Bike Arrived:
The bike arrived and the executive called me to inform me of the same and enquired about the delivery time. Still curious, I requested him to share photographs of the bike so that I can decide on the delivery dates. I received a bunch of photos on my WhatsApp that finally brought a big smile. After discussing with my wife, decided to take delivery on 18th evening and duly informed the executive.

Three-Quarter View


Side-View-1


Side-View-2


Front-View-1


Front-View-1


Side-View with Aluminium Engine guard and Bash plate. Company Accessory

Delivery:
On the delivery day, I called to confirm the delivery. Fortunately, they had a showroom opened near to my home the previous week. So, the executive asked me if I am willing to take the delivery from there. I readily agreed as it was just 10 mins from home. He said he will plan to bring the bike there and complete the delivery formalities. I went and brought a cake and snacks to distribute. All set!!! Now waiting for my daughter to return from school, she was one person so excited and curious about the bike.

We arrived on time and upon arrival we were told to wait for 20 mins. We agreed, 20 became 30, 30 became 40 and 40 became 50. No sign of our executive. Till then we were checking out the other bikes on display – GS 1250, G 310R, G310 RR. Done with the waiting, I did give him a call but did not pick. Understood, he might be on the way, I did not call him again. So, finally the bike arrived around 50 mins after we reached the showroom. He explained that since this was a new showroom, facilities for washing and cleaning were not yet available and that he had to give it at another place and bring it back.

Bike ready for Delivery


Bike ready for Delivery


Finishing delivery formalities


Customary Happiness sharing


Handover


Complimentary from BMW

Finally, the bike was brought up inside the delivery corridor and there it was standing tall. My daughter’s first expression was wow!! She was amazed by the sheer size of the bike. The photo never did justice to the actual size and posture of the bike. Done with the documentation formalities, cake cutting and sharing the joy with the showroom people who helped us in the delivery process and finally received the keys to the machine. I was told mine was the first GS310 to be delivered since the showroom was opened. They also gave a complimentary from BMW which had a cap, keychain, balaclava, etc. After taking some photos, I was finally ready to start the bike.

The executives helped to bring down the bike to the parking lot. Ready to start!

Customary Pooja:
Took the bike, along with my daughter in the pillion to temple. Finished with rituals and from there returned home after some extended rides on the way. Expecting more comfortable rides.

Getting the Divine blessings






Dad & Daut's day out. Rode along with my daughter towards Ooty via Kotagiri and back.


Dad & Daut on the way


The always occupied Bouganvilla


Somewhere inbetween, view point


On the way


La Cafe - Nice flowers


Of-Course Kid's Favourite


Another ride, this time along with my wife. We rode towards Valparai, upto attakatty. And since it was due to rain forecast, we came back to plan for another day.


Valparai entry Checkpost


One for the bike


On the way

Thanks for making it till here. Until next time, happy riding all!!

[prakash_ajp]

Congratulations on your bike! Wish you many miles of happy and safe ride!

One question - did you exchange your Meteor with the BMW guys or sold separately? I am considering the GS 310 too, although still undecided on new or used. If I decide to go with a new one, would be nice if the BMW guys have a decent exchange offer.

[doomketu]

That is a beautiful bike. Thanks for sharing the experience. My only confusion is regarding the TC process where it had to go to Chennai, not sure if that is the norm or something specific to some class of bikes. Looking forward to how the bike tackles the good roads and non existent roads, good luck.

[silverstreakcbe]

Originally Posted by prakash_ajp

Congratulations on your bike! Wish you many miles of happy and safe ride!

One question - did you exchange your Meteor with the BMW guys or sold separately? I am considering the GS 310 too, although still undecided on new or used. If I decide to go with a new one, would be nice if the BMW guys have a decent exchange offer.

I sold my Meteor through DriveX. It was very simple process and finished within hours. Before choosing DriveX, i did check both RE and BMW. They just share the dealer's mobile number. They don't involve in the transaction directly. The Quote from these dealers were very low.

On an additional note, DriveX process is very simple and straight forward (Provided we have clear documents and no hassles).

1. Once we register in their website, they call us and confirm on our willingness to sell.
2. They send their representative to evaluate the bike and give the quote on the spot.
3. Once the deal is finalized, sale agreement is done then and there and amount transferred to our account within hours.
4. They take the keys and all relevant documents signed.

I found it more simple and more painless way. I always had this concern on people wanting to do test drives and all. But it was not in my case.

Hope this helps.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[krishsreedharan]

Congratulations on your baby GS! May this be the precursor for the bigger bikes in future. Make Life a Ride and enjoy it

[VijayAnand1]

Let me add my wishes to you all the from Ooty. The GS is a nice bike, suavely butch looking and overall a decent motorcycle.

Would like to add a little color to come what may..

1. Breaks: Rear break: I really need to get used to it. The lever goes down a bit and then bites the disc. Though it has the required bite during high speeds, but still it does not give me the confidence similar to front.

There are two solutions to this problem. You can get the rear brake pedal freeplay range adjusted per your foot position. By default, the rear brake pedal is set lower which would aggravate the brake initiation point. Setting this right per your foot position with you seated on the could help get you that perfect braking sweet spot. If after all this you still observe a spongy rear pedal, your rear brake system should be looked into.

2. Gear Shifts (Upshift/Downshift): Lots of concerns here. I have to get this checked during first service. Below are my issues, when i checked reviews online, suggests that it should be fine after first service. I will wait till then.
False Neutral: I have heard this on many RE bikes, but i never faced it on my Meteor. But i am surprised to see it on GS310. First of all, finding neutral is tricky, have to get used to. But even when i get it, the vehicle jumps once i leave the clutch lever.
Upshift: From 1st to 2nd. This has happened to me at more than couple of times, the gear does not up-shift from first to second and stuck at neutral. So, i had to again put it to first and then to second.
Downshift: From 3rd to 2nd. Though i did not encounter this on my second trip. But this occurred to me during first trip. From 3rd it goes directly to 1st.

The bike's gearshifts an the engine will feel gruff, will eventually smoothen once the bike completes its second, third service. The gearshifts will be notchy and clunky till a couple of services are completed and the gearbox settles. This gearbox by default does require a little more than desired pressure shifting positively, but it should settle well and requires a little getting used to. Would also recommend you to check the gear lever position and get it adjusted per your foot position which would make shifting more positive.

During the initial period, keep an eye on your battery health. There have been many cases where battery/charging circuit failure has been predominant with the GS310GS taking the rider by surprise.

Enjoy the ride, godspeed. Do DM me if you plan on solo rides to Nilgiris, would love to catch up.

Cheers!
VJ

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by silverstreakcbe

I sold my Meteor through DriveX. It was very simple process and finished within hours. Before choosing DriveX, i did check both RE and BMW. They just share the dealer's mobile number. They don't involve in the transaction directly. The Quote from these dealers were very low.

On an additional note, DriveX process is very simple and straight forward (Provided we have clear documents and no hassles).

Unfortunately, for where I am (or may where my current vehicle is registered, DriveX doesn't offer their services. So, I am forced to find a buyer for my H'ness before I can take the plunge. But the good news is, this also opens up options in the used bike market. I see quite a few used ones for a decent price in TN. Bit of a concern and good news, both.

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

There are two solutions to this problem. You can get the rear brake pedal freeplay range adjusted per your foot position. By default, the rear brake pedal is set lower which would aggravate the brake initiation point. Setting this right per your foot position with you seated on the could help get you that perfect braking sweet spot. If after all this you still observe a spongy rear pedal, your rear brake system should be looked into.

I felt that too, during my test ride. Good to know that this can be addressed.

[ebonho]

Congratulations on your new bike! To my eye, alongside my Gen 1 Duke (200 or 390), the best looking Indian bike in the last 15 years.

Cheers, Doc

[Akash_1806]

Hey buddy,

Congratulations on the purchase and getting the baby GS home. As a fellow GS owner, I would like to tell you that the GS has a reverse inclined engine and the gearshifts are a little clunky. However it gets better with the first service and even better after the second service. Except for this it is a wonderful machine in all aspects. Also, just keep an eye on the battery health and front shock absorber seals.

Enjoy the ride and happy motoring