BMW hints at the G310R's next direction
Getting it into showrooms would be a good start
THE BMW G310R isn’t on sale yet but we might be looking at the next addition to the range.
Students at the European Institute of Design have been studying the imminently-arriving BMW G310R as part of their final degree projects and have come up with multiple different concept designs based on BMW’s new single-cylinder naked.
The concept that get chosen as the best design will be taken a step further, with the ultimate aim being to build a working prototype – so these may be the beginnings of a new bike built on the G310R platform.
The most conceptual design is the futuristic looking ‘Projeckt BMW Savannah’ bike (above), designed for women. Its key features are a wraparound LED light and haptic feedback system - pads on the side of the tank that vibrate against the rider’s knees to warn of vehicles in the blind spot. The bike also uses a keyless ignition which works with a wearable bracelet. There’s a touch of the new Husqvarna Svarpilen 401 about it, which is no bad thing.
The G310R Misto (above) uses a modular panel system, with fairing panels that can be added or removed to suit the rider’s personal taste or conditions, also making a bike that can be used on and off-road. And what do you do with unused panels? Hand them on your wall like art, of course, suggests the designer.
Then there’s the Street Race (above) and Supermoto (below) concepts, aimed at younger riders. Neither bike uses a speedo – instead that function is handled by the rider’s smartphone. Both of these meant are to be an exciting alternative to a scooter, with looks that draw from the S1000R and R1200R.
A related project in Japan has also seen journalists, BMW customers, dealer staff and design students coming together to work out how the G310R can be customised for women.
The resulting ideas are the G310R ‘Sporty Scrambler’ and the ‘City Café Racer Style’. Both designs may one day be built by a customiser, with potential for it to become a production bike – it’s not hard to imagine BMW wanting to offer a smaller version of the R nineT Café Racer and R nineT Scrambler.
The project between BMW and the IED began in 2015 and was launched by BMW Motorrad Italia Marketing Manager Andrea Ferrari, who said that, ‘We want to bring some of the concept bikes’ features to a more concrete phase, diving deep into some specific aspects of each bike, bringing a ‘G 310 R by IED’ to life’.
