Rally Raid Launches Adventure Kit for the BMW G310GS
The baby GS gets serious off-road upgrade with the Rally Raid Adventure Kit.
One of the most-anticipated new bikes destined for the Adventure Market this year — the BMW G310GS — has recently gone on sale worldwide and has received almost universal acclaim in the International press, other than the odd criticism of its budget specification. Although, a few compromises in components and features were to be expected when you consider the bargain-basement price.
British-based motorcycle engineering company, Rally Raid Products, have now turned their attention towards improving this new baby GS in a similar way to their popular Honda CB500X Adventure kit — making it even more capable both on and off-road as a light[er]-weight, all-terrain adventure motorcycle.
Key improvements to the standard BMW G310GS include a range of high-performance and fully-adjustable rear shock options together with similarly upgraded front suspension components, and addressing the one key criticism of the standard-specification machine by offering a pair of direct replacement heavy-duty wire-spoked wheels — available in both tubed and tubeless rim options.
We spoke to John Mitchinson — the founder and managing director of Rally Raid Products — and asked why he feels the new 313cc single-cylinder BMW is such an exciting proposition for more adventurous riders.
“Ultimately we felt the BMW G310GS would be the perfect platform to create a genuinely capable and more-manageable all-terrain machine — something that effectively bridges the gap between a lightweight enduro bike modified for road and touring use, and a physically larger and heavier multi-cylinder ‘Adventure’ motorcycle,” he suggests.
A Compromise, But Not Compromised
Despite their [desert] Rally Racing heritage, in recent years Rally Raid Products have seen an increase in demand from their customers for bikes that fulfill a more rounded and general-purpose role. “That is not to say that off-road performance isn’t still a priority for the owners of our bikes,” John explains. “But more that they want a genuine ALL-terrain machine, something that works equally well both on- and off-road — so a compromise if you like, but one which is not compromised.”
“Of course traditionally smaller-capacity bikes tend to be dismissed as ‘entry level’, for ‘beginners’ or ‘women’s bikes’,” he continues, “And while they can certainly suit that demographic, equally they are also increasing their appeal with more experienced riders who are looking to explore beyond where a traditional large capacity twin-cylinder Adventure Bike can take them, or at least with a lot less effort than is typically required to pilot an otherwise beast of a bike off-road” he concludes.
Range of BMW G310GS Components
“Fortunately, the factory specification already ticked many of our boxes,” John explains. “Not least that the BMW G310GS already has a 19-inch diameter front wheel and reasonably long travel suspension (7.1 inches each end), together with good ground clearance coupled with a modest seat height.”
Wheels
The most obvious and visually striking change to the BMW G310GS has been to replace the standard cast aluminium wheels with a tubeless heavy-duty spoked-wheel set. “The GS wheels are built to the same specification as our rally wheels for the KTM 690,” he reveals, “And can be supplied professionally-converted to run tubeless tires if desired, complete with a 4-year warranty.”
By manufacturing their own unique hubs in-house, the replacement wheels have been specifically designed to utilize all the OEM hardware including the brake discs, ABS sensor rings and cush drive components from the original bike (and come supplied ready to fit with new bearings and seals) — keeping the cost of conversion down, and meaning any spare parts are readily available at your local dealership.
Click the “Next Page” link below to continue.
Notify me of new posts via email
[…] “Ultimately we felt the BMW G310GS would be the perfect platform to create a genuinely capable and more-manageable all-terrain machine — something that effectively bridges the gap between a lightweight enduro bike modified for road and touring use, and a physically larger and heavier multi-cylinder ‘Adventure’ motorcycle,” said Rally Raid owner John Mitchinson in a previous interview with ADVpulse.com […]
hello can you give some info about g310gs spoked-wheel , front and rear hubs , and also about how to set ABS sensor rings, thanks a lot.