BMW released a new 310 R naked beginner bike at the EICMA show this past November. Now, determined not to be left out of the beginner sportbike market, it seems ze Germans have planned to launch a fully faired version too
In an attempt to double the amount of motorcycle BMW makes and sells currently, they teamed up with Indian brand TVS to try and increase their market share with a goal of selling 200,000 motorcycles a year by the year 2020. The first result of this partnership was the BMW 310 R naked single-cylinder roadster.
Now, Indian auto/moto site Rushlane.com is reporting that BMW now has a fully-faired option in the works, codenamed U69. It will use the same platform as the 310 R (codenamed K03), but feature different egos and likely some modifications to the powertrain. BMW will handle the R&D for the project, with the TVS’ Hosur plant taking care of production.
The 310 R is powered by a 313 cc single cylinder motor, which produces 34 horsepower and 20.6 foot-pounds of torque and hits the scales at about 350 pounds. It has an inverted front fork, ABS standard, and a four-piston front brake caliper - which is a pretty nice piece of kit for such a small bike.
It will be interesting to see if BMW will aim this new faired version at more of an entry level crowd or the racing crowd, with more and more of these little bikes making their way onto the track.
Will it compete with the KTM RC 390 or the Honda CBR300R? Only time will tell. If the rumors are true, this should be announced next month.
Photos: BMW
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