BMW G310GS & Benelli TRK 502
Germany and Italy have different ideas on how to make a small bike for the GS community
MOST POPULAR BIKE in the universe? BMW’S R1200GS. It’s due to go-anywhere capability, appreciable character and that conformist roundel. Inventing a small capacity BMW for new riders, city dwellers and emerging markets is therefore easy. You just make a little GS. Beemer try hard to make the 310 a valid member of the GS clan. Look at the rear light, and the plastic trim on the seat unit aping the big bike’s subframe. The difference to the 1200 and 800 (and the old 650 singles) is, of course, that the G310GS is a thrash-happy tiddler the same weight as a skateboard. The 313cc single is mighty keen. Its intake is on the front, the exhaust fires straight out the rear, and it leans backwards – partly for throttle body space, partly for centralised mass. Blip the gas in neutral and the tacho bar whips across the digi display, and it’s just as keen to gather revs on the move. Stronger than the Honda, more modern in feel than the Royal Enfield and punchier than the Kawasaki, the 310 is happiest above 6000rpm, though that’s not to say unhappy below it. Every 1000rpm in top is roughly 10mph; that’s the same as the Honda, but the 310 holds 75mph more easily (but tingles through its ’pegs). Only the larger and more ample Benelli is happier on a motorway. Fuelling is clean, the gearbox clicks pleasantly, and it does 70mpg (a real-time economy readout has three digits, so you play at trying to top 100mpg). The GS doesn’t like early starts, though. It turns over and over without firing, any fuel causing backfires. When it does go it needs caressing before willingly idling. Overall quality is no better or worse than the others. Switchgear is plasticky, as is the fake subframe, and a flickering light annoys traffic. But bits you see – dash, fairing inlay, handlebar clamp and bolts – are good, with the air of a large Beemer. It feels reassuringly chunky too. The 310 is broad in the middle, with more girth than the Honda or Suzuki. At over 6ft tall there’s just one place I can sit, and no fidget room, though it’s not cramped or uncomfortable. Founding editor (and current customs correspondent) Mark Williams would call the ride ‘jouncy’. Far from rubbish, but with the slightly bouncy damping and mildly jiggling ride expected at this price. It’s no better or worse than, say, the Kawasaki. You don’t
‘The engine feels more GS than the BMW does’
notice the blocky Metzelers in turns, and despite flitting agility the 310 has the confidence you expect from a bike bearing ‘G’ and ‘S’. Of course, a little bike styled like a big one isn’t the only way to make a small adventurer. The other way is to put a smaller engine in a full-size motorcycle, which is what Benelli’s TRK 502 feels like. The TRK is big, not just because of Ducati Multistrada styling. It’s the longest, widest and heaviest here at 235kg wet. There’s lots of bike, from large screen and tube frame to 20-litre tank, from 50mm fork legs to and pannier-ready subframe (cases £439 extra). With a 499.6cc, 46.2bhp parallel twin the Benelli has the biggest engine too. All the metal means power-to-weight is identical to the 38.7bhp Kawasaki, but the TRK is gruntier. There’s twice as much torque as the Honda, found 2000rpm earlier, so it’s a less frantic motor. Top gear overtakes are swift, and it’s calmest on long slogs. It’s also gruff. Sound and feel remind me of an F800GS – the motor seems coarse on tickover, has a ‘dry’ feel and whirs through the ’pegs on a wide throttle. The engine feels more GS than the BMW does. Despite presence, the Benelli feels low. With a wide ’bar it’s like a road bike with high hands and beak. Suspension is decent, and with smoother damping than the Kawasaki or BMW, though there’s a slight frontto-rear mismatch. The TRK is a bit awkward on mid-corner bumps, and there’s a small amount of steering drop-in at low speed. Standard Pirelli tyres are 120/70 ZR17 and 160/60 ZR17, but you can have spoke wheels with 110/80 R19 and 150/70 R17. There are nice touches. Twin radial front brake calipers (with Bosch ABS) are the best here, switchgear is almost as fine as the Suzuki’s, weather protection is ace, footpegs have removable rubbers, castings and stampings outshine the Kawasaki, and there’s a power outlet. For a dash to Shetland it’s the bike we’d take. There are less-than-great bits too, of course: ugly cast swingarm pivots, misaligned headlights, a cheap-looking and basic dash with a lazy tacho needle. However, overall the TRK appears a valid option. Why not have a Benelli that’s keenly priced because it’s made in China? Nobody bats an eye at a BMW from India, a Honda built in Thailand, or the Suzuki which is knocked-up in… yes, China.