2020 BMW G 310 GS VS. KTM 390 ADVENTURE VS. ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN
COMPARISON
P86
especially when you're sitting
down, only falling behind KTM
in power output and quality of its
dash/electronics package while
you're chasing painted lines.
Suspension performance
is adequate for road touring
duty, and the non-adjustable
fork settings seem to hold up to
semi-aggressive corner dives
just fine. The BMW G 310 GS
carves tight pavement roads
superbly—the best in this test
for that—and the suspension,
while limited to shock preload
adjustment only, is tuned well for
roads. Off-road, the bike starts
to show some compromises.
The biggest complaint we reg-
istered on the baby BMW is with
the tank cover. It makes stand-
ing up awkward at best. The
worst part is it's not a tradeoff
for capacity. In fact, the BMW's
2.9-gallon tank is nearly one
gallon smaller than KTM's—and
KTM's is easier to ride with. That
fuel reduction means 45-60
miles less range in our MPG
tests. So, even though it's "big-
ger," it's actually smaller. Relat-
ed, the KTM weighs about five
pounds more than the BMW full
of fuel. So, KTM is giving you
maximum range for almost the
same overall weight.
What the big "tank" on the
BMW does is lock you into a
comfortable sit-down scene.
It's where this bike wants you to
be. Also, the excess plastic sur-
rounding the actual tank adds
real GS style to this little BMW.
It's a good-looking bike, but it's
coming at the cost of range and
stand-up comfort.
BMW comes into this com-
parison with a model introduced
in 2018. So, it's not the most
up-to-date example of BMW
tech and is swimming against
It doesn't take
much effort for
an experienced
off-road rider
to push the BMW's
suspension
beyond its limits
on the dirt.
