Exclusive - Affordable BMW Roadster Bike In The Works?

On the sidelines of the BMW CE 04 India launch, we got an exclusive interview with Markus Mueller-Zambre, Head of Region APAC, China, Russia, Africa, Importers Africa, Middle East, Caribbean, BMW Motorrad. Among the many topics discussed, the crucial one was the TVS-BMW partnership and how it has been fruitful for both brands. The BMW G 310 series is manufactured by TVS and exported to global markets. In fact, over 1,30,000 units of the motorcycle range have been shipped out of the country signifying the success of this JV. 

But the fact remains that the BMW G 310 platform is almost a decade old and in this time period all its rivals have brought in new generation products and there have been many new entrants too. The last addition to the G 310 family was the BMW G 310 RR, but it was more of a rebadging exercise as it’s based on the TVS Apache RR 310 and wasn’t developed by the German giant. During the interaction, Mueller-Zambre mentioned that ‘For the future, we can expect a lot from this cooperation, also in regard to interesting and exciting segments above what we have at the moment.’ This comment gives us an indication that work on a larger displacement might have already commenced which is good news for BMW enthusiasts. 

When prodded about the slew of retro-styled roadster products being launched in the 400-500 cc segment of bikes he added that the DNA of BMW Motorrad is the GS range of bikes and that the ADV segment has played a huge role in its success. In its current portfolio, the roadster series has contributed well in terms of sales and the affordable roadster is a segment that is important for the brand in the future. 

There is no official confirmation on this but a 400-500 cc BMW roadster bike will find quite a lot of takers. A smaller bike based on the BMW R12 has the potential of being a successful bike given the brand value of BMW Motorrad and its heritage. Just like the existing BMW G 310, the next generation of affordable BMW bikes will need to be manufactured in India for competitive pricing. If the German two-wheeler giant is able to deliver such a product it will compete against bikes such as the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450, BSA Roadstar and the Triumph Speed 400.