We have a G310R. It is my wife's first motorcycle. It's been great. She is 5'5" and can put the balls of her feet down, but she cannot flat foot both at once. That took some getting used to, but she got the hang of it pretty fast. It has been a wonderful first bike for her. Of significance is the fact that it looks absolutely super. You'd think looks don't matter too much, but the way this bike looks just makes you want to ride it.
We put soft luggage on the back and a windshield on the front. Those are helpful items to have. The windshield (around $500 for the part and the installation) might even be essential. It made a big difference to her comfort on the road.
The bike is superior, in my opinion, to a Rebel 250. It has ABS and fuel injection, as well as LED rear lights. I felt like the Rebel 250 was a little too small for big roads. I know someone has probably done "the long way 'round" on a Rebel 250, but the extra horsepower and bigger road presence of the BMW are reassuring.
Speaking of extra power, the BMW makes 34 horsepower. It's enough that a skilled rider can make it accelerate pretty quick. However, it is also low-powered enough that an error with the clutch, for example, will not cause the bike to jump forward. It just shuts off in a gentle stall. This is much better for a new rider than being catapulted across an intersection due to a hand slip.
The first time she rode it she tried to walk it over a big dip where the gutter crosses the driveway. She got to where one wheel was in the driveway, one was in the road, and her feet were over the gutter in mid air. It was a Bugs Bunny moment. She fell over. Didn't do anything to the bike, and there were no tears. For a while she wanted me to put the bike in the street for her, until she got the hang of the controls. After a few rides she gained confidence and was able easily to navigate the driveway. Now she laughs at how easy the driveway really was.
The light weight and incredible agility should make it easy to get up and down your driveway. Just be careful stopping at the bottom. Make sure you take it slow, try not to lurch to a stop, and straighten the bars before the stop.
The bike has limits. Above 65 miles per hour it stops being fun. You *can* do it, but it kind of sucks. The riding position is comfortable for maybe 45 minutes, depending on how well it fits you. Riding the bike for a solid hour gets uncomfortable for me, but my wife can ride for hours with just short breaks. After putting some miles on the bike, she was able to ride 265 miles on the Natchez Trace Parkway (50mph speed limit - perfect for the G310R) in one day. She was tired at the end, but had a great time.
So, as an around town bike, a country road bike, a commuter, or a first bike, it is a great choice. For longer trips or highway use, you need a bigger bike.
I'd say do it!! The G310R was made in a collab between BMW and TVS from India. BMW got this bike, TVS got the Apache RR 310 which remains one of my favourite low displacement sportbikes in terms of looks.
