19.5 litres (4.3 imperial gallons)
Related
R65GS, R80ST
The
BMW R80G/S is a
motorcycle manufactured in
Berlin, Germany, by
BMW Motorrad from 1980 to 1987. Production totalled 21,864 bikes.
[1] It was the first in the
BMW GS family of specialised
dual-sport bikes, of which over 500,000 have been produced.
[2] The designation G/S is an acronym of the
German words Gelände/Strasse, which mean offroad/road – highlighting the bike's dual sport design.
Contents [
hide]
- 1 Specification
- 2 R80G/S in Motorsport
- 3 Successors
- 4 Notes
- 5 External links
[
edit] Specification The R80G/S was fitted with a 797.5 cc (48.67 cu in)
BMW type 247 engine, which is a
flat-twin (
boxer) sometimes known as an
airhead. The engine, which was fitted into an R65 frame,
[3] was a modified version of that fitted to the R80/7, featuring
Nikasil cylinders, electronic ignition and a lighter flywheel.
[3] At the rear the bike had a new design combined single-sided
swingarm and
drive shaft – called a monolever due to the rear
suspension being provided by single
shock absorber. The monolever was stiffer and lighter than the design fitted to previous models, and was subsequently fitted to other BMW motorcycles.
[3] It differs from other BMW road bikes of the same era due to its lighter weight, longer suspension travel, and large 21 inch front wheel.
[4] The bike's popularity with adventure-seeking travellers means that it was often improved with
aftermarket motorcycle accessories, such as larger fuel tanks and
panniers.
[4]
Gaston Rahier's 1985 Paris-Dakar winning R80G/S [
edit] R80G/S in Motorsport The R80G/S was developed for BMW by engineer Rüdiger Gutsche, a successful competitor in the
International Six Days Trial on his specially adapted
R75/5.
[5] In 1981,
Hubert Auriol, riding a R80G/S prepared by German company HPN Motorradtechnik,
[6] won the
Paris-Dakar Rally.
[7] He repeated his success on a 870 cc version of the R80G/S in 1983.
[6] Gaston Rahier won the Dakar on a R80G/S in 1984 and then again on a larger 1000 cc engined R80G/S in 1985.
[6][8] To commemorate their success, BMW launched the R80G/S Paris-Dakar special edition which featured a 7 imperial gallons (32 l; 8.4 US gal) fuel tank,
[8] fitted with dual petcocks and signed by Gaston Rahier.
[9]