Replica 1984 Paris-Dakar winner
The Bootleg Beetles. Experience Hendrix. The Counterfeit Stones. When you can’t see your favourite group play live, there’s always a tribute band that can conjure up a taste of the old magic. And if you can’t ride Hailwood’s Honda RC166 or Cal Rayborn’s Harley XRTT you could always build a replica.
Penthouse logos on a massive gas tank, Antar stickers on the front mudguard, and oval race plates carrying number 101. Remind you of anything? How about 1984 and the Paris-Dakar... the GS ridden by Gaston Rahier... and that famous victory? Will Corry pats the suede and leather-covered seat and admits: “Yes, it’s a tribute bike.”
It would take a master forger to make a faithful replica of Rahier’s GS. It was one of three built by ISDT legend, Herbert Schek in Paris. The main frame section might look like it came from a stock Series 7 RS BMW but it was fabricated from oval section chrome-molly tubing (much of it with 3mm thick wall tubing) and then heat-treated. To improve the handling in desert conditions the steering head rake was reduced, from 28 to 27 degrees. Schek used a stronger double-sided swingarm controlled by twin Öhlins shocks. The left swingarm – the weaker one –
