40 YEARS OF THE THE BIKE THAT SAVED BMW GS

BMW at this point was staring at the very real possibility of abandoning motorcycle production. The division was unprofitable, and although the models were of unquestionably high quality, they were staid in comparison to many of their rivals and demand was on the decline.

Decades earlier, specially prepared BMW flat twins had been successful in major competitions such as the International Six Days Trials, but more recently had claimed a series of European Enduro titles from 1970 in the hands of Herbert Schek on a heavily modified R75/5. The BMW factory officially got into the act in 1979 with a full team effort that netted the German Cross Country Championship, using the R80 as the basis. Typically, the factory bikes were built at considerable expense, and although some of the wealthier enduro types expressed a desire to buy one, that didn’t happen.

At the time, there was something of a revolution brewing as the old concept of ‘street scramblers’ – basically road bikes with a few bits like high pipes and lighter mudguards bolted on – gave way to models that adhered more