BMW’s Forgotten Gem R80ST

IN THE LATTER HALF THE 20TH CENTURY, BMW PRODUCED a whole host of magnificent machines, like the R69S, R90S R100RS and the R80G/S. These were the headline-grabbers, the rule-breakers, the front-of-the-catalogue range-toppers. As you passed the glitz and made your way through the brochure you came to the more sensible, more run-of-the-mill rides. This is where you found the R80ST. It never reached the dizzy heights of its peers and received a lot less fanfare. With the R80ST about to hit 40 years old, we think it’s time to give this forgotten gem its spot in the limelight.

Back in the late 1970s to early 1980s, larger bikes were being used around Europe in trials, and BMWs were often seen in homemade, Frankenstein-form; some ridden by BMW workers. And so, almost by accident, they hit upon the idea of the G/S, a road bike that was capable of off-roading. The G/S (later