110 MOTORCYCLETRADER
THE NEW TOY
This would be the first time in 30 years I’d
ridden one. Back in 1989, I got to play with
what was then a new model and write a
story about it. Maybe it wasn’t the greatest
thing ever to grace two wheels, but it was a
whole lot of fun and left me walking away
wondering why on earth there wasn’t one
in the shed. Actually, back then, I probably
couldn’t afford it.
Since then, the whole adventure-tourer
market has ballooned. Where it was once
very much a niche and far more popular
in Europe than here, that sector is now
mainstream. That in turn has helped to
drive up the prices of BMW’s first R80G/S –
particularly the Paris Dakar version, one of
which Editor Charris proudly owns.
By the 1988 model year, BMW launched
this, the second-generation. In addition
to the bigger engine option, it ran an
articulated Paralever rather than rigid
Monolever shaft drive, gained a monster
plastic 35-litre fuel tank and, perhaps most
controversially, motorcycling’s answer to a
bullbar. Overkill? Perhaps, but there was no
mistaking the intent, even without the giant
‘Paris Dakar’ emblazoned down the side.
The model was to last through to 1996,
albeit with a number of running changes.
In this original form, it was quick as a
point-to-point prospect but not super-fast.
With a mere 60 horses (45kW) on tap, by far
the best way to get the most out of it was to
surf the very solid mid-range – max revs
produced a lot more noise but not that much
extra power. Top speed was 190km/h.
Handling was pretty good, if a little
weird on first encounter. With long-travel
suspension and big, wide handlebars,
you got a pretty smooth ride, though hard
braking brought on some fairly radical
changes in pitch. Those ’bars also helped
to overcome any resistance from the fairly
conservative steering geometry – and the
giant 21-inch front rim.
It was actually a good
thing to punt through
a set of turns. You’d
get the occasional
brief weave, but it was
benign, and the GS was
surprisingly willing to
pitch into a corner.THE ROAD TRIP
As for the big trip
home, the idea of
going via the OodnadatttaTrack
was toyed with and rejected. I’ve been on
that road before, and it is worth doing in
the right circumstances. However, tackling
it on your own on a 30-year-old motorcycle
you had never clapped eyes on didn’t make
sense. The final nail in that idea was the
condition report of the track: 500km of
bulldust and corrugations. No thanks – this
was meant to be fun.
A ny w ay, down the Stuart Highway may
look boring on a map, but I reckon the
scenery and the people along the way
make it well worthwhile. If you can’t find
something interesting to do or see in a
town like Coober Pedy, for example, give
up travelling.
Of course, the bike conspired to make life
a little too interesting. Mr B greeted me
with the news that the front brake wasn’t
too flash (understatement of the week),
but more concerning was the GS had a top
speed of just 110km/h. Really? His theory
was it had been sitting too long and needed
a good dose of fresh fuel through it. Maybe,Our
BikesABOVE The red stripe has
degraded severely on this side
of the tank but not so much
on the other. BMW was yet
to tackle ultra-violet damage.