For many GS riders, this is Genesis.
While there were four years of the R80G/S before the Paris-Dakar variant officially came out, and off-road race bikes far before the debut of the G/S (ISDT factory bikes such as these), this was the bike that put the GS on the map. The story of the GS without the Paris Dakar Rally would be a little like the story of Porsche without LeMans. The rally was the biggest win for Germans in North African sand since Rommel. Maybe more crucial for BMW was that it gave the company a great platform to sell bikes both mechanically and in terms of marketing. While the frame was basically from an R65, BMW offered accessories like the larger 32 liter tank, which included the signature of one of the factory riders – Gaston Rahier. This bike has one of those tanks. BMW has gone on to sell more than 500,000 copies of the GS since. In 2012, Cycle World actually said, “The big GS Boxer, the most successful motorcycle in the last two-and-a-half decades, sells so well it represents a very substantial chunk of BMW’s production and has been the machine that both created and continues to define the adventure-touring category.” However, this was the bike that started the craze. The GS is now BMW’s biggest money maker.
This is a gorgeous 32k mile 1983 R80G/S with a Paris-Dakar tank, that was upgraded to 1000 cc’s using a Touratech kit. It has an oil cooler (right side), Ohlins rear shock, upgraded transmission with a taller 5th gear, aftermarket exhaust, a deeper oil pan (a good accessory considering the oil cooler), and a number of great aftermarket tricks. It sounds like it hasn’t been run in a while, but that likely won’t be a problem. These were extremely reliable bikes as most people will tell you. The pictures are obviously older.
It’s available in Chicago, and the price was recently dropped to $14,500. You can find it here on ADVRider (registration required).