THE BMW R GS

The Paralever generation

The 1986-1996 R80GS and R100GS

The 1986-1990 era, continuation and modernism

An upgraded bike arrives with a new rear suspension, the paralever in place of the monolever. A change also for the name, the most visible is that the '/' between the G and the S disappears, but also the meaning of the letters changes. Now, the S is for Sport (in place of Strasse, "street" in German).
Two engines are available, a 798 cm³ for the R80GS (not available on all markets) and a 980 cm³ for the R100GS.

The major differences between the two bikes are :

the oil-cooler on the R100GS (strangely placed on the right engine protection bar);
a small windshield on the R100GS;
the engines :
- for the R80GS : 798 cm³, 84,8mm x 70,6mm, 50 hp (37 kW DIN) at 6500 rpm, 61 Nm at 3750 rpm, Compression: 8,2:1, 2 Bing carburators 32mm, 5 speeds;
- for the R100GS : 980 cm³, 94mm x 70,6mm, 60 hp (44 kW DIN) at 6500 rpm, 76 Nm at 3750 rpm, Compression: 8,5:1, 2 Bing carburators 40mm, 5 speeds.

The differences from the previous generation are :

the rear suspension;
the rear frame with small rack;
the fork (40mm Marzocchi in place of 36mm BMW);
the front brake (not better, unfortunately);
the centerstand design (pedals curved out);
the wheels (rear 17'' diameter vs: 18'') with rim-mounted spokes (to permit a tubeless tire);
the small external tachometer and clock on the outer sides of the plastic dashboard (maybe an option for the R80GS);
the tank with two petcocks (24 lit./5,8 gal. vs: 19,5 lit./5,1 gal.) and the vent tube goes horizontaly;
the tool box under the seat;
the styling (side panels, rounded tank with knee depressions, the mirror and the seat goes on the tank);
a stainless steel exhaust with a black cover plate (smaller than the R80G/S PD and the R80ST);
the 12v/25Ah battery in place of a 12v/16Ah;
the weight : 210 kg;
no kickstarter (but available as an add-on).

The paralever :

Like the monolever, the mono suspension flexible arm contains the drive shaft, but this one is dry (a source of problems).
The rear wheel is fixed by 4 lugnuts in place of the previous 3.

The family :

During this period (87-90), the first G/S version continues with a smaller engine (650 cm³, 82mm x 61,5mm, 27 hp (20 kW DIN) at 5500 rpm, 43 Nm at 3500 rpm, Compression: 8,4:1, 2 Bing carburators 26mm, 5 speeds), it's the R65GS. It is exactly like the R80G/S except for the chrome exhaust, the GS mirror, the battery (12v/20Ah vs: 12v/16Ah) and the weight : 198 kg;.

At the 1988 IFMA (Internationalen Fahrrad- und Motorradausstellung) in Munich, a new R100GS Paris-Dakar was on the BMW stand. First, it was only available as a kit made for the GS. The complete GS-PD bike was on the market in September 1989 with a new look and a lot of differences regarding the "nude" GS:

a "plastic" tank (35 lit./9,3 gal.) with a handy locking compartment;
a big oilpan bash plate (in three parts : a fiberglass in front of the engine and the exhaust pipe, a metal one under the engine and another one on the centerstand);
a dash board with the odometer, the control lights of the previous version and small tachometer and clock on it;
a solo seat with rack;
the weight : 236 kg;
new styling with integrated rectangular headlight, "rounded" windshield and with roo-bars.

The two notable differences from the previous PD version are that the R100GS PD solo seat pops off separately from the rack and that the R80G/S PD tank puts the gas farther back than the new one.
For some contries (Switzerland, South Africa,...) a R80GS PD was available (same bike as the R100GS-PD except the oil-cooler).

The 1990-1996 era, new styling (and death???)

It is really the same bike but now has the look of the two year old R100GS PD, and all bikes have a new dashboard (with odometer and tachometer included).
The differences between the previous generation are :

the bigger oilpan bash plate;
the rectangular headlight in the windscreen fairing with roo-bars;
new (regarding the precedent PD version) movable (you can adjust the angle) "rectangular" windshield;
a digital clock placed in the middel of the bar clamps is available as accessory;
the standard accessory socket;
the K-style controls;
the weight : 215 and 220 kg;
the choice of an high or low front fender.

The last version of the airhead GS was the P-D Classic. A beautifull black (all the dress) and chrom (protection bars and rack) with the round cylinder head cover version of the R100GS-PD. The P-D Classic was available in R80 version in some countries (South Africa,...).

Click here for the 1994 BMW parts micro-fiche for the 9/90 and later model year R80GS/PD and R100GS/PD motorcycles.

The 1996-1997 The R80GS Basic and The South African's BMW R80GS Kalahari

Since the 'death' of the 2-valve boxer, news about a possible future "last version" bike with this engine have appeared from time to time. It was become a reality.

The R80GS Basic is a like a '87-90 R80GS with a high fender, a White Power rear shock, the G/S seat and the G/S (19,5 lit./5,1 gal.) tank with modern aero-plug. Its weight is 209 kg. The frame and the center stand are painted blue; the tank, cockpit and fenders are white. The rear suspension is the paralever
Here, you can find more info with pictures and the English translation (courtesy of Kari Prager) of a test done by the German magazine Motorrad.

The South African's BMW R80GS Kalahari version was a version of the R80GS Basic model with the R80G/S-PD 35 liters steel tanks, hand guards and the small windshield of the "nude" R100GS (1987-1990).
Here, you can find more info with pictures and a small test done by the South African magazine BikeSA.

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Updated the 20 October 2000