R80 G/S Paris Dakar 1987 - opinions required

Everyone has an opinion .
Mine is that the Airhead BMW G/S & GS range are a sought after machine.
Its very much an acquired taste , as Rob rightly points out , he also suggests a very
wise move ,,,, get a spin before you comit to what is no more than a notion , albeit an
expensive notion .
For £18000.GBPs which equates to over Eur20000. you could buy yourself some very nice
machinery . I think its way over priced .

Have a wee gander at these : http://boxerschmiede.de/?ads=swd .
http://www.mobile.de/zweirad-verzeichnis/bmw/r-80-gs.html

I would not be buying in the UK. Look across the pond , Netherlands and Germany
have a much better selection at much much better prices . There are loads of desirable
machines all over Europe , it will pay dividends for you to steady yourself , study the
market and then buy . Do not just jump in .
 
Having rebuilt my R80G/S as a full on Moorespeed jobbie, I wish I'd only spent £18k on the re build. By the time you factor in all new parts everywhere and to be fair, a very expensive, no expense spared Moorespeed engine, it can all add up very quickly. Looks like a great bike, but for me, I'd want more performance from an £18k spend. If you value the OE look, then why not. With regards to handling, my Moorespeed bike actually handles really well, it's firm, but that's something to do with upside down forks and Wilbers shock and extended swing arm. A properly special airhead is a lovely thing to own.
 
Rob Farmer said:
Before you sell them it would be an idea to try an airhead out. They are pretty awful and an acquired taste. The 800cc engine will barely pull the skin off a rice pudding.
Click to expand...

With the new speeding fine laws the money saved by running something that has to be wound up just to exceed the national speed limit may help offset the Airhead's high purchase cost! :D

Even though they are slow I've only been overtaken rarely when on an airhead and the last time it wasn't the engine that was the limiting factor but the weaving. :eek:
 
There was a nice 2007 Transalp for sale at my favorite Bike Shop/ cafe this morning.
Nicely farkled, 13500 km, new tires 3 months road tax, , top box , side case racks, etc.
Would do everything a R80 G/S would at least as well, some things probably a little better.
And at $5,000-, less than 15% of the cost of that lash up of mismatched parts.
So, as a rider that bike is probably worth 2 1/2 grand.
Whether the undocumented claims of originality and a few new bits are worth an extra 16 grand is entirely up to the purchaser, and I for one just dont see anywhere like that.
FWIW I paid $4000- for my 1000cc G/S PD six years ago and it had a WP shock, reworked forks to suit, recent rebuilt box, recent 1000 cc conversion with factory parts, oversized disk, etc, etc.
And 278,000 hard km under its belt!
 
It is some time ago but I certainly thought that I had an original Bike, (Tank) and the signature was this way

gaston.jpg


I sold the Tank to Gary, some years ago
 
Hi All, I am a brand new UKGSer..........tha'ts a great looking bike , Berin.
Anyway, I am seeking some feedback fro knowledgable friends here;-) ..... about to purchase an R80GS.... I think it's a 1989 model...but in 'bumblebee' colours. Do you know if BMW produced R80GS in this 'bumblebee' colour? Appreciate some info here. Thanks.
 
Maniscoco said:
Hi All, I am a brand new UKGSer..........tha'ts a great looking bike , Berin.
Anyway, I am seeking some feedback fro knowledgable friends here;-) ..... about to purchase an R80GS.... I think it's a 1989 model...but in 'bumblebee' colours. Do you know if BMW produced R80GS in this 'bumblebee' colour? Appreciate some info here. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Welcome

yes they did ... but you will have to check if it was originally available in your local market or is an "import" as BMW did not officially sell the R80GS in some countries ........ makes not different to the Bike .. but just a technicality

as with everything these days .... there will be lots of info on the Web and Utube

just google BMW R80GS "Bumble Bee"
 
Maniscoco said:
Hi All, I am a brand new UKGSer..........tha'ts a great looking bike , Berin.
Anyway, I am seeking some feedback fro knowledgable friends here;-) ..... about to purchase an R80GS.... I think it's a 1989 model...but in 'bumblebee' colours. Do you know if BMW produced R80GS in this 'bumblebee' colour? Appreciate some info here. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Can I suggest you tread carefully, the bumblebee is very well known so I'd be thinking you might not know a lot about these bikes . These bikes are 25ish years old, as such some have been run into the ground and resurrected with overhauls that aren't always able to restore a machine to its former mechanical glory. If you know the machines well there will usually be some small tell tale signs that the bike has been overhauled, little bits that aren't original colour etc. Of course there are some overhauled bikes that are better than the ones that left the factory so I'm not rubbishing all overhauls. Probably best to pass any prospective purchase before the eyes of a friend who knows about them.
 
B Murr said:
Can I suggest you tread carefully, the bumblebee is very well known so I'd be thinking you might not know a lot about these bikes . These bikes are 25ish years old, as such some have been run into the ground and resurrected with overhauls that aren't always able to restore a machine to its former mechanical glory. If you know the machines well there will usually be some small tell tale signs that the bike has been overhauled, little bits that aren't original colour etc. Of course there are some overhauled bikes that are better than the ones that left the factory so I'm not rubbishing all overhauls. Probably best to pass any prospective purchase before the eyes of a friend who knows about them.
Click to expand...

Hi, Many thanks for the cautionary note. Understood...but I am more curious (as I can't find R80GS in 'bumblebee') to know if these models are actually produced and if so, what year? Most bumblebee seems to be R100GS...
I will have my veteran Motorrad mechanic friend to double check the engine and chassis anyway.. despite it showing about 18,000 km done. By the way, this actual bike was brought in from Japan (seems to have been a reliable owner;-)........ anyway, will keep posting as I dig deeper into getting it:)....Cheers.
 
Maniscoco said:
Hi, Many thanks for the cautionary note. Understood...but I am more curious (as I can't find R80GS in 'bumblebee') to know if these models are actually produced and if so, what year? Most bumblebee seems to be R100GS...
I will have my veteran Motorrad mechanic friend to double check the engine and chassis anyway.. despite it showing about 18,000 km done. By the way, this actual bike was brought in from Japan (seems to have been a reliable owner;-)........ anyway, will keep posting as I dig deeper into getting it:)....Cheers.
Click to expand...

did you not read what I said in post number 48 above
 
BillN said:
Welcome

yes they did ... but you will have to check if it was originally available in your local market or is an "import" as BMW did not officially sell the R80GS in some countries ........ makes not different to the Bike .. but just a technicality

as with everything these days .... there will be lots of info on the Web and Utube

just google BMW R80GS "Bumble Bee"
Click to expand...

Many thanks BillN.....for some strange reason...didn't see your post as #48 was on the previous page....;-)
Yes, it landed from Japan...and prior to that from UK...I think.
 
Don't nail me to the cross here, but Airheads are not worth 10k or 16k! Espesh the 80GS. Yes they are nice...I love mine and will never part with her but honestly this is getting out of hand FFS. I dont care who signed the tank or who owned the bike...this is madness. Stock the 80 won't pull the cock off a chocolate mouse. To own such an imaculate bike just to ponce about on as a conversation piece is bollox. Yes investment this and that but then you cant actually ride it. Mines on the road all year and I'll be out in all weathers if the mood takes me and if it goes into the garage dirty for a few days (weeks) than so be it. Yes, airheads are nice, but not 10k or 16k nice. You wont be able to change anything to make it "yours" as you will be scared to muck with it. If you want something to ride buy a cheaper one and play with it till you love it. Stock they are tollerable boardering horrible. I've spent lots of time, money and effort getting my 80GS to go, corner and stop. I can't imagine going back to a stock one and paying 10k for the pleasure. I appreciate people want to make a living etc but I would be embarassed to ask that money for one even if it is in such good condition. Goes without saying I would never pay that for one either. A few more people need to say F*ck that and it would stop.
 
On the other hand..........

I moved back from a 1200 Adventure due to increased complication with electronics on new bikes and (ahem) declining build quality. I currently have a R100GS bumblebee, a R80G/S and a R100GSPD Classic (with less than 10.000 miles on the clock from new).
Yes, the 1000 does have more grunt than the 800 but the smaller engine is so smooth and flexible and in some opinions, better than the 1000.
Are the airheads as usable as a modern bike? Yes, indeed they are. My mate Roger and I have just recently returned from a 4,700 mile, 12 day, round trip to NordKapp. Rog was on his R100GSPD and me on the 'bee. Both bikes ran faultlessly throughout, over sometimes what must be some of the worst roads in Europe.
Having been stranded for four days in the extreme west of Southern Ireland due to an electronics failure on the 1200, the simple "fix by the road" capabilities of the airheads provide great peace of mind in out of the way places.
Sure, they do have some weaknesses but these can usually be fielded by taking along a few spares, such as an alternator rotor, diode board and maybe a "bean can" in addition to a clutch and throttle cable etc. Rog and I have probably clocked up well in excess of 50,000 miles between us on these long runs and never (so far!) have we had a problem we haven't been able to fix. Ask yourself why do some of the well known word-wide solo travellers often choose airheads. There are no Ewan and Charley-style support vehicles in the middle of Africa!
But yes, if you do buy one make sure it's a genuine low-miler or a proper and complete restoration by someone who knows what he's doing. Some of the recent threads on this forum have been warning enough in this respect. And if you did fancy a 10K mile PD Classic I might just be persuaded to move it on!
Take care.
 
Sylvester said:
Don't nail me to the cross here, but Airheads are not worth 10k or 16k! Espesh the 80GS. Yes they are nice...I love mine and will never part with her but honestly this is getting out of hand FFS. I dont care who signed the tank or who owned the bike...this is madness. Stock the 80 won't pull the cock off a chocolate mouse. To own such an imaculate bike just to ponce about on as a conversation piece is bollox. Yes investment this and that but then you cant actually ride it. Mines on the road all year and I'll be out in all weathers if the mood takes me and if it goes into the garage dirty for a few days (weeks) than so be it. Yes, airheads are nice, but not 10k or 16k nice. You wont be able to change anything to make it "yours" as you will be scared to muck with it. If you want something to ride buy a cheaper one and play with it till you love it. Stock they are tollerable boardering horrible. I've spent lots of time, money and effort getting my 80GS to go, corner and stop. I can't imagine going back to a stock one and paying 10k for the pleasure. I appreciate people want to make a living etc but I would be embarassed to ask that money for one even if it is in such good condition. Goes without saying I would never pay that for one either. A few more people need to say F*ck that and it would stop.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of that :thumb2.

If you want to sell your bike, I'll give you £200 cash. Wont kick tyres, try to barter or part exchange a dog. £200 cash...... It is low mileage, full MOT and has accessories like panniers I presume. ;)

Edit: I'll need a full tank of fuel too for my ride home.
 
junglejim said:
I agree with all of that :thumb2.

If you want to sell your bike, I'll give you £200 cash. Wont kick tyres, try to barter or part exchange a dog. £200 cash...... It is low mileage, full MOT and has accessories like panniers I presume. ;)

Edit: I'll need a full tank of fuel too for my ride home.
Click to expand...

My bike has had loads spent on it. It has alu panniers as well. My daughter is at uni in Exeter so I could deliver. Do you live near a fuel station so I could fill it up en route?
 
Junglejim, I forgot to mention it has 160,000km on it so I'll settle for 150£ but in Euros please as I don't wanna get robbed changing the cash. Nah! Second thoughts I'll keep it. I'm gonna cut it up and make a bobber/cafe/chopper/road racer/adventure/retro and become a hipster.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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