Vol. 1 No. 8 G/S Madness
OCTOBER 19, 2021
For the optimal G/S madness experience, please press play on the accompanying video — top of the charts in Germany 1983 — and select your favorite German beer to drink while reading this newsletter.
This is all best friend Matias Corea’s fault for reigniting my passion for R 80 G/Ss. And of course like everything I do, I overdo. So now Moto Borgotaro’s current inventory includes a first-year 81 R 80 G/S, one of the earliest R 80 GSPD officially made by BMW, one of the final series R 80 G/S in one of the rarest colorways, Touareg blue, and my personal R 80 G/S in navy (not for sale). The greatest all-around motorcycle ever made? The bike that began adventure touring? The bike that reignited BMW motorcycles as a brand? Another masterstroke by genius designer Hans Muth? YES. All of the above and then some. It also happens to be the greatest motorcycle for New York City, Los Angeles, or any urban environment for that matter. Here is a lovely assortment of perhaps the greatest platform of motorcycles, the Gelände/Straße or Off-road/Street motorcycle…
FOR SALE
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1984 BMW R 80 GSPD
It’s 1983. Codo by DÖF was top of the charts in Germany. The greatest adventure rally in the world has been happening year after year but BMW, with a little help from one of the most legendary shops of all time, HPN, builds a super version of BMW’s already popular R 80 G/S which was released in 1981. And what happens it the stuff of legends. They win in epic fashion in 1982 and 1984 with a little help from one of Europe’s best riders, Gaston Rahier. They create one of the most important styles of motorcycle of the last 40 years.
One can only make the comparison to Ducati winning first and second place at Imola in 1972 as one of the major events that was responsible for the continued success of a manufacturer. Launched as a special edition in 1984, the R80 GSPD was meant to be a replica bike for Rahier’s win. A true R80 GSPD has Rahier’s signature on the top of the tank and has a different VIN number series as the rest of the R80 G/Ss.
"I came out of a meeting with Hardy Müller [in charge of product planning] and we sat by my desk trying to think of new ideas," says Muth. "When I looked out of my window and parked right there was this Range Rover I’d bought. It was well made, comfortable, could go off-road and also go long distances.”
This particular example was produced in July of 1984. representing one of the eariliest true PD’s produced.
FOR SALE
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1986 BMW R 80 G/S TOUAREG BLUE
One of the rarest, most interesting, and hard to find of the R 80 G/S series is this 1 of the 160(?) mythical Touareg Blue variant. This odd color has always been a personal obsession of mine because of this one photo by the docks of Marseilles in the 1980s. I don’t know why, but it’s always called to mind the romantic idea of touring through Europe in the mid-80s. This particular example was completely restored by noted BMW expert Gary Burton of BaMW. Gary’s work is renowned in the BMW community. Imagine the pleasure of breaking in and riding this unqiue G/S.
MYTH 001 by Matias Corea
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11 years ago…
Matias Corea came into Moto Borgotaro’s life. That Matias is personally responsible for the elevation of Moto Borgotaro’s identity, design and brand would be an understatement. Our original agreement was that I would teach him to maintain his bike, and he would create a more uniform look for MB & its website…. HA.
11 years later… As would Matias would say about the success of Moto Borgotaro “I gave Peter a platform, but he did the work’ I can unequivocally say the same thing about Matias’s own journey as a craftsman, mechanic, and now builder. Matias worked very hard to learn, as I did over 20 years ago, I showed him a few things but then he studied, and studied and made himself learn. As a designer, business entrepreneur his level of organization & obsessiveness is tailormade for mechanics and building.
The Myth 001 is not just a design exercise, Matias’s well-documented journey to Ushuaia on his R80 GSPD served as an empirical testbed for the bike pictured. Matias’s journey is where we start to get really interesting, there is workshop experience and then there is real-world experience, I can write a book about the difference of this one point.
An adventure bike is exactly what it says it is — an adventure. And to start one, give yourself the unique opportunity to have someone like Matias — designer, world traveler, adventure rider — build you the bike to realize your own adventure.
Action photos by Gregor Halenda
Studio photos by Ryan Handt
FOR SALE
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1981 R 80 G/S
And yes, another one. First-year R 80 G/S in Alpin white. Fantastic, low mileage, rebuilt motor and transmission. Tons of receipts, luggage, and ready for adventure. And yes, I currently own too many G/Ss and I’m not counting my personal 1984 navy G/S daily driver. Well what happened? As I said in the intro, this is full-on G/S madness. It’s the swiss-army knife of motorcycles. It’s the Range Rover of motorcycles. It’s the whatever-you-need-it-for motorcycle. It’s one of the few bulletproof vintage motorcycles that you can pack up for a 6-month adventure. It has started its own cult of devoted riders, adventurers, and raconteurs. If you don’t have one, buy one. Or if you’re like me, buy five.
