BMW GS; van nul naar een half miljoen

Whether in off-road racing or as a travel enduro: with its conceptual variety,
the BMW GS models have become firmly established on the market over a period of
three decades, with the 500,000th BMW GS coming off the production line in
Berlin on May 12th, 2009 - an R 1200 GS.

The BMW GS motorcycles have developed continuously since 1980, shaping the
image of BMW Motorrad more than any other series. Originally the traditional
2-cylinder flat twin "boxer" engine was reserved solely for the BMW GS models,
but in 2000 it was extended to the F 650 GS - a single-cylinder bike which
continues to be produced as the G 650 GS. In early 2008, the successful BMW GS
range was also supplemented with the F 650 GS and the F 800 G with 2-cylinder
in-line engine.

BMW Motorrad looks back over a long tradition of off-road racing. In 1980, Rolf
Witthöft won the European Off-Road Championship on an 800 cc BMW, while the R
80 G/S premiered in the same year with what now seems a rather modest 50 bhp.
With its innovative chassis technology and low weight of just 186 kg, it not
only displayed brilliant off-road qualities but was also reliable for everyday
riding and an ideal travel companion. One eye-catching novelty was the
single-sided swing arm, called BMW Monolever, for rear wheel control. With the
highest capacity engine for an enduro motorcycle at the time, the bike founded
an entirely new market segment: that of the large-volume travel enduros.

In 1981 the French desert specialist Hubert Auriol won the motorcycle rating of
the Paris-Dakar Rally, repeating his success in 1983. The flat twin models
continued to be based on serial production models and were victorious again in
1984 and 1985 when former motocross champion Gaston Rahier from Belgium left
the competition behind him.
The R 80 G/S and the subsequent R 100 GS became outstanding hits in the BMW
range, enjoying great popularity among long-distance motorcyclists. They proved
themselves to be extremely robust, reliable and easy to handle. This is why the
GS turns up in just about every corner of the earth, no matter how remote.

In the course of the model revision in 1987, the R 80 GS and R 100 GS were
presented with the revolutionary double-jointed swing arm (BMW Paralever) and
patented cross-spoke wheels. At the IFMA Cologne in 1988, BMW Motorrad then
presented the R 100 Paris - Dakar with rally front section, engine guard and
35-litre fuel tank. This model was based on a racing bike on which Eddy Hau
from Munich had won the marathon class for private riders at the Dakar rally.
To mark the tenth anniversary of the popular BMW enduro bike the R 80 GS and R
100 GS were given a new look in 1990, geared towards the style of the
Paris-Dakar version.

Meanwhile, BMW motorcycles continued to do well in off-road racing. For
example, Jutta Kleinschmidt entered the Cape Town rally as a private competitor
with her close-to-production BMW R 100 GS in 1992 and crossed the finishing
line as winner of the women's category.

In 1993 BMW presented a new series with a 4-valve flat twin engine. After this
the model range was expanded in rapid succession. In September the R 1100 GS
with a large 25-litre fuel tank and comfortable dual section seat caused a stir
at the IAA in Frankfurt. In addition to the new 4-valve flat twin engines, BMW
also presented the new Telelever front wheel control system.

In addition to the 80 bhp R 1100 GS, the F 850 GS (70 bhp) came out in 1998. In
subsequent years, the GS engines continuously increased in capacity and thus in
output and torque, too. Today's top model, the BMW R 1200 GS, now has an output
of 105 bhp and a maximum torque of 115 Nm.
The "big" GS with the classic flat twin engine is the most popular bike in BMW
Motorrad's model range today. Last year alone, 35,305 new BMW R 1200 GS and R
1200 GS Adventure motorcycles were sold to customers all over the world.