electrogadgetry
 

Another thread [ and oldbmw ] prompted me to think of this ; if I was going that far ,I think I would convert to a permanent magnet alternator and solid state reg/rect , they are pricey but I know they are available for beemers .
Also I would keep the points system and take along a couple of spare sets .
Also spare carb diaphragms ,and fork seals plus any other seals you might need .
You should be ready for anything then !

If I was going that far i'd take spare rear shock. This is based for experiences of some finnish riders been there. There is about 1500 km road under construction between Chita and Vladivostok and it's very bad for suspension. There were couple of Finns few weeks ago and Honda Varaderos rear shock toasted twice. Here is couple links to travel stories, unfortunately only in finnish.

My Siberian Way
Pekka Venäjällä

In line filters
 

Just a thought on in line filters. My 1990 R80RT is fitted with them and when i had a problem with fuel starvation when switching to reserve i chaged them on the advice of a dealer. This didnt help at all as the problem was actually a blockge caused y the bottom of the tank being full of old tank sealant! Good luck with your trip. You have picked an excellent budget touring bike. Mine has just passed 100,000 miles(whilst touring Ireland last month) without a major strip down. On reflection i prefer the handling of the old twin shockers although it is just a matter of taste. For two up touring my wife preferred our old R100RS for long distance although obviously the RT is better for the rider.
Regards
BMW Martin

Ikon Shocks
 

I have a 1978 R80/7 and replaced the stock rear shocks with "Ikon" which used to be "Koni". They are well made and probably cost less than the olins. Good luck on your trip. Keep us posted. I like to know how the bike fares seeing as how I have one. Smitty

Fuel tank coating
 

If the fuel tank isn't coated on the inside, you may consider this. You can buy very reasonalbly priced kits to do this. You can have hidden corrosion and rust on the inside of the tank which you may not be able to see that can contaminate fuel and screw up the carbs. I noticed a "marked" performance increase on my "old girl" after I epoxy coated the inside of the tank. I must warn you that it's a real bear to do. It will take a couple of days to complete. Good luck. Smitty

tank sealant
 

From my experience unless you definately have a rusty interior i wouldt line it. Not sure why mine was done in the first place as when it all fell to the bottom of the tank the interior appears fine. Mechanic was baffled too.

To coat or not to coat!
 

Sounds like your tank wasn't properly prepared. Perhaps the paint wasn't correct, the tank wasn't COMPLETELY dry when the paint was applied, or it wasn't allowed to properly cure before filling with gas. If you do it right, it really holds up well. Try dropping the gas from an old uncoated metal tank into a clear glass bottle. Then you will see what is going into your carbs. I coated mine four years ago and the bikes' performance speaks for itself, but to each his own.

a thread on another bmw forum. someone measured the fuel flow in a r series bike. without inline filter 100cc's every 13 seconds. with new filters 3 seconds longer for 100ccs of fuel to flow. This with a full tank and very free filters.