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Rtw on an r 80 gs or g/s Rtw on an r 80 gs or g/s
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Photo by Hubert Kriegel, of Jean-Louis Grauby, Dades Gorge, Morocco, during the 8th year of 'thetimelessride'. Ten years on the road on his 2008 Ural Sportsman

Adventure is what you make it

Photo by Hubert Kriegel, of Jean-Louis Grauby, Dades Gorge, Morocco, during the 8th year of 'thetimelessride'. Ten years on the road on his 2008 Ural Sportsman.


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  • 1 Post By Fernbrook
  • 1 Post By mark manley

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Old 1 Weeks Ago
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Rtw on an r 80 gs or g/s
Here are the attributes that the 1981 -1989 models have which still apply to RTW travel. Not in order of importance they are:
Twin engine and very smooth motor, lightweight in comparison to other bikes of comparable size (186 kgs wet), capable of 399 kgs weight in total ( better than many other more modern bikes), low compression motor, air-cooled (no water-cooling to worry about) and simple rear wheel removal.
Rear drum brakes are a concern to some but a disc brake assists at the front. Parts are available. The electrical output is low compared to more modern bikes such as the recent iterations of the Africa twins and can be a bit unreliable but the Bosch unit can be upgraded to improve reliability I think. The stock seat can be uncomfortable I gather but a different one can be ordered from various manufacturers. The question I'm asking : is it still a viable option compared to the DR 650, Africa Twin, KTM 950 Adventure, BMW 800's and 1200's and Suzuki DL 650's, for example.
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I have done a lot of travelling on both the GS and G/S and will say in their day both were well up to the task. I did big mileages on both of mine 175,000 on the GS and 195,000 on the G/S using both on long trips until I sold them both needing a lot of work.
With good preparation either will still be capable but with quit high fuel consumption compared to modern bikes and the increase globally of low emission zones which might exclude them or make using them expensive I would now use something more modern.
If you particularly want to use a vintage bike any airhead BMW would be a good choice.
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Smile Rtw on an r80 g/s, gs.
Thanks for your thoughts Mark. A more recent post (R80 G/S, GS V R100 GS) adds much more information to the matter. I didn't consider your point about low emission zones. An excellent point to consider.
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