BMW GS, the first forty years of the German road enduro

BMW's GS model celebrates its first forty years. It was the autumn of 1980 when BMW Motorrad presented the R 80 G / S for the first time to the public, or a motorcycle that could be used easily, for the first time, both off the road and in everyday life. Thanks to this pioneering formula, the R 80 G / S becomes the forerunner of the new travel Enduro motorcycle category, to be used in small daily commute as well as to explore even the most remote corners of the planet. The technical promises of the R 80 G / S motorcycle and its various 'daughters' proved their quality even in the competition. In 1981, Hubert Auriol won the Paris-Dakar, but it will be only one of the numerous successes in the world of Motorsport that BMW will be able to celebrate with the GS. The qualities of the boxer engine with opposing cylinders in the GS models will be preserved and improved technologically for over 40 years. With the BMW R 1100 GS, BMW Motorrad offers the first GS on the market with a 4-valve boxer and 80 HP. He also ventured into engineering research on suspension technology for travel Enduro bikes. In fact, for the first time the engine and gearbox of an Enduro take on the role of load-bearing elements of the frame, making the main frame itself almost superfluous. While the Paralever system of the rear suspension had already eliminated the typical reaction of the PTO shaft in the models with two-valve boxer engine in the years before, BMW engineers meanwhile created an innovative scheme for the suspension of the front wheel by introducing the Telelever. The model has undergone several modifications and its evolutions have reflected over time the advancement of technology such as the F 650 GS motorcycle (the first motorcycle with single cylinder engine with electric fuel injection, catalytic converter and ABS), manufactured in Berlin since 2000.

The launch of the F 650 GS and F 800 GS models in 2007 represents another step in the history of BMW GS. With these new models, BMW Motorrad also expands the offer of Enduro in the mid-range. If in the autumn of 2009 it will be the turn of the presentation of the revised version BMW R 1200 GS, the following year BMW Motorrad celebrates the 30th birthday of the GS models with the production of special editions '30 Years GS 'of the BMW R 1200 GS, R 1200 GS Adventure, F 800 GS and F 650 GS, painted in the corporate colors of BMW Motorrad Motorsport. GS's recent history is written in 2017 with the arrival of the completely revised F 750 GS and F 850 ​​GS enduro models.

BMW Motorrad re-proposes the strong points GS in the two-cylinder F 650 GS, F 700 GS and G800 GS bikes with the aim of improving their driving qualities. From the outset, the abbreviation GS represents a perfect synthesis of travel and long distances, combined with racing dynamism and exceptional off-road performance. At the heart of the development is a revised design, with a powerful twin-cylinder engine with two countershafts and with an ignition timing of 270/450 degrees to optimize the racing characteristics and engine sound. The 853 cc F750 GS and 853 cc F850 GS generate 57 kW and 70 kW respectively, thus offering greater driving power for both GS models. This means even more power, drive torque and efficiency. In the autumn of 2018, BMW Motorrad once again guarantees a radical improvement of the boxer engine for the large-displacement models of the GS, further improving power and torque and ensuring a reduction in petrol consumption and polluting gas emissions.