Everyone knows story of the BMW R80 G/S. It was the bike that ignited the dual sport market, and created ripples that are still felt in showrooms today.
Conventional wisdom says that the introduction of the G/S in 1980 saved the BMW Motorrad from extinction. But the story goes further than that, because the idea for the G/S came from BMW’s successes in off-road events in Europe.
BMW provided a fully working team for the 1979 season, and the team dominated the unlimited categories of the International Six-Day Test and the Enduro Championship. These feats tend to be overshadowed by BMW’s Paris Dakar history, but they are not forgotten by all. Enthusiast.
This history was made known to a group of five friends from the Cataluña region in northeastern Spain. So they approached Efraón Triana of UFO garage in Madrid, and asked him to build five identical machines as a tribute to the BMW Six Days.
Many builders would object to the idea of building five bikes at once, but Triana has a lot of experience – he’s the co-founder of Café Racer Dreams, which has always had an incredible product.
“The customer wanted five identical motorcycles, with the original number used in the 79 race,” says Efraón. “We took things from the original — but we also used existing components to improve aspects of the bike.”
However, this is not an easy task. Spain is the first European country to pass a million COVID-19 cases, triggering a State of Emergency — and exacerbating supply chain problems around the world. Efraón recalls a “scenario of many crises,” but he got there in the end.
All machines are based on the R100RS, BMW’s best-selling R100 variant. As well as having relatively easy origins, R100 is a useful power upgrade over the R80, with its 70 stout German horses.
To avoid any surprises, UFO Garage has rebuilt all the engines, with new seals, gaskets and valve guides, plus hard work on the valve seats. “Everything is needed so they don’t consume or lose oil,” says Efraón.
A ‘gap ring’ of the Siebenrock oil pan increases the oil capacity to 1.3 liters significantly and it is protected by a 6mm thick protective layer.
The engine housings are all treated with Cerakote, which has an aluminum-like finish but is easy to clean. And when fitted back to the frame, new clutches are also fitted.
Efraón resisted the temptation to order a pre-made exhaust. He handcrafted a stainless steel system for each bike, inspired by the setup you see on vintage enduro machines.
The forks are taken from the Yamaha XTs, helping to increase power on dirt roads. “We got rid of the original alloy wheels and switched to spokes, equipped with Excel rims.” And of course there are plenty of fenders, including custom-designed fiberglass rear units, that fit snugly between the tracks of the new subframe.
Efraón has also modified and reinforced each bike’s chassis, taking inspiration from BMW’s own chassis reinforcements on the original Six Days bikes. That new subframe mimics the layout of an enduro bike, using a 20mm tube.
There are slight variations in shape, depending on the size of each customer, but all frames are beautifully finished in a powder-coated Sky Blue and topped with a luxurious, deep seat UFO’s own design, wrapped in roll and roll style.
Tanks avoid the bulk you’re used to seeing with enduro tanks, but these bikes won’t run through remote forests for several hours without stopping. And the ratio is perfect. “The bins only have a capacity of eight liters,” says Efraón, “so we decided to add the 5-liter cans for a little more autonomy.”
The front part of each tank is cut off and there is a leather pocket for easy storage. Inside each bag there are 12V and USB power sockets. They are connected to a completely new electrical system on a proven basis Motogadget the components.
However, the lighting is still distinctly classic, with the same headlights set to UFO’s own mini-enduro lights, plus sidelights mounted on the anti-collision bars for additional illumination at night. night.
We are so jealous of buenos caballeros who operated these machines. Congratulations and best regards to Joseph Bach, Rai Grifols, Jose Maria Vidal, Julia Luna Nova and Andres Vidal. We wish you well on your adventure.
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