1980 BMW R/80 GS
Hailed as the ‘bike that saved BMW’, the R80 G/S, first seen in 1980, has not only remained in production – in successively refined versions – ever since, but spawned an entire category of multi-purpose motorcycles. The so-called Adventure bike concept has been adopted by virtually all major manufacturers, but the GS, as it is commonly known, is still the benchmark around the world. As well as the factory prototypes, an Australian version, built by Lindsay Urquhart, was deemed so close to what was needed for production, it was flown to Munich for evaluation. In the past 41 years, the model has grown from
800cc to 1250cc, with state-of-the-art suspension, brakes and electronic equipment.