Too heavy for off-road and too clumsy for the highway, said the industry. It then won four Paris-Dakar rallies.
By Rotarium
A dedicated model study of the motorcycle that created adventure riding. Covers the problem BMW faced in 1979, engineer Rüdiger Gutsche who raced the concept himself on a modified R75/5, and the Monolever — the first single-sided swingarm on a production motorcycle, which Honda and Ducati would later adopt. Includes full specifications, model-year changes across the 21,864-machine production run, the Paris-Dakar editions including the one-year 1985 run of roughly 200 machines each signed by Gaston Rahier, the four Dakar victories, reliability in detail, a complete inspection sequence, and live European pricing. Scores 85 on ownability — joint highest of any BMW — and trades below a Ducati 916.