During a time of waning sales for the BMW Motorrad production company, a new kind of motorcycle was dreamed up, the first prototype was called the "Red Devil", which impressed BMW execs enough to give the go-ahead on production for this new series of motorcycle very different from the norm. A heavier bike capable of riding off-road, as well as on-road, was born. The BMW R80 G/S is widely considered the world's first "Adventure Bike", and was used as one about a decade before the term was coined.
You will find a great example of this bike on our 10 October 2020 auction of a private museum. Lot 500 - 1981 BMW R80 G/S, considered the world's first adventure bike, Gelände/Straße which means offroad/road, 797.5 cc, licensed and running - Estimated R55 000 to R85 000.