ISDT 1979: BMW Works ‘Enduro’ team and GS80 works motorcycle

22 Saturday Mar 2014

Posted by Highwayman in Enduro, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, International Six Days Enduro, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

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BMW, BWM Works Team, GS80

Here at Speedtracktales the uncovering of the ISDT history has very much raised the editorial opinion on the legendary brand of BMW which included some of the most beautiful works of design artistry as well as playing an important role in the sports development, no more so than the sudden unexpected blip in activity by BMW at the very end of the ISDT period with its Works bikes that led to the cult GS80 trail bike. This blog recalls the launch of the famous works team of 1979 and the bike featured in an article here

BMW In Off-Road Motorcycle Sport

In the final analysis, motor sport participation is a question of available means. In addition there are such abstract terminology concepts as “group-orientated goals” and “product philosophy” and, in the end, common sense.

Thus BMW never even debated developing a machine for Grand Prix racing from the available products. A four-stroke , two-cylinder, boxer engine could never achieve the performance of a highly developed, two-stroke engine. Laws of physics see to that.

Photo – Works BMW Enduro Team for 1979 that competed in the FIM World Enduro Championship rounds (Left to Right) Rolf Witthöft, Laszlo Peres, Dietmar Beinhauer (Teamchef), Kurt Fischer, Herbert Schek, Richard Schalber

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90 years of Motorcycle Production at Bayerische Motoren Werke 2013

14 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by Highwayman in Gelände Sport, Manufacturers, Motorcycling, Photography

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BMW

Hot on the heels of the 100th anniversary of the first ever holding of the ISDT sees the 90th anniversary of the making by Bayerische Motoren Werke of it’s first Motorcycle. By the 1930’s they had become one of the most successful of the ISDT manufacturers with credible action in the hands of some of the best motorcyclists of the time such as Georg Meier.

Photo – Beaten by a narrow margin of ten seconds – the German Trophy team consisting (Left to right) of L Kraus, G Meier, and J Stelzer ISDT 1937 (Speedtracktales Collection)

Photo – #114 BMW 500 Kompressor ISDT 1935

Needless to say BMW have announced they will not be taking note of any of the requests from this blog that they reintroduce an updated retro styled version of these old boxer airhead twins but will instead be producing a tastefully blinded up version of its well received but hardly ISDT capable R 1200 GS Adventure, the R 1200 R and the R 1200 RT, each with the name affix „90 Jahre BMW Motorrad“.(90 years of BMW motorcycles)

All three models will present themselves in a special, subtly-reserved dark design. Only the fork stanchion and the calipers, which are anodised in gold, and a brass plate in the cockpit allude the significant birthday. BMW has not announced the prices for these three models….. I’ll take one on test if BMW are reading this!

Photo – 90th anniversary BMW R 1200 GS… no doubt suitably expensive

ISDT 1937: The Spring Classics – motorcycles of the time

06 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by Highwayman in Europe, Gelände Sport, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Manufacturers, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, Wales

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BMW, ISDT 1937, Jawa, R5

“Spring~Framed Foreigners” proclaimed the main title of an article written by the famous writer of ‘The Motor Cycle’ in an article he wrote in the issue of the 29th July 1937 in a series called ‘Workshop and Open Road Part 162’

The article proclaims the arrival of rear wheel suspension, we now can enjoy nearly a full foot of rear suspension travel and if you are under 30 may not remember less than that unless you rode trials. Here we read about the introduction of rear suspension in the ISDT 1937 and the experience that was made of this ingenious development in motorcycle racing. It also provides another genuine excuse to post a picture of an original BMW R5, still in the writers opinion one of the most visually appealing of all the historic ISDT mounts.

“Torrens” Tries Out Two Interesting “International” Mounts- the BMW and the Jawa.

Photo – One of the Special Spring Frame BMW’s ISDT 1937

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BMW R68 ISDT Tribute Gelandesport Racer – Mid America Auctions

09 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by Highwayman in Enduro, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Manufacturers, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Places, Regolarità, restoration, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

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BMW

I was recently browsing links to ISDT BMW pages when I stumbled upon a perfect example of an old BMW ISDT bike,

Customised BMW R100 from the 1979 rebuilt to have the ISDT look

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Two German Giants of the ISDT ‘Bull Rider’ Class

23 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by Highwayman in Europe, ISDT, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Uncategorized

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BMW, Germany, ISDT, Scheck, Witthoeft

German riders Rolf Witthoeft and Herbert Schek were legends in their riding era which was partially due to the longevity of their time riding and also they became best known for riding some of the largest bikes to ever, later known as the Bull Rider Class. These bikes over 750cc may not have had the greatest power to weight ratio but they were powerful and it took a good rider to get these items of heavy metal around a typical ISDT course.

Photo of four-man BMW team in the United States including #295 Herbert Schek ISDT 1973

Photo of Rolf Witthoeft as a BMW factory rider in 1979

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Recovered classics Vincent HRD, BMW and Jawa

08 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by Highwayman in Enduro, Europe, ISDT, Manufacturers, Motorcycling, Motorsport, restoration

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BMW, Jawa, Vincent HRD

Now there’s a mixed bag title but rest assured each of these 3 bikes we have just added to the ISDT History web site at Speedtracktales is exactly that two heavy weights post war one British and one German and of course the lightweight Eastern European classic that ultimately led to the demise of the heavyweight enduro bike and also saw mass produced competitive bikes coming straight out of the delivery crate rather than the preserve of the favoured works supported rider. Here are the pictures and links