DIRTHAMMER SAYS

Watkinsville, GA

This 1981 BMW R80 G/S is the culmination of more than 20 years of work by Nathan Mende, former owner of Boxerworks. If you've been around airhead BMs for long enough, you've doubtless come across Boxerworks' bikes. They're incredibly well-built and made to be used and abused. They look the part of patina'd "hipster" builds, but are the culmination of years of rolling research. Nathan and his friends have built hundreds of airheads for a vast clientele over the years, and their bikes are unmistakable.

This bike has been the cover bike on Boxerworks' website for years. Mende originally built the bike for a customer, before buying it back in the early aughts. He set himself a pretty tall order: Build an R80 that was capable of comfortably cruising at 70-75 mph two-up on the street, AND handling a decent amount of off-roading.

To get there, the bike got an R100 dual-plug engine with low-compression heads. Mende had the heads Teflon coated to shed heat, and added a five percent taller fifth gear to lower RPM at cruise. First gear, on the other hand, is five percent shorter for off-road work. The front end got swapped out for an R100 G/S set up. The wheels are tubeless, and it has a Wilbers rear shock.

There's way more than that to list, but you get the idea. This essentially the mule Mende used to torture test mods before they went on customer bikes. The tactic worked: Over the years Boxerworks has churned out at least four bikes that successfully did round-the-world tours.

This bike definitely is not for you love shiny, clean machines. Nor is it for you if you want to spend as little as possible on a ratty airhead. This bike has been used for its intended purpose by a seasoned BMW builder who knows his stuff. It won't be cheap, but it will absolutely be the best of the best.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW