BMW R 80 G/S world record breaker Ernst Henne 1981 motorcycle legend photo

Description

A superb and rare photo of the famous BMW factory rider
Ernst Jakob Henne
sitting on his personal
BMW R 80 G/S
that he bought new in
1981
.
In the 1920s and 1930s
BMW
was very active in racing and world record braking and
Ernst
Henne
was their number one racing ace to do it for them.
Henne
, who began his illustrious BMW racing career in
1926
, would go on to be named the "Fastest Man on Two Wheels," and for good reason. Starting in 1929 he broke the world land-speed record an incredible eight times. Beginning with a swift
134 mph
(
215,65 km/h
)
in 1929 he would increase his speed on a BMW 750cc machine to
159 mph
(
255,89 km/h
)
by 1935. At this time he will had also broken a world land-speed record on a sidecar-equipped 750cc motorcycle clocking in at
118 mph
(
189,90 km/h
)
. In the late 30's, Henne turned to 500cc racers setting records again in 1936 and 1937 at
169 mph
(
271,98 km/h
)
and
173 mph
(
278,42 km/h
)
respectively. This final record would hold for fourteen years. He was one of the most talented riders of his era, being a very fast and very precise rider. At the end of the 1920s, Henne developed a passion for off road riding. What followed was an impressive career in that motorcycle sport discipline as well!
The
BMW R80G/S
was made between 1980 to 1987. Production totaled 21,864 bikes. It was the first in the BMW GS family of specialized dual-sport bikes, of which over 500,000 have been produced. The designation G/S is an acronym of the German words Gelände/Strasse, which mean offroad/road – highlighting the bike's dual sport design. The R80G/S was fitted with a 797.5 cc (48.67 cu in) BMW type 247 engine, which is a flat-twin (boxer) sometimes known as an airhead. The engine, which was fitted into an R65 frame, was a modified version of that fitted to the R80/7, featuring Nikasil cylinders, electronic ignition and a lighter flywheel. At the rear the bike had a new design combined single-sided swingarm and drive shaft – called a monolever due to the rear suspension being provided by single shock absorber. The monolever was stiffer and lighter than the design fitted to previous models, and was subsequently fitted to other BMW motorcycles. It differs from other BMW road bikes of the same era due to its lighter weight, longer suspension travel, and large
21 inch
front wheel. The bike's popularity with adventure-seeking travellers means that it was often improved with aftermarket motorcycle accessories, such as larger fuel tanks and panniers. The R80G/S was developed for BMW by engineer
Rüdiger
Gutsche
, a successful competitor in the International Six Days Trial on his specially adapted R75/5. In 1981,
Hubert
Auriol
, riding a R80G/S prepared by German company HPN Motorradtechnik, won the Paris-Dakar Rally. He repeated his success on a 870 cc version of the R80G/S in 1983.
Gaston
Rahier
won the
Dakar
on a R80G/S in 1984 and then again on a larger 1000 cc engined R80G/S in 1985. To commemorate their success, BMW launched the R80G/S Paris-Dakar special edition which featured a 7 imperial gallons (
32 l
; 8.4
US
gal) fuel tank, fitted with dual petcocks and signed by
Gaston
Rahier
. In 1986, the R80G/S was joined by the R100GS, which had a larger capacity 980 cc engine and an updated suspension and drive unit called a Paralever. In 1987, production of the R80G/S ended and was succeeded by the 650 cc R65GS, which used the same monolever suspension and drive, and the R80GS, which retained the G/S engine but used the newer Paralever drive.
We have more photos listed on Ebay of BMW and other brands with various riders. You can always contact us if you have any requests.
This is your rare chance to own a
non period
image that reflects a very interesting piece of BMW’s glorious history. Therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 12" (ca. 20 x
30 cm
).
Contact us for more BMW and other automotive photos!
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you buy.   For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well protected in PVC clear files
and board backed envelopes.
We have photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and excellent quality.
After many decades of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace, restaurant, bar or club!
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