Myth 001 is the culmination of a lifelong passion for airheads and motorcycle adventure travel. After 168 continuous days on atop a 1985 BMW R80G/S, you really get a feel for the motorcycle. Some 20,000 miles on all types of roads, I knew what this bike was capable of but also its limitations.
Every element on this build was vetted in regards to how easy it would be to repair or replace in a remote area. The main focus was on keeping the simplicity of the BMW airhead systems but improving suspension, off-road handling, braking power, riding comfort, fuel capacity, and top-end power while maintaining fuel efficiency.
THE ENGINE —
Long journeys require a lot more overtaking that one might want to admit. Increasing the power and torque allows for more comfortable overtaking on a loaded bike and less engine load at high speeds on endless straight roads.
The 800cc cylinders were bored out to fit 95mm high compression pistons bringing the displacement to 1001cc and 10:6 compression from the stock 9.2:1. The camshaft was upgraded with a 328º racing asymmetrical one. The engine produces 72hp at the rear wheel.
To increase the overall engine flow the heads were ported and the airbox replaced by an open rally air filter along with a Siebenrock GS2 exhaust with a custom bracket.
The crankshaft, conrods, pistons, and flywheel assembly were all dynamically balanced together, making the engine feel smooth and very responsive throughout the powerband.
The bigger displacement and better flow require larger carbs. In our experience on the road, Bings have been very consistent, fuel-efficient, and fuss-free. The carbs were not touched once in 168 days on the road to Ushuaia. For a touring machine, this balance between performance and efficiency is perfect.
FUEL CAPACITY —
Fuel capacity is crucial when overlading in isolated areas. For this specific Africa journey, we picked a massive but light 11.3gal (43ltr) nylon tank from HPN. The same that was on the BMW Dakar bikes in the mid-’80s. We left a stripe unpainted to function as an analog fuel gauge.
INSTRUMENTS —
The goal of the dash design was to make it easy to read and operate while riding with gloves on.
Our dashboard reuses the R80ST gauges, but we added a dual-port marine USB hub, a hazard light switch, and a switch for the ignition’s second curve.
