Classic BMW Enduro Racing (Part 1/3) - 1982 R80ST becomes an Enduro Racer!

I entered my classic BMW motorcycle into the 2 hour endurance race at Walters Arena. I was inexperienced, ill equipped and underprepared! In this first part I introduce Big Bertha, a 1982 R80ST with a couple of modifications to make it more suitable for offroad riding. I check out onboard videos of past enduro events and add the Metzler MC360 off-road tyres to see if it helps my bike in the winter mud.
PART 2
• Classic BMW Enduro Rac...
PART 3
studio.kzbin.infoE_yc...
Filmed, edited and produced by Owen Howells of Moto Studio
www.motostudio.net
/ owenmotofoto

[@chrisduffy8018]

Really enjoyed the video and completely agree about oversized and overpriced adventure bikes. 😊

[@motorworksbmw]

Great video, Owen!

[@TheMadmostin]

Great job. I was there at walters cheering you on. Loving the video blog. 😁👍🏻

[@bigberthaontour]

Cheers mate, it was a cracking event wasn't it! Will definitely be at the next one and also watching all the crazy Xtreme Enduro antics!

[@ariouredy6064]

Absolutely love your channel! great bike I must say! What riding jacket do you wear? it looks really cool.

[@bigberthaontour]

Hiya, glad you like it. Really busy with work at the moment but hoping as the summer season dies down can start making a few more videos! The jacket is a Merlin Atlow - really good quality bit of kit. Had it a few years and still looks smart after completely soaking it in mud at walters arena!

[@dirkstuff5820]

Loved watching this short series! Technical question - I have a Guzzi V7 that I’ve modified into a scrambler. Considering getting an airhead to do the same, but don’t have the cash (nor desire) for an actual GS. Thinking about an R90/6 or R100. Trying to keep weight down-any opinion on what might work best?

[@bigberthaontour]

If you go onto the next video (part 2/3) you'll see Rich has made a scrambler out of an R100RS. I find the twin shockers like his not quite so nice to ride off-road as the mono shock, but they certainly do the job and it's not like he doesn't follow me up the same tricky tracks. I think his bike is great example of how to do it on a lower budget.

[@bigberthaontour]

therustynuts.co.uk/build-your-own-gs He's written down the details of his build on this website

[@nigeltankard6977]

Hi Owen, love what you have done with the bike. I would like to do the same. What was the cost of doing this? Could you do a vlog on creating the bike?

[@bigberthaontour]

Hi Nigel, Thanks for the message. I did actually film a lot more walk-through but became conscious of the runtime! I’d say I spent around 2.5k on top of the price of a half decent ST. The 21 inch front wheel and rear shock were definitely the biggest improvements. The main downside is the front ST shock has not a lot of travel so going to look at an upgrade soon. It’s fine for chilled off-roading but causes one hell of a rebound if you hit anything fast!

[@Hopfenpflanzen]

@@bigberthaontour Hi owen, you really used the original front fork? what alternative do you have in mind?

[@bigberthaontour]

@@Hopfenpflanzen Not sure yet, I might just go for the later GS Forks which have 225mm travel as opposed to 175. Seems the easiest option, but easiest isn't always best!

[@garyhoward4064]

After fitting a longer shock at the rear (how much longer?), did you also lengthen the front fork and if so by how much? P.s. what type of rear shock is it.?

[@bigberthaontour]

Hi Gary, Since shooting the video I’ve learnt that the shock was actually just an ST one (it’s the same as used on G/S). The front forks were standard ST but the 21 inch front wheel gives the bike an inch of raise at the front. My current setup is using a hyper pro shock at the rear, it’s not much longer but being stiffer means the bike squats less when I’m riding it. At the front I’ve gone for the later GS fronts with hyper pro as they’re a much more advanced setup. I’ve actually done a video detailed all the modifications to my bike, I’ll get you the link…

[@bigberthaontour]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGnXZ4amgMeUmc0

[@garyhoward4064]

@@bigberthaontour Thanks, I’m trying to gain a couple of inches height on my 1982 G/S.

[@bigberthaontour]

@@garyhoward4064 nothing I’ve done raises it when it’s parked, but better springs means it doesn’t sag down so much when I’m on it. The high tech option is enduro bike front end and lengthen the swing arm (there are companies that do this)…but I’m not looking to empty my bank account into a bike that always works well!