Motorcycles are typically thought of as dirty, loud, and crude sleds for dirty, loud, and crude people to ride around on. Of course, this is a ridiculous notion. In case you need any help understanding how absurd this sentiment is, folks like Roland Sands and Matias Corea will easily change your mind. Look no further than the new BMW R80 G/S Dakar build from Myth Motorcycles. 

The Myth 001 is the classiest motorcycle on this earth

ADVPulse reports that after long last, the Myth 001 is out for all to see. Well, it’s actually been out about a month, but that is neither here nor there. Matias Corea is the man behind it all. As an avid adventure rider and bike builder, he was the perfect guy to build such a lovely and classy motorcycle. After his 20,000-mile journey from New York to Argentina, this dude probably got a pretty good idea of what he really needs out of an adventure bike. 

That trip from NYC to Argentina is what informed this custom BMW R80 G/S for his trip down the entirety of Africa. “After 168 continuous days on the road, you really get a feel for a motorcycle. Riding 20,000 miles on all types of roads, I knew what this bike was capable of and its limitations,” says Matias.

Corea built this BMW R80 G/S for a trip from Spain to South Africa. This is a purpose-built machine for a brutal task that also manages to drip with motorsport class of the likes I’ve never seen. 

The Myth BMW R80 G/S

Corea is not the first to build a serious adventure bike out of an 80s BMW airhead bike. The whole bike was built around the idea of how easy it would be to repair while on the road/trail. To that end, Corea says, “That mindset changed my perspective on what is a cool choice and what is a good choice.” 

The changes to the BMW R80 G/S are beyond extensive. In fact, to call them changes is probably disrespectful to the build. These aren’t “changes”; this is a whole new thing. 

R80 G/S needed more power

Acceleration equals safety; this is simply a fact. The Myth 001 got a full engine rebuild and bore. The displacement grew from the stock 797cc to 1001cc. The rear hub was swapped from 50 to 72 hp on the rear wheel. He put new high-compression pistons, oversized inlets, and exhaust valves, and the crankshaft, rods, and flywheel were all seen to give better throttle response. He also threw some larger carbs on to feed more fuel for all this new power. 

Stability was key to this build 

With great power comes great responsibility. This is doubly true for motorcycles. Corea needed to add some stiffness to keep things tight with the new-found power. According to Silodrome, he added several reinforcement plates to the frame to keep it stiff. He also rotated the sub-frame and added a luggage rack. What’s an adventure bike without a luggage rack? He added a custom-made swing arm that is 4 inches longer than the stock arm. 

The 80s front end needed to go. Corea used an open chamber WP fork that supplies a lengthy 9.4 inches of travel. Of course, the front brake had to go. Its departure made way for a four-piston caliper Brembo; while the rear drum brake was kept, it was flipped vertically to protect the mechanism from debris.

Going the distance

The big tank had to be added to ensure better range. The Myth got a massive 11.3-gallon tank from HPN, which are the same people who built the 80s BMW Dakar tanks. He left a bit of tank unpainted in a flurry of cleverness and badass design to check fuel levels with his own eyes instead of a fuel gauge. 

The list of custom and performance bits goes on and on. The thing that makes this bike so incredibly cool (other than its looks) is that every single decision was made to make the bike more useable for the trip he has planned. To make something this practical look, this beautiful is like singing Beethoven as a working sea shanty; it doesn’t seem possible for something so beautiful to be this utilitarian.