Photos by Jose Gallina
The original Dakar rally is arguably the toughest and most dangerous off-road race in the world. The rally would begin in Paris, France, on New Years' day, testing racers and their machines against the planet's most brutal terrain and conditions for 15,000km over three weeks finishing in Dakar, Africa. The RSD built "DAKAR GS" draws inspiration from the 1986 GS built by BMW race specialist HPN and piloted by two time Dakar winner Gaston Rahier. The team at RSD was able to capture the essence of the 80's works machine and deliver it on a modern BMW R1200GS platform. From the hand fabricated tank to the fully custom front end and subframe, each component was built as if the bike would be competing for a win in the fabled rally.