Motorcycle Investor mag
Subscribe to our free email news
Paralever pioneer
(Guy 'Guido' Allen, June 2025)
It's 1988 and by now BMW's multi-road G/S series is well established, though the incredible domination of adventure touring sales was yet to come. What you're looking at here is the first generation running the Paralever rear end – in this case an R80. You could also get an R100.
The double-jointed shaft effectively removed much of the
disconcerting torque reaction at the rear end, enabling it
to act more or less like a chain drive without the
maintenance issues. There were some early teething
problems, but it went on to be a great success across a
huge range of models, including the edgy K1
sports-tourer.
Move up to 1993 and the Paralever proved particularly
effective when
partnered with the Televever front end. It was a
successful combo across a massive range of machinery
including adventure tourers, sports tourers, the sporty and delightful R1100S boxer,
the seriously fast K 1300 R nakeds and heavy
tourers such as the very
capable K1200LT.
In reality the combination of the two became a compelling
mix for anyone looking for a fast motorcycle with great
touring credentials.
See the period road test of an R100G/S from Cycle World in the USA
Plus BMW's own
quick explanation of a Paralever
Plus the R100GS
that graced our shed
And the R1150GS
in our shed that combined Paralever and Telelever
***
-------------------------------------------------
Produced by AllMoto abn 61 400 694 722
Privacy: we do not collect cookies or any other data.
Archives
Contact