If you know the Paris Dakar rally, you have heard the name Hubert Auriol. Auriol was the first man to win the Dakar on both a bike and in a car. In 1981 and 1983, he won on a BMW R80GS, and he went on to serve as race director for nearly a decade.
Enter Pepo Rosell of XTR Pepo, who builds some of the most incredible customs on the planet. When a Spanish customer came to him wanting to mount a few scrambler parts to his R nineT and go with a Dakar replica paint job, Pepo suggested building a real tribute to the BMW R80GS that Hubert Auriol rode to victory in the 1981 Paris Dakar rally. The result is the glorious beast you see here, nicknamed “Raid.”
Below, we get more of the story from the master constructor himself, Pepo Rosell.
BMW nineT Paris Dakar: In the Builder’s Words
The story begins when a Spanish customer asked me to mount some parts from my Italian friend Luis Moto to his 2016 BMW nineT, making a painting replica of the GS Paris Dakar.
But tell him…Why not make a real tribute to the BMW that rode in the Paris Dakar rally in the early eighties? So we chose to make a tribute to the BMW that Hubert Auriol rode to victory in 1981.
For this we found a real Paris Dakar fuel tank and modified the inside to mount the original Nine T fuel pump and fit in the nineT frame.
After I mount a Bultaco cross front fairing and two Hella high beam projectors for the desert. Cross tyres and two in one high exhaust system.
“Raid” Full Build Sheet
RAID (2017)
Donor bike : BMW NINE T (2016)
A tribute to Hubert Auriol
- Luis Moto modified front mudguard.
- Bultaco Cross front fairing with Bultaco light.
- Acossato Handle bar.
- Motogadget dashboard.
- Modified BMW GS 80 Paris Dakar fuel tank (26 liters).
- Removed airbox and OEM battery.
- DNA air filters.
- LIPO battery.
- 2 in 1 Supermario exhaust system by XTR.
- Sil Motor Silencer.
- Unit Garage cilinder protectors.
- 2 Hella High beam projectors.
- Modified Luis Moto seat upholstered by XTR
- Modified Luis Moto rear mudguard.
- Ossa rear light (Lucas type)
- Suzuki Dr big 50 blinkers.
- XTR side panels with Paris Dakar numbers
- Unit Garage cotton side bag with support.
- Painting : Artenruta
- Pictures : Del Perro / Laura Garcia
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