Africa Shox: A hard-charging R80G/S from Cape Town

On Saturday, the Dakar Rally kicks off in Lima, Peru. It’s the 40th edition of the notorious race, and a lot has changed since 1978, when intrepid racers lined in up Paris. Modern Dakar bikes are lightweight, sophisticated off-roaders, with a maximum capacity of 450cc. But the early days of the rally were dominated by mammoth desert racers—like the mighty BMW R80G/S, which racked up four wins in the 80s. This immaculate 1982 model is a restomod owned by Mark Johnston, and it's a spectacular homage to the Dakar-winning days of the Gelände/Straße. Remarkably, it's only Mark's second build: we...