In 1987, the BMW R 80 GS and R 100 GS received Paralever rear suspension. It developed the idea introduced by the 1980 R 80 G/S with its single-sided Monolever swingarm. The important change concerned how shaft drive and suspension interacted, rather than appearance alone.
Shaft-drive reaction can make the motorcycle’s rear rise or fall as drive forces change. Paralever uses a parallelogram principle to largely separate the effects of acceleration and deceleration forces from suspension movement. For the rider, that means a less pronounced rear-end reaction to changes in throttle position.
The driveshaft runs inside the swingarm, while the final-drive housing pivots where it meets the arm. A separate torque reaction link supports that housing against the frame; universal joints transmit power as component angles change. These parts working together form the basis of Paralever’s operation.
When reading equipment descriptions, three jobs are worth distinguishing. Paralever concerns rear-wheel guidance and shaft-drive reaction, Telelever concerns front suspension, and ESA denotes electronic suspension adjustment. The Paralever name therefore does not, by itself, tell you that a motorcycle has electronically adjustable suspension.