Complete Book of BMW Motorcycles
From the first model, the 1923 R32 that launched BMW's motorcycle dynasty, to the latest (and fastest) superbike, the S1000RR, this book captures nearly a century of motorcycling excellence in a combination of historic and contemporary photos. Technical specs are provided for each model.
This comprehensive review covers all of BMW’s bike families:
- The side-valve machines from the early years
- The early overhead-valve performance bikes
- The modern Airheads and Oilheads
- The four-cylinder and six-cylinder touring bikes
- The early pushrod singles
- The modern overhead-cam singles
- The latest parallel twins, and inline-four cylinder sport bikes
Among them, you’ll find all the classic bikes—pre-World War II BMWs like the R5 that defined performance in that era; the military R12 that carried the Wehrmacht as it blitzkrieged its way across Europe; the Earles-forked R69S that offered the perfect platform for mounting a Steib sidecar; the R90S café racer; the K1 “flying brick”; and the GS (Gelände Sport) series that launched a dual-sport revolution right up to today’s world-class S100RR and retro-inspired R nine T.
Like the other titles in Motorbooks’ Complete Book series, this guide to BMW’s motorcycle output offers the most complete reference to the subject available.
Ian Falloon was born in New Zealand and studied engineering and music at Victoria University, Wellington. He is one of the world’s leading motorcycle historians and a regular contributor to motorcycle magazines worldwide including Classic Bike, Cycle World, Two Wheels, Motorcycle Sport, and Australian Motorcycle News. Ian has authored more than fifty books to date, from his first title, The Ducati Story, through histories of BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, and Moto Guzzi. His Motorbooks titles include The Complete Book of BMW Motorcycles, The Complete Book of Ducati, The Complete Book of Moto Guzzi, The Complete Book of Classic and Modern Triumph Motorcycles, and The Art of Ducati. With an interest and passion spanning decades, Ian also collects and restores older motorcycles, including Ducati, MV Agusta, BMW, Laverda, and Moto Guzzi. He lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is supported in his projects by his family.