The Complete Book of BMW Motorcycles: Every Model Since 1923

by Ian Falloon

Overview

The Complete Book of BMW Motorcycles offers a thorough year-by-year guide to every production machine ever built by Germany’s leading motorcycle manufacturer.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760367155
Publisher:	Motorbooks
Publication date:	05/26/2020
Series:	Complete Book Series
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 12.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Ian Falloon was born in New Zealand and studied engineering and music at Victoria University, Wellington. After a motorcycle accident brought an end to his career as a symphony orchestra oboist, he began writing articles about motorcycles for magazines including Classic Bike, Cycle World, Motorcyclist, Two Wheels, Motorcycle Sport, and Australian Motorcycle News. His first book, The Ducati Story, has run to several editions and has been published in three languages. The success of The Ducati Story led to a series of Ducati books and histories of Honda, Kawasaki, BMW, and Moto Guzzi motorcycles including Motorbooks titles The Complete Book of Ducati, The Complete Book of Moto Guzzi, The Complete Book of Triumph Motorcycles, and The Art of Ducati. With an interest and passion spanning decades, Ian now concentrates on collecting and restoring older Italian motorcycles, particularly Ducati, MV Agusta, Laverda, and Moto Guzzi. He lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is ably supported in his projects by his family.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 
INTRODUCTION
BEGINNINGS: 8
FROM AIRCRAFT TO MOTORCYCLES
 
1. THE 1920S
ESTABLISHING THE DNA: 12
EARLY BOXERS AND SINGLES
 
2. 1930–1945
FOLLOW THE LEADER: 30
INNOVATION AND SPEED RECORDS
 
3. 1946–1959
AFTER THE WAR: 68
NEW SINGLES AND EARLES FORK TWINS
 
4. THE 1960S
MORE OF THE SAME: 98
INCREASED RELIABILITY
 
5. 1970–1980
NEW GENERATION: 116
SUPERBIKES AND SUPER TOURERS
 
6. 1981–1992
GELÄNDE STRASSE AND THE K SERIES: 154
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
 
7. 1993–2000
RENAISSANCE: 192
BOXER REVOLUTION AND NEW SINGLES
 
8. 2001–2009
PERFORMANCE FIRST: 218
NEW SINGLES, TWINS, AND FOURS
 
9. 2010–2020
HYPER PERFORMANCE, HYPER TOURING: 256
WORLD-BEATING FOURS AND SIXES
 
INDEX 310
 

Editorial Reviews

"If there were ever a coffee table book to sit in a rider's living room, 'The Complete Book of BMW Motorcycles' is it." - Clutch and Chrome Magazine

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"If you're a huge fan of BMW motorcycles, you should check out The Complete Book of BMW Motorcycles: Every Model Since 1923 by Ian Falloon." - Cycle World

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From the Publisher