BMW Motorcycles

I don’t own a motorcycle but love to read about them, particularly BMW motorcycles. This is quite informative book. I’m impressed with it and happy with my purchase.

In my youth when I first started riding motorcyles some 30+ years ago BMW's were somewhat fuddy duddy. Usually black, always shaft driven and somewhat sluggish in performance. They were the marque of the older, more refined rider.Then in 1975 came the R90S which stood in stark contrast to the "rice burners" of the time: it just oozed style, its paint work was beautifully appointed with understated performance. It also had a VDO quart clock in the bikini fairing. Not a head to head match for the "rice burners" of the day, a gentlemen's express. Younger guys took note and I still recall my first ride on one.Then in 1977 came the R100RS with it's wind tunnel developed full fairing and serious purpose. More people sat up that Beemers were evolving and they were eaking out more performance from the "air head" Boxer Twin.And then in 1980 came the R80G/S which in its GS form has become a world leader in its class. I have had four in various forms. What a bike.I have been in the fortunate position of having owned twelve Beemers in one form or another in the last tweleve years so to be able to read how it all started and where it is going to has been great. This book might well not be "the definitive" work but it a great reference and sets out the history of the BMW motorcycle marque and is essential reading to anybody who owns a BMW or considers themselves interested in motorcycles in general on Beemers specifically.

Lots of pretty pics, but lacking in-depth information. This was clearly written by Americans, for the US market, but still relevant for the UK and a good addition to your collection. Nice one to leave out for a browse or as a conversation starter, but not good for data / techno nerds (like me?)

It doesn't say so on the cover but this is pretty much a history of, or story of BMW motorcycles. The difference is that it is told in a more relaxed manner than most. Still broadly covering the model ranges through the years.Although paperback, the quality of paper and print is excellent along with decent photographs of the machines. It doesn't tend to go into technical specifications and is more of a story or narrative and as such is worth having alongside other books which, while all essentially providing historical context, do it in a different way. The photos are shot differently too. Again, in more relaxed fashion.As a general and enjoyable relaxed narrative I'd say 5 stars, but as some may find the lack of specification detail a dissapointment 4 stars is probably a fair appraisal.

The book is softcover and printed on high quality paper. The book is excellently researched and is a must for anybody who wants to know how the brand started, almost folded and then made its remarkable recovery. Most model ranges are well covered and excellent photographs capture the beauty of these machine.My reason for not giving it five stars is because the pictures do not always coincide with the bikes described on the particular pages.I have ordered more copies for my other BMW friends and I can highly recommend it!

A gift for a BMW rider. The history and pictures are great.

This book does a great job walking us through BMW Motorcycle history through both the approachable writing style and the liberal use of excellent photos. Even if you're a BMW übergeek, you'll still probably learn some interesting facts about the models, what got them there, which improvements were effective, and how they came about. Übergeek or not, you'll be coming back to this book for some fine, well-organized reading and photography for years years to come, especiallly during those frustrating times you're not able to be out riding.The photography has to be commented on again; it's simply that good. Great use of lighting, perspective and background. The photographer definitely knows how to frame a shot to emphasize aspects of the bike that only we motorcyclists would notice.A great gift for anyone interested in BMW motorcycles, and wants to learn more about them, from their post WWI inception, to the present. Both the writing and photography are a job well done!

This is an excellent book about BMW, the motorcycle company. Walks the reader through the BMW timeline up to the current model. Lots of great pics and quality content. My book is sitting on my coffee table right now. Friends always pick it up and look through it.

Excellent overview of BMW history. Not musch about current motorcycles, but good coverage of first models and their evolution.Good reading for the person interested in the history of this company and of the earlier models.

This is a good and very readable history of BMW motorcycles. The reason I purchased the book was because I was considering purchasing a used BMW and I wanted to get some perspective about the past models, their stats, and things to look for each model when purchasing used. This book doesn't really give you that sort of information in the detail I wished, though it does cover some issues with certain models. Its still a good read and was written in 2009, so its fairly current. The only problem with the book is the photos and the bike being discussed don't line up. There will be two facing pages full of information about a bike with photos of other models, but the photos of that bike being discussed are 2 or 3 pages away.