The BMW story - Ian Falloon

Max Friz's R32 of 1923, the first BMW boxer twin motorcycle, set BMW on a path that would continue for the next 80 years. BMW has never been afraid of innovation, from the supercharger of the 1920s and 1930s, to the telescopic then Earles fork, wind-tunnel-developed fairings, anti-lock brakes and Paralever swingarms. Here is the full story of all BMW's road and racing machines, and the people that designed them, including the classic Kompressor, RS54, R69S, R90S and R100RS, as well as the latest R1150 and K1200.;The book includes: a background history to the company founded in 1917 to produce aircraft engines; the first 500cc boxer twin, the R32, of the 1920s, and the first racing machine, the R37; the difficult 1930s, culminating in the R75 that became the German army's most popular motorcycle during World War II; the often-overlooked single-cylinder machines, which remained in production from 1925 to 1966; the post-war resurrection, including the RS54 racers and side-car Grand Prix racing; the R75/5, which heralded a new generation of boxer twin lasting until the early 1990s; the K-Series, and the new R1100RS boxer launched in 1993; and appendices of technical specification for all BMW motorcycles.