A complete 70-year history of BMW motorcycles up to the introduction of the R850/1100. Includes comprehensive model details and technical specifications, and an extensive section on BMW racing history. Text in German. Difficult to find and expensive.  Check with Amazon.
Hdbd. with slipcase. 392 pages, 1,652 B&W and color ill.

L.J.K. Setright was a very highly regarded writer for many auto magazines and in 1977 he authored this interesting and somewhat quirky book.

This hardback book is nothing more than a collection of private photos that, one way or another, include BMW motorcycles. Each photo has a brief caption. The reader encounters unique images of life on and with the motorcycle, motorcycle images from the start into the rapid 1920s, images of the mass-produced motorcycle of the 1930s and 1950s. Immerse yourself in the progress of past times, captured on photo plates and photo paper, reproduced in first-class quality in this work.

This highly popular writer covers the history of BMW motorcycles up to and including the F650 and K1200 in this newly released book, his third contribution to the BMW lexicon. Detailed production charts and model-by-model specifications are included.
Hdbd., 7 1/2 x 8 1/2", 224 pp., 197 B&W ill.

A new edition to the well-known Brooklands Gold Portfolio series. Features articles and road tests, history, performance data, technical specifications, and more. Available from Classic Motorbooks and Amazon.
Sftbd., 8 x 10 3/4", 172 pp., over 250 B&W ill.

A new edition to the well-known Brooklands Gold Portfolio series. Features articles and road tests, history, performance data, technical specifications, and more. Available from Classic Motorbooks and Amazon.
Sftbd., 8 x 10 3/4", 172 pp., over 250 B&W ill.

Features mostly-unpublished photographs of the German "war elephant", the R75 with its powered sidecar, as well as the R4 and R12 in action. Most of the photographs are dramatic, some are dramatically breathtaking. Also includes exact technical drawings and specifications.
Hdbd. 189 pages, over 240 ill.

A complete BMW history from the 1920s to the current K1100 and R850/1100 series, with detailed technical analysis of the machines.  Available on Amazon.
Hdbd. 192 pages, 130 B&W ill. and 8 color pages.

Explains the technical development of BMW motorcycles from 1984 and the new Boxer to the more radical offerings of the R1100S and the K1200RS. Full-color portraits of the machinery and key BMW personnel such as designer Wolfgang Seehaus, plus some revealing early design sketches from the company's own records. Full specifications make this a must for all fans of motorcycle design and technology. Review by Classic Motorbooks and Amazon.
Sftbd. 126 pp. 120 color ill.

This lovely 217 page compendium of BMW models, printed on heavy, coated paper, is simply chock full of information. Nearly every model gets at least four pages, with many contemporary photos (often from private individuals), factory pictures and diagrams and advertisements. There's a large table in the back that has a tremendous amount of technical information about each model. There's also an appendix that describes the the prewar license plate numbers, so you can decode what you see on those "pedestrian slicers". Highly recommended for the true BMW vintage enthusiast.  In German and oversized.  Can be found on Amazon.

Reprints of factory ads, literature, and road tests of the early BMW motorcycles. Text in German. Currently available from Amazon.
Hdbd. 95 pages, over 100 B&W and color ill.

Reprints of factory ads, literature, and road tests of the BMW single cylinder models. Text in German. Currently available from Amazon.
Hdbd. 96 pages, over 100 B&W and color ill.