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.

Doug Rinckes' book covers the electrical systems of the R25, R26 and R27 singles, as well as the R50-69S twins. It includes a great deal of information and procedures, and is heavily illustrated. Full color wiring diagrams are included, as well as specifications and common modifications. It's available from Bench Mark Works. It's softcover, wire bound, has 78 pages and 49 illustrations. Highly recommended!

A global look at various aspects of the BMW GS motorcycle through the eyes of photojournalist and adventurer Dr. Gregory Frazier. Through two round-the-world trips aboard a BMW GS, this motorcycle journalist captured the GS's while being raced, repaired and roaming the globe. Profusely illustrated with numerous travel tales and inside secrets on the BMW GS. Abridged review from White Horse Press.
Sftbd. 128 pp. 120 color 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Features mostly-unpublished photographs of the German "war elephant", the R75 with its powered sidecar, as well as the R4 and R12 in action.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.

Covers model-by-model technical changes, development, appearance and accessories. Includes yearly model charts, factory alterations, specifications, color schemes and appendices.  Available from Amazon.
Sftbd. 240 pages, over 220 B&W ill.

This comprehensive and well-written book tells the full story of these horizontally-opposed machines. Contains in-depth development and racing history, full specifications and technical analysis. All road, off-road and racing motorcycles, as well as military and police models, are included.
Hdbd. 192 pages, B&W and color ill.

An extensive and comprehensive model-by-model history with complete technical specifications, and data on BMW racing machines.