If you’ve been lucky enough to be exposed to classic motorcycles for any length of time, particularly classic European motorcycles, you’ve probably come across some of the books written by Ian Falloon. An internationally recognized authority on motorcycles, Falloon writes for magazines around the world. Although he trained at one time to be a symphony oboist, that career was derailed following a motorcycle accident. Rough for him, but good for the rest of us, who have benefitted greatly over the years from his change in career.
Thanks to a deserved reputation for thorough research, Falloon’s become one of the most trusted sources for detailed information on marques such as Ducati, Moto Guzzi, Laverda and BMW. He’s written more than 20 books on motorcycles, including restoration guides, catalogs and detailed examinations of specific street and racing bikes.
Falloon’s books are always top shelf, and we think the “Bible” series constitutes some of his best reference work. Covering specific models from Laverda, Ducati, Moto Guzzi and now BMW, Falloon’s latest “Bible” focuses on the /5 series air-cooled motorcycles BMW introduced in 1969 and developed until 1996.
Following a successful format laid out from the beginning of the “Bible” series, Boxer Twinsstarts with a short tour through the history of BMW touching on major events and changes that influenced the company’s development of the first /5 models.
From there, Falloon works his way up through the air-cooled range, starting with the /5 and ending with the final R80 and R100s of 1996. Along the way, Falloon supplies a detailed, year-by-year synopsis of each model’s development.
Model series (/5, /6, etc … ) are broken down into chapters, each chapter concluding with a comprehensive list of frame numbers allied to production dates. Model information, much of it gleaned from factory records, is bolstered with periodic “distinguishing features” sidebars detailing specific model year changes to aid identification.
A short history of racing with air-cooled BMWs brings up the back of the book, followed by a series of indices featuring detailed technical information and year-by-year production numbers for each model of air-cooled engine.
Exhaustively researched and featuring hundreds of supporting color and black and white reference photos, Boxer Twins is an absolute must for anyone who owns a post-1969 air-cooled BMW or is simply interested in having the definitive reference for the later air-cooled model range. 160 pages, $50.95. Published by Veloce Books. MC
