The air-cooled boxer BMW twins were among the most significant motorcycles of the 1970s through the 1980s, providing an unparalleled combination of comfort, reliability, and performance. From the /5 series, a complete series of sport and touring motorcycles evolved that earned a huge following and which was never emulated by other manufacturers.
Before the /5 series, BMW had a reputation for producing expensive and idiosyncratic touring motorcycles. But the /5 changed that. Although still expensive, the market was opened to a new world of riders, and during the 1970s the air-cooled boxer evolved into the ground-breaking R90S and R100RS. These were amongst the first motorcycles with factory-fitted fairings and they also offered class-leading performance. Even when BMW decided to discontinue the twins in favour of the new four-cylinder K-series in 1984, demand for the older boxers forced BMW to reconsider. The boxer was resurrected and continued for more than a decade. Freelance writer and author Ian Falloon has numerous motorcycle books to his name such as the Original BMW Twins, BMW R90S, BMW Story, Moto Guzzi Story and Laverda Twin and Triple Bible. He has a small collection of classic sporting motorcycles – including a 1976 BMW R90S.
Full description of the model's development
Analysis of the boxer twin engine
Detailed look at the R90S and R100RS
Racing history
Year-by-year revisions to each model during the whole production run
