Inspired by the writeup in the BMW ON magazine, I decided to order a copy of the "Boxer from /5"
hardcover book. It arrived this week and I have spent several hours reading it so far - perhaps a
number of you already have this book. While it won't tell you how to rebuild a 4 speed tranny or
balance your carbs, it has lots of great history, photos, interviews with various key design leaders and the
stories of how various models were developed. There are even paint color codes and color chips in the book.
There is a bit of history of the pre - /5 BMW models and the company activities, but most of the book is focused on the /5 development and models which followed
it up through the end of the twin shock airheads. Each series has its own part of the book, /5, /6, /7, and the
1981-1985 airheads. What's more, the R45 and R65 get their own section. The book also details a fairly comprehensive
looking list of all the production line changes that occurred during this period. The interviews with the Ekkehard Rapelius and
others inside BMW indicate that they consider the R65 to be among the best handling airheads for tight twisty back roads.
The R65/R45 platform was also used to test out new innovations/ideas, though the R45 model was a "loss leader" for BMW, they made up
the loss in profits on the R45 with the profits made with the R65 models. For instance, according to the book, BMW intended that the special composite wheels
which debuted on the R65 LS models to be used across the line on all the airheads in subsequent years. Unfortunately model line changes, the
cosmetic issues with the wheel's finish, and the wheel's manufacturing expenses combined with the general customer's inability to detect any differences in handling
turned the wheels from a vanguard design into a unique idiosyncracy of sorts. I hadn't realized it, but the LS front wheels are 0.75kg lighter than the same year snowflake,
while still being wider in the rim, and the rear LS wheel is 1.35 kg lighter than its snowflake counterpart, all while being at least as strong.
For anyone interested in airhead history, I would definitely recommend this book. It isn't inexpensive however - it cost over $60 including shipping, though it is imported from
Germany and is a 168 page hardcover with high quality paper and printing. The website appears to be down at the moment, but one can buy the book through Omega ignitions website.
