BMW GS - A 30-Year Catalog

BMW GS: A 30-Year Catalog - wBW Book Review

BMW GS Adventure Motorcycle: A 30-Year Catalog
by Hans-Jurgen Schneider and Dr. Axel Koenigsbeck
Hardcover w/jacket: 210 pages
Dimensions (mm): 287 x 227 x 23
Publisher: Parker House; (April 2009)
ISBN: 978 097 968 917 8
List Price: $50.00

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Dual-sport motorcycle sales were up about 28% in 2008, while sales of most of the other motorcycle types decreased about as fast as the sinking world economy.

Why is this? Probably because the dual-sport motorcycle, with its modern suspension, tires and brakes, has to be the most versatile machine on the planet.

There's no question -- if you can only own one motorcycle to do it all, a dual-sport is it. And the King of the Dual Sports is...the BMW GS.

Sales of the big GS have always outpaced everyone's expectations -- including BMW. I don't own one -- I own 4 other BMWs -- but I've ridden several GS's and they're a blast. Surprisingly so.

Of course, some riders wouldn't be caught dead on one (or maybe that's the only way they would be seen on one). Let's face it -- the GS is the exact polar opposite of a cruiser.

Too bad -- because I own a cruiser too, and although it's occasionally fun, it's much more focused to a particular purpose than the ultra-versatile GS. Of course, the cruiser looks much more like a "real" motorcycle than the Gelände Straße to most people.

I've ridden with GS owners in the local BMW club and I've seen cruiser guys and gals stare at the big GS like the same way one would stare at a motorized shopping cart or maybe a steam-powered lawnmower.

GS owners couldn't care less -- in fact, this two-wheeled SUV is all the better for its "different" looks.

BMW didn't invent the dual-sport category by any means; that is a topic that will be debated without end in the local pub. But they sure did popularize it with the advent of the BMW R80GS monolever in 1980.

The R80GS wasn't BMW's first dual-sport motorcycle though, as you'll learn when you read "BMW GS Adventure Motorcycle: A 30-Year Catalog". In fact, BMW has a long history of dual-sport dabbling, starting with some off-road Boxers way back in 1923. So the idea for the GS didn't just pop into someone's head in the 1970's; its roots can be traced back quite far in BMW history.

BMW GS Adventure Motorcycle: A 30-Year Catalog is a new book from Parker House Publishing, a new publisher of "enthusiast" books about cars and motorcycles. It's always great to see a new publishing house take on the world, what with the Internet and YouTube stealing sales from newspapers to magazines.

These boutique publishers are apparently now the only ones -- and I think will be the only ones left -- who continue to deliver to motorcycle owners the rich history of the sport in the form of books with real paper and print and photos that we can actually touch, view, smell and feel. It's the only way to fly folks (which is a huge irony, considering that I'm writing this for publication on the web!).

I don't know how long Parker House has been in business -- not very long, I surmise -- but they sure picked a great subject and a fantastic book for a start. the BMW GS 30-Year Catalog is chocked full of history and photos of the now famous GS series, and it covers everything from the aforementioned 1923 off-road Boxer right up to the latest and greatest F800GS, just reviewed on webBikeWorld this week by HBC.

The book is loaded with details and many photos and illustrations. But the interesting part is that even with all the zillions of BMW and GS photos published over the years, the authors were still able to find more originals. Maybe a close connection with the factory?

They even cover the GS in the Paris-Dakar rallies, and I'm not sure if all modern GS owners even know that at one time, BMW was highly supportive of the Dakar rally and they did very well indeed. Hopefully, with the re-emergence of the racing gene in recent BMW DNA, we'll see more GS race action (and indeed we have, with the HP).

The authors are thorough, even covering the eclectic BMW trio, the Xchallenge, the Xmoto and the Xcountry motorcycles.

This isn't a "slam, bam, thank you ma'am" publication either -- it's a well-researched, nicely planned book with hard covers, thank you very much! It even has a jacket! When's the last time you bought a book with hard covers and a jacket?!

Now this isn't a brand-new volume, actually. It is, however, the first English language edition. According to the publisher, it's actually a version of the 5th edition of author Hans-Jurgen Schneider's "Fascination BMW GS", first published way back in 1992. This edition was revised to cover the latest GS series bikes.

Think about that for a sec: a GS book in its 5th edition? Remarkable...

Hans-Jurgen Schneider is said to have ridden every GS bike since the beginning, along with many other dual-sport motorcycles produced by competitors. He was the motorcycle editor of Auto Zeitung in Germany, so he knows his stuff.

Dr. Axel Koenigsbeck is a collector of German motorcycles and also a freelance motorcycle author, and both have done an excellent job bringing us this extensive history of what can now be claimed as one of the most popular motorcycles ever produced.

All GS owners, BMW lovers, BMW dealers and anyone else interested in motorcycle history needs this book. And, if you don't know what a "Red Devil" is, you'll find out about it here!

BMW GS: Adventure Motorcycle: A 30 Year Catalog is available at Amazon.com at discount (~$32.00) (webBikeWorld Affiliate).

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