Few motorcycle manufacturers are as old and well-respected as the Bavarian Motor Works (BMW). Since 1923 the BMW name has been synonymous with quality and refinement. The BMW motorcycle line began with the air-cooled horizontally opposed two-cylinder "boxer" engine, derived from designs for aircraft engines. The BMW logo, a circle with blue and white quadrants, was derived from the image of a spinning propeller. Reliability has always been the hallmark of the boxer engines and BMW's refined image has contributed to their success. Among the fastest motorcycles in the world in their day, BMW motorcycles remain some of the most sought after touring and sport-touring bikes available One of BMW's strengths has always been excellence in design and manufacturing and the company boasts that 1/4 of all boxers sold since 1923 are still on the road. With the addition of new BMW models it appears that the company will be continuing to manufacture legendary motorcycles well into the 21st century.
This summary of BMW history was provided by Piet Van Pelt.
Visit his site if you want to visit a really cool BMW site with lots of pictures and stats on many different models of BMW's. You will find a link to his page on my favorite links page..