diff --git a/doc/modules/ROOT/pages/tutorial/backmp11-back-end.adoc b/doc/modules/ROOT/pages/tutorial/backmp11-back-end.adoc
index 007193eb..8f729712 100644
--- a/doc/modules/ROOT/pages/tutorial/backmp11-back-end.adoc
+++ b/doc/modules/ROOT/pages/tutorial/backmp11-back-end.adoc
@@ -303,20 +303,14 @@ If the `fsm_parameter` is set to `root_sm`, then also the `root_sm` must be set.
 
 === Generic support for serializers
 
-The `state_machine` allows access to its private members for serialization purposes with a friend:
+The `backmp11` namespace contains a `serialize` function for serialization purposes:
 
 ```cpp
-// Class boost::msm::backmp11::state_machine
 template<typename T, typename A0, typename A1, typename A2>
-friend void serialize(T&, state_machine<A0, A1, A2>&);
+void serialize(T&, state_machine<A0, A1, A2>&);
 ```
 
-A similar friend declaration is available in the `history_impl` classes.
-
-[IMPORTANT]
-====
-This design allows you to provide any serializer implementation, but due to the need to access private members there is no guarantee that your implementation breaks in a new version of the back-end.
-====
+Serializers passed to this function need to provide `operator&` overloads for serialization and deserialization. Boost.Serialization supports such overloads out-of-the-box, an example integration of it is shown in the state machine adapter.
 
 === Unified event pool for queued and deferred events
 
@@ -471,6 +465,13 @@ class state_machine_adapter
         this->get_event_pool().events.clear();
     }
 
+    template <class Archive>
+    void serialize(Archive& ar,
+                   const unsigned int /*version*/)
+    {
+        msm::backmp11::serialize(ar, *this);
+    }
+
     // No adapter.
     // Superseded by the visitor API.
     // void visit_current_states(...) {...}
diff --git a/doc/modules/ROOT/pages/version-history.adoc b/doc/modules/ROOT/pages/version-history.adoc
index 77451176..d86ff29d 100644
--- a/doc/modules/ROOT/pages/version-history.adoc
+++ b/doc/modules/ROOT/pages/version-history.adoc
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@
 
 = Version history
 
+== Boost 1.92
+
+* New features (`backmp11`):
+** Improve serializer interface (https://github.com/boostorg/msm/issues/197[#197])
+
 == Boost 1.91
 
 * New features (`backmp11`):
diff --git a/include/boost/msm/backmp11/detail/history_impl.hpp b/include/boost/msm/backmp11/detail/history_impl.hpp
index 2794fc1b..0fdb107a 100644
--- a/include/boost/msm/backmp11/detail/history_impl.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/msm/backmp11/detail/history_impl.hpp
@@ -48,11 +48,13 @@ class history_impl<front::no_history, NumberOfRegions>
         return true;
     }
 
-  private:
-    // Allow access to private members for serialization.
-    template<typename T, int N>
-    friend void serialize(T&, history_impl<front::no_history, N>&);
+    template<typename T>
+    void serialize(T& archive)
+    {
+        archive & m_initial_state_ids;
+    }
 
+  private:
     std::array<int, NumberOfRegions> m_initial_state_ids;
 };
 
@@ -83,11 +85,13 @@ class history_impl<front::always_shallow_history, NumberOfRegions>
         return false;
     }
 
-private:
-    // Allow access to private members for serialization.
-    template<typename T, int N>
-    friend void serialize(T&, history_impl<front::always_shallow_history, N>&);
+    template<typename T>
+    void serialize(T& archive)
+    {
+        archive & m_last_active_state_ids;
+    }
 
+private:
     std::array<int, NumberOfRegions> m_last_active_state_ids;
 };
 
@@ -125,11 +129,14 @@ class history_impl<front::shallow_history<Events...>, NumberOfRegions>
         return !mp11::mp_contains<events_mp11,Event>::value;
     }
 
-  private:
-    // Allow access to private members for serialization.
-    template<typename T, typename... Es, int N>
-    friend void serialize(T&, history_impl<front::shallow_history<Es...>, N>&);
+    template<typename T>
+    void serialize(T& archive)
+    {
+        archive & m_initial_state_ids;
+        archive & m_last_active_state_ids;
+    }
 
+  private:
     std::array<int, NumberOfRegions> m_initial_state_ids;
     std::array<int, NumberOfRegions> m_last_active_state_ids;
 };
diff --git a/include/boost/msm/backmp11/detail/state_machine_base.hpp b/include/boost/msm/backmp11/detail/state_machine_base.hpp
index 452d8884..0e38b645 100644
--- a/include/boost/msm/backmp11/detail/state_machine_base.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/msm/backmp11/detail/state_machine_base.hpp
@@ -214,9 +214,6 @@ class state_machine_base : public FrontEnd
     friend class deferred_event;
 
     // Allow access to private members for serialization.
-    // WARNING:
-    // No guarantee is given on the private member layout.
-    // Future changes may break existing serializer implementations.
     template<typename T, typename A0, typename A1, typename A2>
     friend void serialize(T&, state_machine_base<A0, A1, A2>&);
 
@@ -1144,6 +1141,37 @@ class state_machine_base : public FrontEnd
     bool                 m_running{false};
 };
 
+template <typename T, typename Event, typename = void>
+struct has_serialize : std::false_type {};
+
+template <typename T, typename State>
+struct has_serialize<T, State,
+    std::void_t<decltype(std::declval<State&>().serialize(std::declval<T&>()))>>
+    : std::true_type {};
+
+template<typename T, typename A0, typename A1, typename A2>
+void serialize(T& archive, state_machine_base<A0, A1, A2>& sm)
+{
+    using FrontEnd = typename state_machine_base<A0, A1, A2>::front_end_t;
+    if constexpr (has_serialize<T, FrontEnd>::value)
+    {
+        static_cast<FrontEnd&>(sm).serialize(archive);
+    }
+    archive & sm.m_active_state_ids;
+    sm.m_history.serialize(archive);
+    archive & sm.m_event_processing;
+    mp11::tuple_for_each(sm.m_states,
+    [&archive](auto& state)
+    {
+        using State = std::decay_t<decltype(state)>;
+        if constexpr (has_serialize<T, State>::value ||
+                      has_state_machine_tag<State>::value)
+        {
+            archive & state;
+        }
+    });
+}
+
 } // boost::msm::backmp11::detail
 
 #endif // BOOST_MSM_BACKMP11_DETAIL_STATE_MACHINE_BASE_HPP
diff --git a/include/boost/msm/backmp11/state_machine.hpp b/include/boost/msm/backmp11/state_machine.hpp
index b50395b4..e641fd89 100644
--- a/include/boost/msm/backmp11/state_machine.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/msm/backmp11/state_machine.hpp
@@ -56,6 +56,12 @@ class state_machine<FrontEnd>
     using Base::Base;
 };
 
+template<typename T, typename A0, typename A1, typename A2>
+void serialize(T& archive, detail::state_machine_base<A0, A1, A2>& sm)
+{
+    detail::serialize(archive, sm);
+}
+
 } // boost::msm::backmp11
 
 #endif // BOOST_MSM_BACKMP11_STATE_MACHINE_HPP
diff --git a/test/Backmp11Adapter.hpp b/test/Backmp11Adapter.hpp
index ae3e8f01..9f116c22 100644
--- a/test/Backmp11Adapter.hpp
+++ b/test/Backmp11Adapter.hpp
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 #include <boost/msm/back/queue_container_deque.hpp>
 #define BOOST_PARAMETER_CAN_USE_MP11
 #include <boost/parameter.hpp>
-#include <boost/serialization/base_object.hpp>
 #include <boost/serialization/array.hpp>
 #include "Backmp11.hpp"
 
@@ -123,6 +122,13 @@ class state_machine_adapter
         this->get_event_pool().events.clear();
     }
 
+    template <class Archive>
+    void serialize(Archive& ar,
+                   const unsigned int /*version*/)
+    {
+        msm::backmp11::serialize(ar, *this);
+    }
+
     // No adapter.
     // Superseded by the visitor API.
     // void visit_current_states(...) {...}
@@ -136,94 +142,4 @@ class state_machine_adapter
     // auto get_state_by_id(int id) {...}
 };
 
-template <class Archive>
-struct serialize_state
-{
-    serialize_state(Archive& ar):ar_(ar){}
-
-    template<typename T>
-    typename ::boost::enable_if<
-        typename ::boost::mpl::or_<
-            typename has_do_serialize<T>::type,
-            typename detail::has_state_machine_tag<typename T::internal>::type
-        >::type
-        ,void
-    >::type
-    operator()(T& t) const
-    {
-        ar_ & t;
-    }
-    template<typename T>
-    typename ::boost::disable_if<
-        typename ::boost::mpl::or_<
-            typename has_do_serialize<T>::type,
-            typename detail::has_state_machine_tag<typename T::internal>::type
-        >::type
-        ,void
-    >::type
-    operator()(T&) const
-    {
-        // no state to serialize
-    }
-    Archive& ar_;
-};
-
-namespace detail
-{
-
-template <class Archive, class FrontEnd, class Config, class Derived>
-void serialize(Archive& ar,
-               state_machine_base<FrontEnd, Config, Derived>& sm)
-{
-    (serialize_state<Archive>(ar))(boost::serialization::base_object<FrontEnd>(sm));
-    ar & sm.m_active_state_ids;
-    ar & sm.m_history;
-    ar & sm.m_event_processing;
-    mp11::tuple_for_each(sm.m_states, serialize_state<Archive>(ar));
-}
-
-template<typename T, int N>
-void serialize(T& ar, detail::history_impl<front::no_history, N>& history)
-{
-    ar & history.m_initial_state_ids;
-}
-
-template<typename T, typename... Es, int N>
-void serialize(T& ar, detail::history_impl<front::shallow_history<Es...>, N>& history)
-{
-    ar & history.m_initial_state_ids;
-    ar & history.m_last_active_state_ids;
-}
-
-}
-
 } // boost::msm::backmp11
-
-namespace boost::serialization
-{
-
-template <class Archive, class A0, class A1, class A2, class A3, class A4>
-void serialize(Archive& ar,
-               msm::backmp11::state_machine_adapter<A0, A1, A2, A3, A4>& sm,
-               const unsigned int /*version*/)
-{
-    msm::backmp11::detail::serialize(ar, sm);
-}
-
-template<typename T, int N>
-void serialize(T& ar,
-               msm::backmp11::detail::history_impl<msm::front::no_history, N>& history,
-               const unsigned int /*version*/)
-{
-    msm::backmp11::detail::serialize(ar, history);
-}
-
-template<typename T, typename... Es, int N>
-void serialize(T& ar,
-               msm::backmp11::detail::history_impl<msm::front::shallow_history<Es...>, N>& history,
-               const unsigned int /*version*/)
-{
-    msm::backmp11::detail::serialize(ar, history);
-}
-
-} // boost::serialization
diff --git a/test/Serialize.cpp b/test/Serialize.cpp
index cd1addfe..7eecc91c 100644
--- a/test/Serialize.cpp
+++ b/test/Serialize.cpp
@@ -69,8 +69,8 @@ namespace
         // to achieve this, ask for it
         typedef int do_serialize;
         // and provide a serialize
-        template<class Archive>
-        void serialize(Archive & ar, const unsigned int )
+        template <class Archive>
+        void serialize(Archive& ar, const unsigned int = 0)
         {
             ar & front_end_data;
         }
@@ -87,12 +87,11 @@ namespace
             int some_dummy_data;
             // we want Empty to be serialized
             typedef int do_serialize;
-            template<class Archive>
-            void serialize(Archive & ar, const unsigned int )
+            template <class Archive>
+            void serialize(Archive& ar, const unsigned int = 0)
             {
                 ar & some_dummy_data;
             }
-
         };
         struct Open : public msm::front::state<> 
         {