Not many people remember this bike, but in the mid-1970s the horde of 185-mph two-stroke racers completely overwhelmed Harley-Davidson’s outdated V-Twin and the Brits were going out of business, so at one point the only four-stroke on the grid of AMA road race nationals was the Butler & Smith BMW of Reg Pridmore. In spite of racing a motorcycle with 50-year-old engine technology and being down 30 horsepower to the two-strokes, Butler & Smith and Pridmore turned in surprisingly decent results in the early to mid-1970s AMA road race nationals. While the bike was never a serious threat to win races, Helmut Kern and his crew ultimately got the 745cc Beemer down to 310 pounds with a top speed around 165 miles per hour. It featured a custom frame built by Rob North, who fabricated the frames used on the BSA/Triumph triples ridden by Dick Mann, David Aldana and Gene Romero a few years earlier. The reliable BMW scored a slew of top-20 finishes with Pridmore at the controls. His best result was 11th at Pocono in August of 1973, not bad considering Reggie was up against a gaggle of Yamaha TZs and Kawasaki and Suzuki triples.
The Butler & Smith BMW that Reg Pridmore raced in AMA road racing nationals in the early to mid-1970s.
Rider Files 
Hats off to Pridmore! When the AMA’s Superbike class came about in 1976, the bike was still outclassed, surprisingly competitive.
LikeLike
Yes the factory-backed BMW Superbikes were maybe a little underpowered compared to the Japanese multis, but the thing had rock-solid handling.
This bike by the way, was not the superbike, but the AMA F-1 bike if you will.
LikeLike
This motorcycle currently resides at Irv Seaver Motorcycles in Orange, Ca.
LikeLike
Evan
Thanks for the update. I’ll have to come by and check the bike out next time I’m out West.
LikeLike
“Best result” doesn’t quite get the entire picture. Reg’s bike was usually faster over race distance then most of the Harleys and it was more production-based than almost all the others.
LikeLike
Sir,
I did a painting of the Butler& Smith #63 BMW racing bike , because it looked so cool, on a bright sunny day in Cal
when I was 20yrs old.
It’s no longer in my possession but I have a great photo,albeit dated but as clear as ever. Would you be interested to see it?
I’m turning 68 yrs tomorrow,. That apparently makes the painting 48 yrs old
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, would love to see it.
LikeLike