When I think BMW Boxer Twin racers, three bikes instantly come to mind. The Butler & Smith BMW Superbikes ridden by Steve McLaughlin and Reg Pridmore; the Krauser BMW BOTT bike ridden by Harry Klinzmann and this stunning machine, the A.M.S. FU-JI-I BMW ridden by Seigo Kikuchi. The A.M.S. FU-JI-I BMW was a collaboration supported by Japanese BMW dealerships. It was possibly the highest evolution of the classic BMW Boxer and featured four-valves per cylinder and I believe also two sparkplugs per cylinder as well. When this photo was taken in ’89, Kikuchi was a 32-year-old bicycle shop owner. Just a year before Kikuchi had scored world championship points in the Japanese Grand Prix, scoring an 11^th-place finish in the 250 Grand Prix. He’d also finished second in Japan’s Battle of the Twins Series in 1988. At Daytona in ’89 Kikuchi finished a solid 11^th in the talent-filled BOTT race. He finished just behind David Emde (also on a BMW) and just ahead of former AMA Grand National Champion Roger Reiman on a Harley-Davidson.

Rider Seigo Kikuchi stands behind the famous A.M.S. FU-JI-I BMW at Daytona in 1989. Kikuchi finished a solid 11th in the talent-filled BOTT race. He finished just behind David Emde (also on a BMW) and just ahead of former AMA Grand National Champion Roger Reiman on a Harley-Davidson. (Larry Lawrence photo)