OWNING an actual race bike ridden by Barry Sheene is surely the ultimate dream for any avid motorcycle collector. But with race-used Sheene bikes regularly making six figures at auction, it’s a dream very few actually get to realise.
That might not be the case with this latest machine as a Suzuki used by him is going under the hammer this autumn. Okay, so it may not be an exotic, two-stroke prototype racer, but with a guide price of around £30,000, it might be the most cost-effective Barry Sheene-owned machine on sale.
It is a Suzuki Jimny, otherwise known as an LJ80R. It was handed to the racer as a thank you for his success and achievements in the motorcycle Grand Prix world championship. Adorned with his racing number ‘7’, Sheene is reported to have kept the little off-roader in his collection for around five years, using it on a regular basis.
The performance of the vehicle is likely to be modest at best, as it’s powered by a dinky 800cc inline four-cylinder engine, that was claimed to produce just 42hp when it was new.
Sheene was a Suzuki rider for much of his career, racing for them in the top flight from 1973 to 1979, before switching to Yamaha in 1980. The Hamamatsu manufacturer was always where he felt most at home though, and he re-signed with Suzuki in the 1983 and 1984 seasons, before a horrific crash at Silverstone all but ended his career.
The ex-Sheene Suzuki Jimny is going under the hammer with Silverstone auctions, with a guide of between £20,000 and £30,000. Full details can be found at the link below.
Images: Silverstone Auctions
