Collectors revved up to buy Sheene’s first dream machine
THE vintage motorbike that British ace Barry Sheene rode during his first season of racing is to be sold at auction.
The 1968 Bultaco TSS 250 helped kickstart the Londoner’s legendary career which saw him claim world championships in 1976 and 1977.
The current seller has owned the bike since the 1985 and says he is only selling it as he won’t be riding the machine again. It is expected to fetch between £ 25,000 and £ 35,000.
They said: “This is the original and largely unrestored but well maintained machine ridden by Barry in 1968. His father Frank identified the bike when I was riding it at Scarborough in the mid 90s and brought Barry along to view it.”
The bike will go on sale through H& H Classics at the National Motorcycle Museum, in Solihull, West Midlands, on November 14.
Mark Bryan of H& H said: “Given its provenance and racing history with Barry Sheene, this is a very collectable motorbike.”
After a racing career stretching from 1968 to 1984, Sheene retired to Australia where he died in 2003 from throat cancer, aged just 52.