Sheene fanatic buys GP bike

Published: 16 May 2007 Updated: 19 November 2014

Smith's conervatory is a shrine to Sheene
Factory racer steering damper
The view Barry Sheene had in 1976
Sheene RG500, road-legal RG500 and Reynolds rep GSX-R750
The GP racer takes pride of place in the collection
Admiration for the bike, and Smith's determination
Twin shocks and race pipes
Who could resist making an offer on this ex-Sheene racer?

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MCN reader and huge Barry Sheene fan Andy Smith bought this 1976 Suzuki RG500 XR14 Heron works GP racer after seeing a story about Bonhams auctioning the bike in MCN.

The 45-year-old Norfolk rider chose to buy the bike rather than pay off his mortgage and it’s now a stable-mate to his road-legal limited edition RG500 and a John Reynolds replica GSX-R750. Find out more about what made Smith invest in the bike, which had an auction estimate of £25,000 in MCN, May 16, 2007.