Custom leathers made for Barry Sheene go up for auction

THE UK’s most famous motorcycle racer was the hero of two-wheeled motorcycle racing in the 60s and 70s. Indeed, Barry Sheene was a character that transcended motorsport, becoming a household name known across the world.

That fame has led to Sheene memorabilia becoming something of a holy grail in any motorcycle sports enthusiast collection. And while bikes ridden by Barry Sheene are, for most of us anyway, out of our reach, sometimes it is easy to add another item from Barry’s history to your collection.

One such item has gone up for auction in the US, and it’s a set of Bates leathers, made for Barry ready for the 1976 or 77 seasons. The provenance of them has been backed up with correspondence from Bates co-owner, Dawn Grindle. In a letter of authentication, she confirms they were indeed made for Barry, by Bates leathers, although the exact date of manufacture is not known.

Custom leathers made for Barry Sheene

To try and pin down the date they were made, the current owner contacted Barry’s good friend and teammate, Steve Parrish. In his response, Steve Confirmed that were from the 1976 to 1977 era, going on to shed light on why no sponsorship patches were included. “It could have been that Bates made them and Barry switched to Dainese. In those days they were stitched on badges.”

So while this might not be a truly race-worn set of Barry Sheene leathers, it seems the move to Dainese in 1978 might have left the Bates-made leathers swinging from a coat hanger for all these years.

Bidding on the leathers has reached $5,200 already, and more information can be found on the Iconic Motorbikes Auction page.

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