What really happened to the Suzuki RN500 that Brad won the championship on was Suzuki gave it to Harry Everts to compete in the Belgian Championship and apparently never ask for it back from Harry. So the bike just sits in Harry’s backyard for an undetermined stretch of years and eventually a guy who was visiting Harry’s neighbor sees the bike and offers to buy it. It was just sitting there rusting away so Harry sold it to the guy.
Then years after that Sylvain Geboers hears rumor of a shop in Holland that supposedly had Brad’s World Championship winning Suzuki. In the early 2000s Brad goes over to Belgium for the Motocross des Nations. Sylvain tells him about the bike in the shop, so a day after des Nations, Sylvain and Brad go across the border to Holland to check it out.
Brad said when he saw a famous winning Dakar bike in the front window, he knew that was a good sign. They go in, talk to the shop owner and he takes them to a back room to show them the bike. The shop owner mentions it’s a four-speed and Brad knew right then that it was probably his bike. Brad sees the bike and recognizes it as his, the very bike he won the world championship on. It was virtually untouched from the way he raced in ’82 with the exception of a different fork and a missing seat.
The shop owner quotes Brad some astronomical price to sell it, but Sylvain steps in and offers the shop owner a sweet deal on a bunch of vintage parts he needs, but he asked him to be reasonable and let the bike go back to the rightful owner. The shop owner agreed and the bike got shipped back to the States.
This photo is from a 50th birthday party for Brad not long after and in the picture are (l to r) Roger De Coster, Doug Dano, Brad, Mike Tillman and Pete Silva.
Thanks for the update Mitch and Brad!
(Mitch Friedman photo)
#bradlackey #suzukirn500 #motocrossworldchampion #rogerdecoster
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