Barry Sheene over 50s' motorbike hero

Barry Sheene is the over 50s' number one motorbike hero, racing ahead of the likes of John Surtees and Giacomo Agostini, research by Saga Insurance has revealed.

Following the recent Goodwood Revival, which commemorated the legend of Barry Sheene by awarding a trophy in his honour, Saga's research demonstrates the over-50s are clearly more impressed by real motorbiking skills rather than those that look good on the big screen. Iconic movie riders such as Dennis Hopper and James Dean were left trailing behind the likes of Geoff Duke and Mike Hailwood in popularity.

Top motorbike heroes for the over 50s:

Barry Sheene
Mike Hailwood
Geoff Duke
Steve McQueen
Valentino Rossi

Interestingly, female bikers over 50 seem more influenced by Hollywood glamour when choosing their heroes, with Steve McQueen coming in at number one, followed by Barry Sheene, Valentino Rossi, Ewan McGregor and Mike Hailwood.

Motorcycling is big business amongst the over 50s, and almost a quarter (21%) of all easy riders are aged over 50. Research by Saga Motorcycle Insurance shows that nearly 700,000 of today's over 50s actually own a bike and a further 1 million yearn to be a biker. That's a total of 1.7 million people with a thirst for the open road.