Many motorcyclists are exceeding speed limits, according to Government figures.

Around 50 per cent of motorcycles went above the limit on motorways, dual carriageways and 30mph-limit roads in Britain in 2009, the statistics from the Department for Transport showed.

They also revealed that there were 114,900 new motorcycles registered in 2009 – the lowest annual number since records began in 2001. The proportion of licensed machines over 500cc in engine size has increased from 45 per cent in 1999 to 75 per cent in 2009.

But the proportion of machines of 50cc or less has fallen from 14 per cent in 1999 to 11 per cent in 2009.

Overall, there were 1.3 million licensed motorcycles in Britain by the end of last year, with 87 per cent of them being registered in England.

Motorcycles drove about 3.2 billion miles on Britain’s roads last year – about 400 million miles more than 10 years ago, but well down on the 6.2 billion mile figure when biking was at its peak in 1960.