London - Hollywood legend Steve McQueen has been voted the most iconic biker of all time.

The 1960s all-action film star took polled 25% of the 2254 votes registered on Yahoo.co.uk. McQueen, who died of lung cancer in 1980, saw off a list of motorcycle racing legends, actors and stunt riders in the New Year poll.

In second place was double grand prix world champion and 70s sex symbol, Barry Sheene, closely followed by seven-time MotoGP champion, Valentino Rossi. Daredevil, Evel Knieval, famous for his spectacular bone-breaking crashes was ranked fourth while Marlon Brando, star of one of the quintessential biking films, The Wild Ones, managed seventh.

Languishing at the back of the table, compiled in the run-up to the MCN London Motorcycle Show, with only 2% of the vote were Mission Impossible actor Tom Cruise and Long Way Round star Ewan McGregor. Both are well-known for their love of riding motorcycles, on and off screen.

As well as being a successful racer, McQueen preferred to do many of his own film stunts. His most notorious motorcycle moment came from a sequence in the film The Great Escape where, as a prisoner of war, his character’s escape was foiled by one last jump over a barbed wire fence. The BBC recently mimicked this stunt as part of its Christmas schedule.

The survey is a revealing insight to the biker’s mind. Despite numerous celebrities currently riding motorcycles, a 44-year-old image of McQueen sat on a Triumph is instantly recognisable by many generations, rivalling that of The Beatles on the Abbey Road zebra crossing.

The MCN London Motorcycle Show runs from February 1-4 at ExCeL. Entry costs £13 in advance or £16 on the door. To book tickets in advance, call the ticket hotline number on 0870 730 0049 or visit www.londonmotorcycleshow.com

More about Steve McQueen from:

Welcome To The First
STEVE McQUEEN SITE 

Steve McQueen was the greatest movie star to ever appear onscreen. He defined what being "cool" was (and is) and is imitated by today's major movie actors, but none comes close. There was only one Steve McQueen.

 The career of Steve McQueen seems a classic example of the American dream made real, of a small town boy triumphing over adversity-broken home, poor education-to become one of the richest and most sought-after superstars in the world. He was a man who finally found the love he never knew as a child in the adoration of the millions of adoring fans who flocked to every action-packed screen adventure graced by his rugged, tanned, and quizzical good looks. McQueen lived every day as if it was his last, and by doing so he lived an extraordinary life, both on screen and off. * 

Steve McQueen was a superstar in the true sense of the word. He is probably the most emulated movie actor ever. He was into motorcycles and race cars long before it became "hip" in Hollywood to do so, and he raced both professionally. At one point in his career, he considered taking up auto racing full time, showing that his passion for racing and fast machines was more than a publicity move, as it seems to have become for today's actors.

 His peers have called him one of the best actors in film history and McQueen's films are considered classics. Movies such as The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles, (for which he received an Academy Award nomination), Nevada Smith, Bullitt (which became the basis for police action movies and to this day has the most exciting car chase ever filmed), The Getaway (where he met his second wife, actress Ali McGraw), Papillon, and many others.

 He died a shocking, early death at the age of fifty on November 7, 1980, after suffering from mesothelioma, a rare and painful form of lung cancer.

New Triumph dedicated to Steve McQueen's memory:

Triumph Scrambler channels Steve McQueen
But this bike is best as urban commuter

Los Angeles Times

 First question: What, if anything, has Triumph Motorcycles -- reconstituted after a devastating factory fire in 2002 -- paid the estate of actor Steve McQueen?

The iconic leverage of the new Triumph Scrambler pivots almost entirely on McQueen, who rode a Triumph Enduro in the 1971 documentary "On Any Sunday" and a Triumph in the World War II thriller "The Great Escape" (stunt rider Bud Ekins doubled for McQueen in the famous jump scene, and the Triumph doubled for a BMW, lore has it).

For guys who really want to channel Steve, the Triumph Scrambler obliges. You can even order an optional "278" number board, McQueen's entry when he raced in the 1964 International Six-Day Trials in East Germany. How bad do you have to have McQueen Fever to know that?

The Scrambler is the latest of four Modern Classics bikes from Triumph, and it might as well conjure 1960s California with a Ouija board: the two-tone paint, chrome escutcheons and rubber knee grips on the tank, bench seat with white piping, exhaust pipes intertwined like crossed fingers (though back in the day, the pipes were on the left side). Much like the genuine Bonneville Scramblers, it has gaitered front shocks, wire wheels, wide flat handlebars and relatively knobby tires (Bridgestone Trail Wings).

This in no way should lead you to believe it is a true dual-sport bike, a la Ducati Multistrada. As soon as the tires touch gravel, form and function part company. The Scrambler -- based largely on the Bonneville T100 streeter -- has a wet weight of about 500 pounds and tires that are not much more trail-able than your average street tire. Also, the historically faithful rear coil-overs don't surrender much suspension travel, so the Scrambler rear starts to jackhammer at moderate speeds on chuck-holed fire roads.

Yes, it can be taken off pavement -- the Scrambler suspension has been raised 2 inches over the Bonneville, for improved ground clearance -- but I didn't expect it to be quite so much of a, um, scramble.

This is essentially a road-purposed bike -- more specifically, an urban commuter. Between the gloss-black frame rails is Triumph's 865-cc, dual-overhead cam parallel twin -- the same mill as in the nostalgia-themed Thruxston and Bonnie T100.

However, the engine has been slightly detuned for more low-end torque (51 foot-pounds at 5,000 rpm) at the expense of horsepower (54 hp at 7,000). The bike steps off the line nicely and can clear four-wheeled traffic without much trouble. But it strains a bit at higher rpm and quasi-legal interstate speeds. The rider strains a bit, too. The lack of a windscreen, combined with the very upright riding position, makes for a face-first buffeting that would shame a North Sea gale.

If you push the Scrambler, it does have some reserves of street performance. It drops into a corner with finesse -- all that extra leverage from the big handlebars -- and holds a line well. It has good lean angles and makes side-to-side transitions with less drama than Sunday morning C-SPAN. The handling is seamless and reliable, with low-speed agility and parking-deck maneuverability.

The bike is carbureted, not fuel-injected, so riders will have to pull the choke and let the engine warm up before it falls into a shuffling chuff. With a fuel economy in the neighborhood of 50 mpg, the dead-simple Scrambler makes an excellent commuting bike, while offering a hugely romantic presence on the street.

Expensive? Rather. Nobody said being Steve was going to be cheap.

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2006 Triumph 900 Scrambler     Base price: $7,999    Powertrain: 865-cc, DOHC, four-stroke parallel twin, air-cooled with carburetors; five-speed    Horsepower: 54 hp at 7,000 rpm    orque: 51 foot-pounds at 5,000 rpm    Wheelbase: 59 inches    Seat height: 32.5 inches    Weight: 451 pounds (dry)    Final thoughts: Peaceful, easy wheeling.

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