What would strike greater fear: appearing in an England shirt for the first time in a Test match and facing some of the most fiendish fast bowling on the planet? Or taking your motorbike test? For Andrew Flintoff, it is no contest: “I can’t remember doing anything more nerve-racking than taking my motorcycle test this year,” the England all-rounder said. “I only passed my driving test third time but even though I passed my bike test first time, that was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been. That includes playing for England in a Test series – and facing fast bowlers.”

So what is it with motorbikes? Ewan McGregor, the actor, is addicted and now Flintoff, dodgy ankle and all, has set himself up on two wheels having just taken possession of a full-on, much-chromed, giant vee-twin Harley-Davidson Road King Classic.

It seems that for many – including the tens of thousands of bike fans who will be making the pilgrimage to the Birmingham NEC bike show over the next week or so – the allure of owning a first bike is too strong to ignore. Preshow ticket sales are on a high and the number of would-be bikers taking their tests is also rising.

Flintoff may be one of the world’s leading all-rounders, but in many ways he is just living the biker dream. Having spent a lifetime of yearning and waiting, he finally picked up his own Harley a few weeks ago.

The bike was a gift from his wife, Rachael, and Flintoff, 29, said: “When I was younger I rode scrambling bikes on the back fields, never on the roads. I’ve always wanted a Harley, though, ever since I was a kid. My grandpa Harry had bikes and it’s probably just that now I am at a more responsible age, whereas in my late teens or twenties, I don’t think a motorbike was an option.”

Despite the fact that the latest accident figures show motorcycling to be much more dangerous than driving, Flintoff is hooked. He admits that though he may not be the greatest rider in the world and that speed holds no fascination for him, the romance – and the privacy, the chance to get away from the glare of publicity and the attention of the public while on a bike and wearing a helmet – is a strong draw. “Taking the test on the bike, doing the U-turn was very tricky and I nearly stuffed it up as well because my feet were out everywhere,” he said. “That was probably the hardest part of it, it took me a while to get that – the bike was so heavy, as soon as you start going slow it just goes on you.

“And I hate going fast. I just like cruising at 30 or 40. I don’t think I could ever have been a racer. But I’d love to do a big tour, say across America, down the East Coast. When you’re on your bike no one else can get to you. You’re on your own. It gives you time to think. Out in South Africa, me and the security guard had Harleys and we went round the mountains and Cape Town, which was real nice.”

And while Rachael may have bought the bike for him, Flintoff has no plans for riding two-up with her. “Rachael definitely isn’t getting on,” he said. “She’s threatening to get a helmet with bunny ears on. I’m not having that!”