A man who was caught riding his motorbike along the Eastern Freeway in Melbourne with a barbecue strapped to his body was fined $800 today and lost his licence for one month.

Michael Wiles spotted the cast-off cooker on the nature strip where it had been left for rubbish collection and, not wanting to splurge on a new one, decided to pick it up and take it home.

This snap cost Michael Wiles much notoriety - and an $800 fine.

The 29-year-old proceeded to thread his body through the barbecue's frame and popped up the grate in front of his helmet before setting off along the Eastern Freeway in Kew on January 27, 2008, reaching estimated speeds of 75km/h.

But his plan came unstuck when a stunned passer-by snapped a photograph, which was subsequently published in the media and led to Wiles's identity being revealed and a visit from the police.