Drunk, unlicensed motorcyclist shunned helmet

Hawke's Bay police were about to launch a search for a missing motorcyclist when his body was discovered in a gully. File photo / NZ Herald

A 41-year-old motorcyclist died after riding a faulty motorbike while twice the legal drink-drive limit and "vaulting'' down a steep bank, a coroner revealed today.

Tony George Summerell had been drinking at a mate's farm in Ormondville, near Dannevirke, when he decided to take his friend's Yamaha motorbike for a spin.

His mate, Neville Thrupp warned him that the bike had just been "done up'' and the front brake would lock on him, so he warned him not to use it.

He also offered Mr Summerell a helmet but he declined, saying it was "too small.''

When his mate didn't return home, Mr Thrupp phoned police who found Summerell the next day, dead at the bottom of a bank.

Now, a coroner's report has revealed that on August 22, Summerell lost control of the Yamaha XT 400 motorbike on a moderate right-hand corner on the rural gravel Buckland Road and vaulted down a steep bank.

Coroner Christopher Devonport ruled: "Mr Summerell, who was not wearing a helmet and had consumed alcohol and was not licensed to ride the motorcycle, died from a head injury sustained in the crash.''

A Crash Investigation Report completed by Constable Greg Stone calculated an indicative speed of 93km/h when Summerell left the road.

Investigators found tyre skid marks on the road where Summerell tried to slow down and a scuff mark that indicated he "may have had his right leg out to steady the motorcycle.''

Constable Stone said a post-crash investigation of the unwarranted and unlicensed bike revealed that the front brake was not working and the rear brake was "out of adjustment.''

He added that Summerell, of Norsewood, would not have been able to stop the bike quickly during emergency braking. He held a driver's licence, but did not hold a motorcycle licence.

Post mortem toxicology analysis detected alcohol in Summerell's blood at a level of 177 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. A screening test also indicated the "possible use of cannabis but this was an unproven result.''