Dunedin rider crashes big motorbike hours after purchase

The rider had only just purchased the brand new Triumph 1250cc motorcycle before crashing and breaking his collarbone. Photo / Mathieu Day

An unlicensed Dunedin rider crashed a high-powered motorcycle just hours after he rode it away from the shop, police say.

Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said police were called to reports of a motorcycle crash on Lee Stream-Outram Road (State Highway 87) yesterday at about 5pm.

When officers arrived, they discovered a 56-year-old, who was unlicensed for the type of motorbike he had been riding, had crashed down a steep bank.

The man’s brand new Triumph 1250cc motorcycle, which he had bought that morning, was at the top of the bank, and the man had a broken collarbone, Snr Sgt Bond said.

The rider was taken to the hospital and forbidden to ride.

The incident served as a reminder that riders needed to be experienced for the type of bike they were riding, and needed to know their limits, Snr Sgt Bond said.

Attending courses such as ACC’s ‘Ride to survive’ programme was also a good idea, Snr Sgt Bond said.

Yesterday’s incident follows a similar incident last Wednesday, when a Dunedin man crashed in Heyward Point Rd on a motorcycle he bought that morning.

The man crashed again on the same stretch of road the following day and was taken to hospital with moderate injuries.