A MOTORCYCLIST who died after losing control of his bike on a country road recorded himself travelling at more than 120mph before the crash, an inquest heard.

James Anthony Steven Hall, 43, suffered severe head injuries in the smash on the A682 between Gisburn and Barrowford.

Mr Hall, of Skipton Road, Colne, known to all as Steve, failed to negotiate a right-hand bend on his Suzuki GSXR and struck a dry-stone wall.

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He was later airlifted to Royal Preston Hospital but did not regain consciousness and died nine days after the incident on May 20, 2016, due to skull fractures and brain injuries.

A hearing in Clitheroe was told police retrieved a GoPro helmet-mounted camera which had been worn by Mr Hall and recorded footage of his ride to Kendal and back.

The film, which showed the moments leading up to the accident, also saw him travelling at more than 120mph during the ride although he was not going that fast when he crashed.

Police said his tinted helmet visor, which only let in 19 per cent of the light, may have contributed to the smash.

HGV driver Mr Hall had been riding with friend, Craig Cryer, also of Colne. They had been going on ‘ride outs’ for three or four years after becoming friends through a mutual love of motorbikes.

Mr Cryer said: “Steve was a well experienced rider. We’d ridden to Hawes, Devil’s Bridge and Kendal and came back via Settle.

“It was dry weather and the roads were dry. The A682 was a road we both knew well as it was close to home.”

Mr Cryer said Mr Hall had been feeling unwell and was ‘very tired’ during the latter stages of the ride and they had stopped off at Settle for a rest, something they had not done before.

On the A682, heading between Gisburn and Blacko, he had noticed Mr Hall ahead of him and had seen him pull in sharply, shortly after overtaking a vehicle. He said: “He veered in sharply and I saw him hit the wall.”

David Bilsborrow, who was driving the car that Mr Hall had just overtaken, told the inquest he had heard the bike approaching. He said he saw it and being a rider of motorcycles himself, he had indicated left and pulled inside slightly to allow more space.

Mr Bilsborrow said shortly being overtaken he saw sparks fly from the footrest of Mr Hall’s bike as it scraped the floor before the bike veered onto the grass verge and hit a wall.

PC Jason Colclough, from the collision investigation unit, said tests had found no traces of alcohol or drugs in Mr Hall’s blood and no mechanical issues had been found with the bike.

He said: “My investigations and the camera footage show no other vehicle was involved in the accident. Prior to the crash it shows that he had been travelling at times at up to 120mph on roads with a limit of 60mph.

“He was wearing a tinted visor which only allowed 19 per cent of light to get through.” PC Colclough added that although he felt speed may have been a factor, the milometer on the bike, which he believed had frozen on impact, showed a reading of 40mph.

Coroner Michael Singleton recorded a verdict that Mr Hall had died as a result of a road traffic accident. He said: “This was a tragic accident. Please accept my deepest condolences for your loss.”

The court heard Mr Hall had owned the Suzuki for around a year and rode it frequently on trips to the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria.