A motor-cyclist was killed when his powerful machine crashed into another vehicle on a busy main road leading out of Bradford, an inquest heard.

Witnesses described how the 1000cc Honda machine overtook a line of slow-moving traffic at between 60 and 80 mph and went the wrong side of a pedestrian refuge in the middle of Thornton Road.

Richard Rhodes and pillion passenger Christopher Hewitson were thrown from the bike as it collided with a pick-up turning right out of Leaventhorpe Lane last September.

Mr Rhodes, 22, of Harcourt Avenue in Thornton, died at the scene from multiple injuries.

Witness Andrew King told the Bradford hearing that he saw the bike start to "snake'' under heavy braking immediately before the crash.

Mr Hewitson said his friend called at his home in Allerton, offered to give him a lift to a pub in Thornton Road and lent him a helmet.

When they reached Thornton Road, he expected Mr Rhodes to turn left towards the city centre but he turned right instead and drove towards Thornton.

They began overtaking a line of traffic led by two tipper lorries, but Mr Rhodes was unable to get between the lorries and the pedestrian refuge, and drove on to the wrong side of the road.

They then hit a vehicle as it came out of Leaventhorpe Lane, Mr Hewitson added.

Mr Rhodes's girlfriend, Helen Batty, said he had bought the Honda VTR a few days after completing a three-day course and passing a test to drive bigger motor-cycles.

He would sometimes ride it fast, usually when the road was clear, she added.

On the day of the crash he had dropped her off at a pub before setting off to see his friend. He was not riding fast when she last saw him.

The driver of the pick-up, Andrew Ross, told police he stopped at the junction. One of the approaching lorries flashed its headlights to indicate it was clear for him to cross the road and he looked both ways before pulling out.

He was then struck on the offside by a motor-cycle coming up on the wrong side of the road.

The head of West Yorkshire police's accident investigation branch, Sgt Anthony Clarke, said there was a glancing impact between the two vehicles.

He added that if the motor-cyclist had been driving within the 40 mph speed limit he would "quite likely'' have been able to avoid the collision.

Coroner Roger Whittaker adjourn-ed the inquest to allow three more witnesses to be called to give evidence.