A BIKER suffered a fatal crash seconds after picking his bike up from a workshop, an inquest heard.

James ’Jim’ Walters, 53, from Goodrich sped away from the Autobody Shop in Upper Lydbrook and lost control on the first bend, before colliding with a tree on July 29 last year.

He was airlifted to Southmead Hospital, Bristol, but died two days later.

Gloucestershire coroner Katie Skerrett ruled that his death was a tragic accident after a "momentary loss of control by an experienced rider".

The inquest heard from collision investigator PC Simon Edwards who calculated that the Aprila bike had been doing 52mph when the crash happened on the B4234 around 11.10am near the Mireystock crossroads.

It was right at the upper safe limit for rounding the bend, and the bike mounted the verge as the rider lost control.

Witness Kelvin Thomas said in a statement that he saw Mr Walters pull out of an industrial estate in front of his car.

"He immediately gunned it, accelerating very quickly... I knew straightaway there was no chance he was going to get around the next left hand bend," he said.

"As I rounded the bend I could see the bike lying in a stream on the side of the road and he was under it."

The bike had no mechanical defects and had been at the garage for ’cosmetic’ work, the inquest heard.