A 50-year-old man was in a critical condition after the motorcycle he was operating struck the pavement and smashed into a guardrail on the H-3 Freeway in Kaneohe this afternoon.

Police said the man was speeding eastbound on the freeway less than a mile before the Mokapu Boulevard off-ramp when he failed to negotiate a bend in the roadway and lost control of the motorcycle at 12:50 p.m.

The motorcyclist, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Speed appears to have played a factor in the accident, police said, adding that it was unknown if alcohol or drugs were involved.

Police closed the H-3 eastbound Kamehameha Highway on and off ramp as they responded and investigated.