Speeding motorcyclist clocked at nearly 240km/h

Police on Sunday stopped a motorcyclist riding at an "extremely dangerous" speed of almost 240km/h in central Otago.

The rider, a 27-year-old man, was clocked by police travelling at 236km/h on State Highway 8 near Cromwell, around 4:30pm.

"The rider's actions were extremely dangerous," Snr Const Graeme Buttar said. "The man was not wearing appropriate motorcycling safety gear and could have been badly injured or could have caused a crash."

He will appear in the Alexandra District Court this week.

"His driver's licence has been instantly suspended for 28 days," police said.