MOANALUA — A 45-year-old motorcyclist died of injuries sustained yesterday in a collision with a car on Moanalua Freeway near the Fort Shafter overpass, police said.

The two right westbound lanes and shoulder lane of the freeway were closed to traffic just after 4 p.m. following the wreck and remained closed for several hours.

Traffic investigators said a black 2005 Harley Davidson motorcycle was traveling behind a gold 2000 Nissan Sentra in the right lane. The car began to change lanes to the left, but suddenly veered back to the right lane and hit the motorcycle, police said.

The motorcycle hit a tree and the man, of Honolulu, was thrown from the motorcycle, police said. He was not wearing a helmet. He was taken in critical condition to The Queen's Medical Center and died at 5:08 p.m.

The 49-year-old Honolulu man driving the Nissan was not injured. Speed and alcohol were not believed to have been factors. It was the 26th traffic fatality on O'ahu this year, compared with 24 at this point last year.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.