KAHULUI - Police are investigating whether speed was a factor in a collision Wednesday morning that killed a 21-year-old motorcyclist, The Maui News reported today.

The motorcyclist was identified as Jonathan Davis of Kahului.

Police said they were investigating witnesses' reports that the victim might have been racing with someone driving a truck.

Davis, who was wearing a helmet, was operating a 2001 Suzuki GSX-R600 sport bike that was traveling in the Paia direction on Hana Highway when it hit the back right side of a black 2006 Jeep Commander that had been Wailuku-bound on the highway and was turning left onto Wakea Avenue, police said.

The crash occurred at about 6:50 a.m., shortly before sunrise.

The Jeep's steel right rear axle was sheared off in the impact, and the vehicle's side air bags deployed, police said. The vehicle spun to end up facing toward Hana Highway.

A 45-year-old Kula woman driving the Jeep wasn't injured, police said.

The motorcycle landed on the grass median on Hana Highway near a sign marking the left-lane turnoff to Kahului Airport. Its front wheel ended up nearby.

Debris littered the roadway, as Paia-bound lanes of Hana Highway were closed between Kamehameha Avenue and Hanakai Street. Wakea Avenue was closed between Hana Highway and Alamaha Street while traffic investigators mapped the crash scene.

The road was reopened at 10:15 a.m.

Police said Davis was heading to work at Costco when the crash occurred.

At Costco, where Davis had worked for more than three years as a produce stocker, a manager said chaplains and counselors were assisting grieving employees Wednesday.

"He was well-liked by his fellow employees," said the manager, who declined to give his name. "We miss him greatly."

He also expressed condolences to Davis' family.

The fatal crash was the first this year in Maui County, compared to one at the same time last year.

The first crash last year, on Jan. 19, also involved a motorcyclist, who died when he hit a guardrail on Maalaea Road.

Police are investigating speed as a factor in 14 of the 23 crashes that resulted in 24 traffic deaths in Maui County last year. Alcohol is being investigated as a factor in 10 of the crashes.

Noting that speed may have contributed to more than half of the crashes, police traffic Lt. Bobby Hill said "people really just have to slow down and obey the speed limits."

"For everybody else, be cautious and drive defensively," Hill said. "Even if it's not your fault, if someone dies, you really feel bad about it.

"It's always good to be defensive and responsible, look out for the other person. Protect yourself and protect others," he said.

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.