Authorities say 60-year-old Tara Lu Freemole of Tigard was on a friend's 2011 Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster on Sunday learning how to ride when she struck a curb and was thrown from the bike into a parked car.



Freemole, who was wearing a helmet, was killed instantly by blunt force head trauma, said Tom Chappelle, deputy medical examiner for the Multnomah County Medical Examiner's Office.



Portland police said Freemole was riding the motorcycle at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot to the south of the Multnomah Arts Center, 7688 S.W. Capitol Highway, when she lost control of the 500-plus pound motorcycle and struck the curb.

She was learning to ride from a friend, not as part of any organized motorcycle rider training course, police said.

The Portland Police Bureau's major crash team handled the investigation into the crash.

-- Stuart Tomlinson

stomlinson@oregonian.com

503-221-8313

@ORweather