The mystery of the motorcycle 'ghost rider' in Paris has been solved

Footage of a riderless motorcycle cruising along a motorway near Paris perplexed drivers at the end of May.

They looked on in disbelief as the bike whizzed past in a straight line without a rider. One driver, who asked his friend to film the surreal incident, said: "On the video, we can clearly see the two-wheeled ... without a biker. A ghost."

Almost three weeks after the baffling incident, the mystery of the 'ghost rider' has finally been solved.

French news website Le Parisien, where the video was originally uploaded, said that the motorcycle was involved in a collision just seconds before. The rider was knocked off in the crash, but the bike kept rolling on.

The bike's owner, who was in his twenties, injured his arm in the crash and was taken to hospital by the responsible driver. He said that they tried to recover the bike before leaving the scene, but could find no trace of it.

Stunt motorcyclist Jean-Pierre Goy told Le Parisien that he was not surprised by the footage as motorbikes can run for more than 600 metres on cruise control.

"The pilot may have fallen, and in view of the motorcycle, with a very low centre of gravity, it was possible to continue its journey," he said. "I've seen motorcycles ride like this even longer, especially with the cruise control blocked."