Authorities have identified the motorcyclist who crashed and died last week in Minneapolis.

Bart P. Leuer, 44, of Buffalo, Minn., was killed in the late-night wreck, according to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office.

As of late Monday morning, there have been 51 motorcycle fatalities this year, compared to 52 last year, according to the state Department of Public Safety.

Leuer was heading north on Hiawatha Avenue about 11:25 p.m. Tuesday and left the road as he tried to enter westbound Interstate 94, according to the State Patrol.

Leuer was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, the patrol said.

His survivors include a wife and four children.

"Family was Bart's greatest joy," Leuer's online obituary read. "He lived for his children."