Vic motorbike deaths not fault of riders

A spike in fatal motorbike crashes in Victoria has more to do with unlicensed motorcyclists and careless cars rather than reckless motorcycle riding, police say.

The latest figures on motorcycle deaths show that nine riders were killed in just this month, and come as a rider has died at Drouin on Tuesday morning after a collision with a 4WD.

A total of 14 have died this year, eight more than this time in 2015.

Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer, himself a motorcyclist, says a large number of those riders who have died this year have either made no mistake, or made simple mistakes such as under- or over-correcting while riding.

"We're not driving recklessly - we're simply being hit by a car or making small mistakes," he told AAP on Tuesday.

He urged motorcyclists to wear protective clothing, ride within their skill limit and always have a licence.

"Motorcyclists ... are vulnerable road users, and riders and [car] drivers need to be vigilant while on the road," he said.

While motorcyclists make up only 4 per cent of all road users, they represent 17 per cent of all road deaths in the state.

Of that 17 per cent, a little more than a third are those who ride in the bush, Mr Fryer said.

Male motorbike riders aged between 40 and 49 are also over represented, making up six out of the 14 deaths this year.

Victorian Motorcycle Council spokesman John Eacott has attributed the recent loss of lives to motorcycle thefts and riding unlicensed, as well as (car) drivers failing to look for motorcyclists on the road.

He also said that more motorcyclists take to the road in the warmer months, but bad decisions are still what cause the majority of deaths.

But Mr Fryer disagreed that more motorbike riders die in warm weather, saying that last February "we did not see this level of trauma".

"People were still riding with only T-shirts this time last year," he said.

"In hot weather, people like riding around in singlets and shorts, but skin on a bitumen road is like putting cheese on a grater," he said.

When asked if Victoria's police pursuit policy - which has been criticised as soft by the police union for giving hoons and other offenders the green light to get away with bad behaviour - Mr Fryer said there was no "alignment to our police or the increase in trauma and our pursuit policy".

"There was no police involved or present near them when they died," Mr Fryer said.