As part of a study on motorcycle road study, the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) in partnership with VicRoads and the TAC will be monitoring about 1100 riders and asking them questions about themselves, their riding history and their training.

They will also be asked about the circumstances of any accidents they have had so that the researchers can examine the contributing factors and see what can be done to prevent them.

MUARC research fellow and study co-ordinator Trevor Allen said riders would be split into two groups.

"Half of them will be those that have been injured as the result of a crash and half will be those who have ridden past crash sites," he said.

Riders who go past a crash site may get a letter in the mail inviting them to take part in the study by answering a questionnaire.

"We'd be grateful for them to do that, because for our study the better the response rate we get from riders, the more likely we can be more confident in the results of the study."

Five investigators and scientists conducting the study, including Dr Allen, ride a motorcycle. "Having that understanding, having that appreciation of what it's like to be a rider and having the rider's perspective certainly helps in the research," he said.

Dr Allen encouraged riders to others to take part in the study.

"We would like the support of the motorcycle community," he said.

"Motorcycle riders are so vulnerable, if we can make a difference to a number of crashes, then that can make a significant difference to reducing injuries because the likelihood of injuries is so much more than a car."