Police were called to the Beechworth-Wodonga Road about 10.50am after a man and woman, aged in their 50s, were involved in a crash.

The man had been riding south with the woman as a passenger.

The rider lost control and crashed, throwing her from the bike.

The pair, from the Melbourne region, were treated at the scene by paramedics.

The man was taken to Albury base hospital in a stable condition with upper body injuries, and the woman was taken to Albury before being flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Police believe a problem with the bike may have led to the crash.

"While the exact cause of the crash has not yet been determined, it is believed a mechanical failure may have contributed," Senior Constable Tim Bail said.

The incident occurred during Operation Duke, a high visibility operation to reduce motorbike road trauma following a spike in crashes.

A 33.6 per cent increase in on-road crashes has been recorded in the Wodonga, Wangaratta and Alpine regions in the past two years.

In one recent incident, a 53-year-old man from Glenroy died when his bike crashed on the Murray River Road at Granya on February 3.

The man crashed into a cutting about four kilometers east of Wymah Ferry Road.

Emergency services attended the scene but the man was unable to be revived.

Senior Sergeant Doug Incoll said the operation began last weekend and will run until April 3.

The Bright officer said roads in the Alpine region were particularly popular with riders, but animals, debris and sharp turns posed serious dangers.

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"It's basically about encouraging safe and appropriate riding behaviour, coupled with enforcement where necessary," he said.

"Safety needs to be at the forefront in motorcyclists' minds.

"Unfortuantely when things go wrong on motorcycles, you often don't get a second chance.

"You've got to ride defensively 100 per cent of the time, you can't really take your mind off what you're doing at all."

Highway patrol and general duty officers are involved in the operation.

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