Victoria police are raising red flags as thefts of motorcycles and scooters have spiked by more than 30 per cent in the last month.

Investigators say they're trying to figure out what's behind the dramatic jump in thefts, but in the meantime they're asking riders to be vigilant.

"Maybe there's one or two people that are in town that are targeting motorcycles and scooters," said Victoria police spokesman Const. Matt Rutherford.

Kai Simpson, a sales associate at SG Power in Victoria, says many of his customers are getting burned by not purchasing theft insurance on their new scooters or motorcycles.

"We've had multiple good customers of ours who've had their machines stolen. New and old machines," he said.

And the way they do it is simple.

"A couple people in a truck, and all they do is lift the machine into the truck and drive away."

Simpson and CTV News reporter Jordan Cunningham were easily able to lift a scooter to demonstrate just how fast a theft can take place.

Police recommend riders take steps to prevent thefts such as parking in well-lit areas and maintaining sight of their parked bikes or scooters.

But Rutherford said the best way to prevent such thefts is to lock up.

"People don't secure their motorcycles and scooters the way they should. I'm a motorcycle rider and I don't secure it the way that I should," he said. "You can lock them to a parking metre, you can do what you need to do to make sure that they're secure and they're going to be there when you return."

Anyone who has had their bike stolen should also report it to police immediately.