Two of three expensive motorbikes stolen from Hamilton early last week have been recovered by police in Ballarat.

Detective Sergeant Mark James, of the Hamilton police crime investigation unit, said the motorbikes were recovered in Richards Street at Ballarat.

Two blue Yamaha YZ 450, each worth about $17,000, one a 450F model and the other a WR450F, were stolen overnight on Monday, November 14.

Thieves also took a blue Yamaha YZ 85 dirt bike.

One of the YZ 450s and the YZ 85 were recovered.

Ballarat detectives attended at a Ballarat address for an unrelated matter and located a large amount of what is believed to be stolen property.

"Investigations are ongoing, but two motorcycles stolen from a Hamilton business were recovered," Detective Sergeant James said.

"There have been no arrests at this point," he said.

November 17: Thieves have made off with three high-end dirt motorcycles and five helmets worth $42,000 in a four-minute heist at Hamilton.

Detective Sergeant Mark James, of the Hamilton police crime investigation unit, said the burglary happened overnight Monday with offenders using a trailer stolen from an Ararat school and a HiLux utility.

"It's believed the offenders have links to the Ararat district," he said.

"At 3.15am Tuesday morning the offenders have pulled up in front of the Hamilton business in the stolen green utility, forced open the doors and quickly removed the three dirt bikes and five helmets.

"It's all taken about four minutes and they were gone, last seen heading east through Dunkeld on the Glenelg Highway."

The stolen dirt bikes include two blue Yamaha YZ 450, each worth about $17,000, one a 450F model and the other a WR450F.

They also took a blue Yamaha YZ 85 dirt bike.

The five helmets were valued at up to $850.

"The tandem trailer, which is fitted with a cage, was stolen from an Ararat school the same night," Detective Sergeant James said.

"We are still making enquiries into the whereabouts of the trailer and it's still missing.

"The utility, valued at about $20,000, was stolen from Ballarat on November 9 and it was located in Ballarat burnt out, also on the same day as the motorbike burglary."

Detective Sergeant James said similar offending was committed across the south-west during 2020 targeting chainsaw and garden power tool businesses at Hamilton Coleraine, Heywood, Timboon and as far north as Swan Hill.

"We are requesting that these businesses do everything they can to protect themselves, such as putting large ride-on mowers or similar large items to block the exits overnight," he said.

"Anything to make it more difficult for thieves to exit with these valuable items.

"It's extremely difficult to stop offenders breaking glass doors or windows but you can take action to inhibit or slow down thieves removing items from business premises.

"We are also encouraging businesses to make sure their CCTV cameras are clean, cobweb free and working.

"There were some lessons learned in 2020 and taking some pretty simple steps will make it much harder for thieves to strike," he said.

Anyone with information about stolen items or the identity of those involved in the Hamilton dirt bike burglary are requested to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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