Peter "Tiki" Mason, a 71-year-old motorbike rider from Ballarat, died after hitting a pothole on the Western Highway, near Trawalla Rd west of Ballarat on Sunday.
The same stretch of highway was flagged as among the state's worst in terms of safety, in the RACV's My Country Road survey released on Wednesday.
Issued every two years, the survey asks respondents to share their biggest concerns about Victoria's regional roads.
Deteriorating road conditions were the number one concern according to 71 per cent of the survey's more than 6000 respondents.
Nearly three quarters of respondents, or 73 per cent, said roadway resurfacing should be the highest priority.
The road identified as the worst in the state was the Princes Highway West between Colac and Camperdown, followed by a different stretch of the same highway between Portland and Port Fairy.
The Western Highway between Ballarat and Trawalla, where Mr Mason was killed, ranked eighth worst for safety issues.
Opposition roads spokesman Danny O'Brien said the tragedy was compounded by the road being a well-known hazardous stretch.
"This was not only a preventable tragedy but it was sadly predicted by many," he said.
Mr Mason's family said they were heartbroken by the devastating loss.
"We are struggling to come to terms with a life taken far too soon," the family said in a statement on Wednesday.
"We are aware of the public interest surrounding the circumstances of Peter's death, including the condition of the road where the incident occurred.
"If, through the appropriate processes, changes are identified that could prevent another family from experiencing this devastation, we sincerely hope something positive can come from Peter's death."
The Victorian motorcycle community is calling for urgent change, with thousands expected to converge for a protest rally outside state parliament on October 4.
Rally organiser Michael White, host of motorcycle podcast, Hogs, Cogs and Two Aussie Flogs, is a leading voice for change.
"I've never seen the community come together like this," he told AAP.
"We don't care about political affiliations. We just want the bloody roads fixed."
Having completed a 4000km ride across multiple states over the weekend, Mr White said the issues were obvious.
"I saw more potholes in the first 25 minutes back into Victoria, than I did in the three-and-a-half thousands Ks in South Australia and NSW," he said.
In a one-hour stretch between Tatong and Yea in the north eastern Victoria, Mr White said he counted about 15 potholes he considered "widowmakers".
"They will kill you if you hit them on a bike," he said.
Premier Ben Carroll said he planned to bring road maintenance back under direct government control rather than hiring private contractors and has deferred the removal of three level crossings to divert funds to fixing potholes.
The coalition has pledged if elected to spend $5 billion over four years which it says will eliminate a million potholes.
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