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Maine · Permit test

How to get a motorcycle permit in Maine

In Maine the course comes first: state law says you can’t get a motorcycle learner’s permit, license or endorsement without a certificate from an approved motorcycle rider education course. After the course, you pass a vision test and the Maine motorcycle permit test, a knowledge test on riding a motorcycle or moped safely.

  • 16Youngest age for a motorcycle permit
  • $35Permit and first road test fee
  • 2 yearsHow long a motorcycle permit lasts
Read the motorcycle permit lawFree practice test

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Four steps to the permit

From state law and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV):

  1. Finish an approved motorcycle rider education course and its exam
  2. Apply for the permit, and pass the vision test and the motorcycle knowledge test
  3. Ride on the permit, with no passenger
  4. Pass the motorcycle road test before the permit runs out

If the permit runs out before you pass the road test, you take the rider course again before another permit is issued. A rider education school can also issue the permit itself.

Maine motorcycle rider education

Courses mix classroom teaching with hands-on riding, with the focus on safety. They’re run by high schools, career and technical education centers, adult education programs and licensed rider education schools with licensed instructors, and the Secretary of State approves each course. The BMV posts a list of motorcycle rider education schools on its student resources page.

See the rider school list ↗

Two wheels or three

A course on a two-wheel motorcycle lets you be licensed for two-wheel or three-wheel motorcycles. A course on a three-wheel motorcycle, or a road test on one, restricts you to three-wheel motorcycles.

How do you study for the Maine motorcycle permit test?

The knowledge test is about riding, not driving a car, and the Driver’s License Manual says the BMV has a separate study manual for the motorcycle endorsement. Section 10 of the car manual covers sharing the road with motorcycles.

Two Maine rules from the car manual matter on a motorcycle: riders must have their headlight on whenever they ride, and motorcycles need a valid inspection sticker.

What each section covers →

Mopeds and motorized bicycles

You can ride a moped on a license of any class. A motorized bicycle or tricycle needs a valid license of any class, a learner’s permit, or a license endorsed for a motorcycle or moped.

Sources: Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles and 3 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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