What's it take to get licensed where you ride?

I first obtained a motorcycle license endorsement in 1975 in California when I purchased my Z1B. It consisted on a written test followed by a simple riding test through a road course. When I moved to Texas, the motorcycle endorsement (class M endorsement) automatically transferred to my Texas license...and I still retain it. Somewhere in the middle years, I moved to Guam and the M endorsement automatically transferred to the Guam drivers license. Then moved to Florida where the M endorsement transferred to the Florida license. Then back to Texas, where the M endorsement transferred to my Texas license. Prior to purchasing the Z1B, I rode Hondas in California and Wisconsin with no motorcycle endorsement...apparently it wasn't required way back then. 

In Rhode island you have to go to a class . Then get a permit that lets you ride with another motorcycle . Then after 30 days you can go get the m on your licence. If you come from another state they let you transfer your endorsement to your new licence.

KZQ wrote:

Wookie58 in the UK : “L” plates and intake restrictors? With a car you can drive at 17 on "L" plates with a qualified driver sitting next to you. You can only drive alone once you have a full licence and are 18. No intake restrictors on cars but this is because anyone with a job can get a credit for a 200mph bike where as only a tiny minority could buy cars with that performance level. When I was a teenager we could ride a 250 on "L" plates but as bikes got faster (LC, X7 etc) it was lowered to 125. The crazy part back then was you could put "L" plates on a Z1300 if it had a sidecar which is what launched the "sidewinder" as a loophole (it served no other purpose. !!!!
Hardrock in British Columbia :   A knowledge test then a road test followed by an examiner.
MFP-Joe in Germany :  Twelve special sessions and sixteen hours of classroom.

I’ve gotta wonder: Are these requirements for motorcycle licensure significantly more rigorous those for automobiles and light trucks in your jurisdictions?

I believe that Slmjim+Z1BEBE’s experience in Kentucky is pretty representative of motorcycling licensure in the USA.
That is:
Motorcycle endorsement required. Learner’s permits are available with varying restrictions.
Perfunctory riding test given by the Department of Motor Vehicles which, in most localities, can be avoided by taking an approved safety class.
Liability Insurance.
Varying equipment requirements, Helmets, Eye protection, etc.
Bill

 

Wookie58 wrote:

So are you saying that a US drivers license isn’t National?

The U.S. is a confederation of fifty sovereign states and a handful of territories. Until the mid-twentieth century, the federal government had very little authority beyond collectively negotiating treaties, imposing trade tariffs and declaring war, but each of those requires an agreement of a majority of the states. In fact, there was no national tax of any sort until 1913, and that required 3/4 of the states to agree to amending the U.S. Constitution to legalize it.

Texas update.

For folks who have no motorcycle endorsement from another state or territory, successful completion of an MSF course is required and for riders under 18, a skills test and completion of a certified driver's education course for automobiles are also required.

www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/motorcycle-license
 

In Washington State you have to take a written test. Get a learners permit. I'm not sure of the permit restrictions. After that take a skills test. 
Too many deductions and you don't pass. You can retest within 30 days if you flunk. If you fail again you start all over.
I got my endorsement back in 17'. I rode my 84' Sabre 700S with fairing and hard bags. The other 3 people owned Harley's but rented Yamaha BW 200's for the test. They barely passed on the little bikes and were going home to ride their big ass Harley's. The instructor thanked me for being able pass the test on a big bike. He said way too many people rent the little bikes for testing. He couldn't remember the last time someone took the test on a Harley.

The motorcycle "test" for me was having a connection at the DMV and having the M1 put on my license.  I passed the test with a 98%!  LOL!!!!

I took all of the tests and got a 98% on the written test and 100% on the skills test. A real skill test is slow speed maneuvers on a 700lb Concours with a full 7.5 gallon gas tank. It brings a whole new meaning to top heavy.

Wow, outside of the states, WAAAY more complex!! I got my license for car and motorcycle both back when i was 16yrs old. No restrictions of displacement or hours of operation here in Kansas. Once you get your motorcycle endorsement it's good for the rest of your driving life. Just have to pay a fee of something like 5bucks every 4 years when renewal is due. No additional driving skills testing or written test required, just money. But if you ever drop it and don't pay the 5bucks you do have to start over with written and skills testing required. I've been driving commercial trucks for years but as long as you're not driving trucks with air brakes the car license is good enough. Of course also limits of GVW apply too. A yearly medical card required though if commercial.    

A few years back, Virginia began issuing M2 (2 wheels) and M3 (trike) classifications. You can no longer ride a trike with just a motorcycle endorcement. Anyone who already had class M was grandfathered in and can ride either.

I got my endorsement in Michigan back in a whole other century. Short written test and a skills test in the parking lot (all 1st gear). I recall one part of the skills test was to ride about 20 yards (or meters) as fast as possible from a standstill.
Spent the last couple years in Singapore, where they have a tiered license system. You test and get to ride a small bike (I think up to 250 CCs) for a year. Then you can ride a bike up to 400 CCs for (I think) 2 years. Then you can get licensed to ride any machine. I was able, by providing paperwork that showed I'd been riding big bikes in the States for years, to get the open license. 
I'm a fan of a tiered system for a couple of reasons:

In most stares, a new rider can take the skills test on Grandpa's XL175, get their endorsement, and be on the streets in their new Hayabusa that afternoon. I'm no more a fan of the "nanny state" than anybody else, but there are plenty of bikes out there that new riders have no business swinging a leg over. Even barring the inherent danger to new riders and other motorists, the old proverb rings true: It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow.

I was in a near-constant state of "ooh! aah!" in Singapore (and elsewhere in the region). There are just so many super cool low-displacement bikes that never make it to the US market, especially 400 CC bikes. If I could get hold of a Honda CB 400 Super Four here without paying the freight and everything, I absolutely would. I took a spin on a buddy's '93 CB400RR (the Babyblade) and it was one of the most fun riding experiences I've had. If the US had a tiered system, we would get a lot more really cool little bikes.

 

Times have certainly changed here, too; the rules regarding driver's licenses that I wrote about reflect the current situation as of 2026. I got my license back in the mid-to-late 70s; back then, I only needed nine mandatory hours of actual car driving practice. As for the motorcycle, after just one hour, the instructor told me there was nothing left to teach me—I already handled the bike well enough (having spent plenty of time riding illegally on two wheels beforehand actually worked to my advantage there!). You could get away with that sort of thing back then, but nowadays they really insist on the full number of mandatory hours! A car license here now costs around 3,000 to 3,500 euros—or easily much more if the student is clumsy... It’s a crazy world, especially since there are more total morons on the road these days than earlier there used to be... must be some kind of virus