Can You Drive a Motorcycle with a Regular License?

Can you drive a motorcycle with a regular license? The answer seems quite apparent. You can ride a motorbike if you can drive a car, right?

Nope!

The reality is a little different. Let’s find out whether it’s legal to ride a motorcycle with a driver’s license.

Can You Drive a Motorcycle with a Regular License?

It’s not legal to ride a motorcycle with a car driving license. At least not in North America, the United Kingdom, or most parts of the world.

In the USA

If you want to drive a car in America and Canada, you need a license. You need a specialized license if you want to drive an 18-wheeler or bus. Fly an airplane or helicopter? You guessed it: there’s another license for that. But what about riding a motorcycle?

Driving a motorcycle requires either an endorsement on your driver’s license (if you already have one) or a separate motorbike operator’s license.

• C class license — Cars
• G class license — General vehicles (a car, van, or small truck)
• M class license — Motorcycles
• No license — Electric bikes or mopeds (under 49cc)

If you’re looking to get the M class license, it takes less effort than getting your regular driver’s license. Most states have a licensing course you can take to get licensed. You’ll need to pass two things:

1. the written exam, which covers basics like traffic rules and regulations specific to riding bikes;
2. the skills test that makes sure you know how to handle your bike safely.

Many jurisdictions allow driving a two-wheel vehicle up to 49cc at less than 35 mph without a license. So if you have an electric scooter that qualifies and lives in an area that allows it, you can skip the licensing process altogether. However, you will still need to wear safety gear like a helmet.

However, if you get caught driving something more powerful without the proper credentials, you might be in for some stiff penalties.

You can look up the specific requirements on your state’s DMV website or the government’s motor vehicle services.

In the UK

A driver’s license is not enough to ride a motorcycle in the UK too. To begin with, let’s talk about mopeds and electric bikes. You can ride these up to 49cc with no license or on a driver’s license. But anything over that requires a motorcycle license.

What do you need to get one of those? You need to be old enough—17 years old is the minimum age for riding a motorcycle up to 125cc. At 16 years old, you can only ride an electric bike up to 50cc.

Then you will need to take both a theory course and complete compulsory basic training (CBT) to be eligible for a motorcycle license.

Check age and license requirements in the UK for all bike categories here.

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Why Does Motorcycling Require a Separate License?

So, why do you need a separate license to drive a motorcycle? The most obvious reason is that it’s much more dangerous than driving a car.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motorcyclists are about 29 times more likely to die in a crash than people in a passenger vehicle. Their injury risk is four times higher than other drivers on the road. A total of 5,014 bikers died in road accidents in 2019 alone.

Motorcyclists’ injury risk is 4 times higher than other drivers on the road.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

So, it’s evident that bikers need different driving skills to survive out there. Let’s see how riding a motorcycle is different from driving a car:

The control mechanism

A motorcycle also has very different controls than a car. Both vehicles have an accelerator, brake, and steering wheel, but their operations are quite different.

Let’s take one example: brake control. You can control the brakes on all wheels with only one brake pedal in a car. But different brake systems work in a motorbike to steer the front and rear wheels.

The friction of the wheels

Motorcycles have fewer wheels to create friction with the ground, and friction is what prevents the tires from sliding and helps them stop quickly upon applying the brake.

Without friction, we would all be sliding around like hockey pucks on the ice. So, motorcycles turn more easily for having less friction, but they can slip more frequently.

Cars have much heavier bodies and engines, while motorcycles are much lighter. And since they have more lightweight engines, they can accelerate faster than cars can. If you were to accelerate too fast on your bike, you could lose control of it and crash into something.

Weight distribution

Motorcycles don’t weigh very much at all—on average. When the average motorcycle weight is 400 pounds, it’s over 4,000 for cars. Just imagine the difference!

Because of that difference in weight, motorbikes are more susceptible to losing control when crashing onto something. Cars generally feel more secure and stable because they have four wheels with better friction.

Stability

Motorbike’s design makes them less stable than cars when drivers have to make sharp turns or abrupt movements on the road. It’s because most motorcycles only have two wheels. Also, you need to balance it actively to keep it upright.

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What Happens for Driving Without a Proper License

Riding motorbikes without a proper license is illegal. For detailed information, check this article.

The penalties can be pretty severe if you’re caught driving without a motorcycle license. In most states, you will be ticketed and have to go to court. You might also have your bike impounded or, worse yet, get arrested.

SEE MORE: The Consequence of Driving Motorcycle Without License

Driving without a license is unsafe for yourself and others on the road. So please, do yourself and everyone else a favor and make sure you have the proper license before getting behind the wheel of a motorcycle.

What are the motorcycle license requirements in your state or country? Share with us in the comments below.

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FAQs about Riding a Motorcycle Without a Regular License