A motorcycle license in California is Class M1 or M2, and getting it starts with a written knowledge test on the California Motorcycle Handbook. If you do not already hold a driver’s license, you take the regular driver’s knowledge test as well.
Before the permit
- Under 21, you must complete a California Motorcyclist Safety Program training course before the DMV issues a motorcycle instruction permit.
- From 18 to 20, you submit the course certificate (DL 389) and pass both the driver’s knowledge test and the motorcycle knowledge test.
- At 21 and older the course is not required, though the handbook encourages it. With the certificate, the DMV can waive the motorcycle skills test.
What the permit allows
The M1 and M2 instruction permit comes with restrictions: no passengers, and the handbook lists the rest. The permit is the step before the skills test or the course certificate, whichever route you take.
What the test covers
Riding gear, control and braking, lane position, turning, carrying passengers and cargo, riding at night and in bad weather, sharing the road, and the rules for mopeds and scooters. The practice here follows the handbook chapter by chapter, with a 30-question practice exam.
Practice for the motorcycle testSource: California Motorcycle Handbook