Read this before you book
In most states the choice of course affects how much you pay and how much you learn. In Utah it also decides what you are legally allowed to ride afterwards, and that catches people out every season.
Utah licenses riders by the engine size of the machine they passed the riding test on. The training schools run the Beginning Rider Course on 150cc and 250cc motorcycles. The Driver License Division states the consequence directly: “the schools use 150cc and 250cc motorcycles; if you take the course on one of those motorcycles, you will be restricted to that size of motorcycle.”
So a rider who owns a 900cc machine, books the standard course because that is what everyone does, and passes on the school’s 250 walks out with a license that does not cover the bike at home.
There is a fix, and there is a better plan.
The two courses, and which one you actually want
| Beginning Rider Course | Experienced Rider Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 15 hours, 10 of them on the motorcycle | 5 hours |
| Who it is for | New riders | Riders with recent experience and over 2,000 miles |
| Machine | Provided by the school — 150cc or 250cc | You may ask to be tested on your own motorcycle |
| Helmet | Provided | Your own |
| Effect on your license | Skills test waived; restricted to the size you tested on | Skills test waived; restriction set by your own machine’s size |
The Experienced Rider Course is the answer for anyone who already rides and owns something larger than 249cc. It is a third of the length, it waives the riding test in the same way, and testing on your own machine is what produces an unrestricted license. The threshold to qualify is recent riding experience and more than 2,000 miles.
If you are a genuine beginner, take the Beginning Rider Course — and then be aware that the restriction is on your license until you re-test on something larger, either with a school or at the Driver License Division.
The restriction codes, so you know what you are getting
| Code on your license | What you may ride |
|---|---|
| 0 | 99 cc or less |
| 2 | 249 cc or less |
| 3 | 649 cc or less |
| No restriction | 650 cc or more — anything |
A test on a three-wheeled machine produces its own restriction: three-wheeled motorcycles only, including machines with two wheels at the front or the rear.
This is a tiered licensing system of the kind more familiar in Europe than in the United States, and it is the single most consequential thing about motorcycle training in Utah. The full licensing route is in motorcycle license Utah.
The card is good for six months
Once you pass, you receive a completion card. The DLD’s requirement: “you must show your completion card (BRC) or (ERC) to the Driver License Division within six months of course completion.”
Six months, not a year. North Carolina allows twelve; Utah does not. If the plan is to take the course now and sort out the license later, put a date in the calendar — a lapsed card means a riding test at a DLD office.
What the course does for a young rider
For anyone under 19 the course does a second job that has nothing to do with the riding test.
A rider younger than 19 must hold the motorcycle learner permit for two months before the endorsement. That two-month requirement “may be waived upon proof of completion of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Beginning Rider Course.”
So for a seventeen-year-old the course removes both the riding test and the waiting period. It is comfortably the fastest route to a license, with the engine-size restriction being a much smaller concern at that age.
A decision tree for the machine you test on
Because the restriction follows the test bike, the choice is worth making deliberately rather than by default. Four situations cover almost everyone.
You have never ridden and do not own a motorcycle. Take the Beginning Rider Course. You will finish restricted to 249cc, which is a sensible place to spend a first season anyway, and you can re-test later on something larger. Nothing is lost.
You have never ridden but already own a big machine. This is the awkward case. The BRC is the right training and the wrong test. Take it for the instruction, accept the restriction, and plan a re-test on your own bike once you have the miles — either with a school or at the Driver License Division.
You ride, have over 2,000 miles, and own a big machine. Take the Experienced Rider Course on your own motorcycle. Five hours, riding test waived, no restriction. This is the route most experienced riders should be taking and almost none know about.
You ride a trike or a sidecar outfit. Testing on a three-wheeled machine restricts you to three-wheeled machines, including those with two wheels at the front or the rear. If you also ride two wheels, that is a second test.
The written test the course does not cover
One thing the completion card does not do is remove the knowledge test. Whichever course you take, you still attend a driver license office and sit a 25-question closed-book test on the Motorcycle Operator Manual.
Plan the order. The written test comes with the learner permit, which is the ordinary way in — you pass the eye test, complete a medical questionnaire, sit the 25 questions and pay the $18 motorcycle endorsement fee alongside the license fee. Then the course removes the riding element that would otherwise follow.
It is possible to approach it the other way round, taking the course first and bringing the card to the office, but the six-month clock on the card starts the day you finish the course, not the day you decide to use it.
Where the courses run
Utah’s program is delivered by a mix of colleges and dealer academies. The DLD lists Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake Harley-Davidson, Summit Harley-Davidson in Lindon, Utah Rider Education with classes in South Jordan, Ogden, Park City and St George, Utah Tech University in St George, and Zion Harley-Davidson in Washington.
Fees are set by each school — the DLD tells you to call or visit the website for fees and information, and we have not published figures the state does not. For a sense of what riders pay elsewhere, see course prices across the states. North Carolina, unusually, publishes an official range: motorcycle safety course North Carolina.
What 15 hours looks like
Ten of the fifteen hours are spent on a motorcycle, which is a higher riding proportion than the two-day format suggests to people who have not done one. The remainder is classroom work.
The school supplies the machine and the helmet, which removes the circular problem of needing to ride to the place that teaches you to ride. What the standard curriculum covers, and how the format compares nationally, is in what the safety course involves and how long is the motorcycle safety course.
You will still take a written test at a driver license office — 25 questions, closed book. The course waives the riding element, not the knowledge one.
After the card
Utah requires a helmet from riders under 21 only; the national table is in which states require a helmet. And Utah was the first state in the country to legalize lane filtering, in 2019, with the tightest conditions of the five states that permit it — see is lane splitting legal in Utah and lane filtering.
The machine’s paperwork is in the registration paperwork, and if you are buying the bike you intend to test on, start with the motorcycle VIN decoder.
Frequently asked questions
Does the motorcycle course waive the riding test in Utah?
Yes. Completing the Beginning Rider Course or the Experienced Rider Course waives the rider skills test at the Driver License Division. The 25-question written test is still taken at a driver license office.
Will taking the course restrict my Utah license?
It can. The schools run the Beginning Rider Course on 150cc and 250cc machines, and the DLD states that testing on one of those restricts you to that engine size. Riders with over 2,000 miles of recent experience can take the five-hour Experienced Rider Course and ask to be tested on their own motorcycle instead.
How long is the Beginning Rider Course in Utah?
Fifteen hours, ten of which are spent on the motorcycle. The schools provide the motorcycle and the helmet.
How long is the Experienced Rider Course?
Five hours. It is open to riders with recent motorcycle experience and more than 2,000 miles, who may ask to be tested on their own machine.
How long is the Utah waiver card valid?
Six months. The completion card must be shown to the Driver License Division within six months of finishing the course.
Does the course help a rider under 19 in Utah?
Yes, twice over. As well as waiving the riding test, proof of completing the MSF Beginning Rider Course waives the two-month learner permit holding period that otherwise applies to riders under 19.