California issues two motorcycle licences, and most riders want the first
This is the thing to settle before anything else, because getting it wrong means the wrong test, the wrong training and a card that does not cover the machine in your garage.
- Class M1 “authorizes you to operate any two-wheeled motorcycle and all vehicles listed under Class M2”.
- Class M2 “authorizes you to operate a motorized bicycle, moped, or any bicycle with an attached motor”.
So M1 is the full motorcycle licence and it includes everything M2 covers. M2 is the small-vehicle licence and it does not let you ride a motorcycle. If you are buying anything that would normally be called a motorcycle, M1 is the one you want.
Where the line actually falls is set by the vehicle code, and the CHP publishes the definitions:
| Category | California definition |
|---|---|
| Motorcycle (CVC 400(a)) | “a motor vehicle that has a seat or saddle for the use of the rider, and is designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground… and whose motor displaces more than 150 cubic centimeters (150cc)” |
| Motor-driven cycle (CVC 405) | “a motorcycle with a motor that displaces less than 150cc” |
| Moped / motorized bicycle (CVC 406(a)) | Two or three wheels, fully operative pedals or electric-only, automatic transmission, under 4 gross brake horsepower, and “capable of propelling the device at a maximum speed of not more than 30 miles per hour on level ground” |
150cc is the number to remember. It is where a motor-driven cycle becomes a motorcycle in California’s own definitions, and it is a threshold most other states do not use.
The permit and the licence are one process
Californians search for the permit and the licence as if they were separate things. They are two ends of the same procedure, and Google treats the two searches as the same question — correctly, because you cannot get one without passing through the other.
The route, as the DMV sets it out:
- Apply, with identity and residency documents.
- Pass the vision exam and the knowledge test. The questions come from the California Motorcyclist Handbook, not from any course — the motorcycle handbook links to the official one.
- Provide proof of financial responsibility — insurance. California asks for this as part of the licensing transaction, which not every state does.
- Get the instruction permit, and ride under its restrictions.
- Either pass the motorcycle skills test, or submit your training certificate in place of it.
One published limit worth knowing before you book: you get three attempts at both the knowledge test and the driving test before you have to reapply. Not unlimited, and reapplying means starting the transaction again.
Under 21, the rules are different and they are not negotiable
California’s age threshold is 21, not 18, which surprises riders who have read a general national guide. Two requirements apply to anyone under 21 applying for an M1 or M2:
- Hold a motorcycle instruction permit for a minimum of six months. Not thirty days — six months.
- Complete a California Motorcyclist Training Course through the official California Motorcycle Safety Program.
Completing that course produces a Certificate of Completion of Motorcycle Training (DL 389), which waives the skills test requirement, although an observation test may still be required.
The practical consequence: a 19-year-old who decides in April that they want to ride this summer is not riding legally on their own licence this summer. The six months starts when the permit is issued, and the course has to be fitted inside it. Anyone under 21 should be starting this in autumn for the following spring.
The course is not the MSF course
This trips up riders who move to California with a completion card from elsewhere, or who book a course on the strength of a national brand.
The California Highway Patrol “is statutorily responsible for California’s official motorcyclist safety and training program”, and administers it “through a primary contractor, currently Total Control Training Inc.” — not the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Two courses are offered:
- Motorcyclist Training Course (MTC) — “a 15 hour course which includes 5 hours of classroom instruction and 10 hours of actual riding”. Mandatory under 21, recommended over 21.
- Premier Program — “an extended MTC consisting of 7.5-hours of classroom and 13.5-hours of riding”.
Either way, “upon completion you’ll get a skills waiver that allows you to skip the riding skills test at the DMV”. The detail of both courses, including how they compare with what other states run, is in the California motorcycle safety course.
What this means for out-of-state riders
If you are moving to California with a motorcycle endorsement from another state, you surrender that licence for a California one and California decides what it recognises. Two things to check rather than assume:
- Whether an out-of-state training certificate counts. California’s programme is its own, so a card from an MSF course run in another state is not automatically the document the DMV is expecting.
- Which class you end up with. M1 is the one you want if you ride a motorcycle. The distinction between an endorsement on a driver licence and a standalone motorcycle licence is covered in endorsement versus licence.
Once you are licensed
California is the only state where lane splitting is addressed in statute and described as legal by the state police — is lane splitting legal in California covers exactly what the law says and what the CHP’s position is, because both are narrower than the internet’s version.
For the general process outside California, how to get a motorcycle licence and motorcycle licence requirements. For the permit rules, motorcycle permit restrictions and how to get a motorcycle permit. For the riding test if you are not taking the course, the motorcycle road test. And for what the whole thing costs, what a motorcycle licence costs.
Other states covered in the same detail: Texas, Georgia and Florida.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an M1 and M2 licence in California?
Class M1 authorises you to operate any two-wheeled motorcycle and everything covered by M2. Class M2 authorises only a motorized bicycle, moped, or bicycle with an attached motor. If you ride something that would ordinarily be called a motorcycle, you need M1.
How do I get a motorcycle licence in California?
Apply with identity and residency documents, pass the vision exam and knowledge test, provide proof of financial responsibility, obtain the instruction permit, then either pass the DMV skills test or submit a training certificate in its place. You have three attempts at each test before you must reapply.
How long do you have to hold a motorcycle permit in California?
Riders under 21 must hold a motorcycle instruction permit for a minimum of six months and complete a California Motorcyclist Training Course before applying for the licence. That six-month requirement is the reason under-21 riders should start in autumn if they want to ride the following spring.
Is the motorcycle safety course required in California?
For anyone under 21, yes. The California Motorcyclist Training Course is mandatory below that age and recommended above it. Completion produces the DL 389 Certificate of Completion of Motorcycle Training, which waives the skills test.
What size motorcycle needs an M1 licence in California?
California’s vehicle code defines a motorcycle as having a motor displacing more than 150cc, and a motor-driven cycle as a motorcycle under 150cc. Mopeds and motorized bicycles are defined separately, capped at 4 gross brake horsepower and 30 mph on level ground.
Does an out-of-state safety course count in California?
Not automatically. California’s official programme is run by the Highway Patrol through a contractor rather than by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, so a completion card earned elsewhere may not be the document the DMV expects. Confirm with the DMV before relying on it.