To drive a motorcycle (or motor-driven cycle) in Maine, you need to get a specific motorcycle learner's permit or motorcycle-endorsed driver's license from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). This means any Maine resident who wants to drive a motorcycle, motor scooter, moped, or motorized scooter has to pass a written and road test at the BMV to be licensed to drive the vehicle on Maine roads. Anyone driving any of these vehicles without a license or permit is subject to criminal prosecution.

How to Apply

Here are the steps to obtain a Maine motorcyle permit and license:

1. To start, you have to be at least 16 and have completed an approved driver's education course for a regular driver's license. (If you're 18 or over, you don't need to take driver's ed.) In addition, anyone applying for a Maine motorcycle license must have completed the Maine Motorcycle Safety Education Course (MMSEC), which consists of eight hours of classroom instruction.


2. Fill out a motorcycle permit application.


3. Take a written exam to obtain a permit. Exams are given at BMV offices on a regular schedule. If you pass the written exam, you will be issued a motorcycle learner's permit valid for one year. The permit allows you to operate a motorcycle only during daylight hours and with no passengers on board.

Road Test―or Waiver

To graduate from a permit to a license, you need to either take a Maine BMV road test with your motorcycle or complete the nationally standardized Motorcycle Rider Course: Riding and Street Skills. This is a 15-hour hands-on riding course taught according to approved national standards and offered privately in Maine at certain private driver's education schools.

To obtain a road test waiver, visit your nearest BMV office for an application. To take a motorcycle road test, send in the form that you receive when you are issued your instruction permit. The BMV will notify you by mail when your test is scheduled.

Costs and Fees

You can expect to pay the following to obtain a Maine motorcycle license:

• $10 to apply for the permit and license and take the exams

• $30 for a photo license

• $30 renewal fee (every five years)

• $5 replacement fee (if lost or stolen)

• For the required Maine Motorcycle Safety Education Course or the Riding and Street Skills class, the cost of the program can vary widely; some start at about $65 while others can cost up to several hundred dollars.

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