Maine Motorcycle Endorsement Guide

What a motorcycle endorsement is, who needs one, and how to add it to your Maine driver license.

What Is a Motorcycle Endorsement?

In Maine, motorcycle authority is a Class M endorsement added to your regular driver's license -- not a separate license. The endorsement is what legally allows you to operate a motorcycle on public roads.

Maine's path to the endorsement is distinctive: completing a Secretary of State-approved motorcycle rider education course is mandatory for every applicant, of any age, and that course can waive both the written and the road tests at the BMV.

Endorsement vs. Motorcycle-Only License

	Endorsement	Motorcycle-Only License
Who it's for	Drivers who already hold a Maine license	Riders without a regular driver license
Added to	Your existing license	Issued as its own license
Knowledge test	Motorcycle knowledge test	Motorcycle knowledge test
Lets you drive a car	Yes — keeps your car privileges	No — motorcycle only

How to Add the Endorsement — Steps

Hold (or obtain) a valid Maine driver's license, since the motorcycle Class M is added to it as an endorsement.
Be at least 16 years old, and study the Maine Motorcycle Operator Manual.
Enroll in and complete a Secretary of State-approved motorcycle rider education course -- the Basic Rider Course is a 3-hour e-course plus 5 hours of classroom and about 10 hours on a closed range.
Use the 60-day temporary permit (your course completion certificate) to practice; remember you may not carry a passenger during this time.
Take your course completion certificate to the Maine BMV, pass the vision screening, and have the Class M endorsement added to your license -- the written and road tests are waived on receipt of the certificate.

MSF Course Waiver

Maine does not merely offer a course waiver -- it requires the course. Every applicant must present a certificate of successful completion of an approved motorcycle rider education course before a permit, license or endorsement is issued.

On receipt of that certificate, the Secretary of State may waive both the written knowledge examination and the on-cycle road examination. An endorsement issued through this road-test waiver prohibits the holder from carrying a passenger for 60 days following the date the endorsement is issued.

Cost & Renewal

The Class C and Motorcycle Permit examination (written test) fee is $35, and each license endorsement is $20. The rider education course itself is a separate cost charged by the approved course provider. Fees can change -- confirm current amounts with the Maine BMV.

A Class M endorsement renews together with the Maine driver's license it is attached to; there is no separate motorcycle renewal. Remember the helmet rule's first-year clause -- a newly endorsed rider must wear a helmet for the first year regardless of age.

Start With the Knowledge Test

Start the Maine Practice Test →

Get Your Permit Study Guide Test Tips FAQ

Source: Test details reflect the consensus of major rider-education sources — confirm with the state agency before your visit. Maine adopts the standardized MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (16th Edition). The BMV does not publish a motorcycle-specific knowledge-test count; 25 questions / 80% is the third-party practice consensus. An approved motorcycle rider education course is required for everyone, of any age, before a permit, license or endorsement is issued, and completing it waives the BMV written and road tests. Maine law does not require eye protection, though the manual strongly advises it.