How to Get a Motorcycle License in Texas? (The Best Guide)

Written by Mihael in How To Get A Motorcycle License

The state of Texas is famous for many things such as cowboys, beautiful natural sights like the national park Big Bend and historical places like Alamo. Having a motorcycle is probably the best way to enjoy and visit all of these beauties, and in order for you to ride a motorcycle, you need to have a motorcycle license.

So how do you get a motorcycle license in Texas? As a whole process of getting a Texas motorcycle license, you need to get a driver’s license or Class C license, take a motorcycle safety course, take a vision test, pass the motorcycle knowledge test, and lastly, pass the motorcycle driving skills test.

In this article, we will show you how to get your motorcycle license the easiest way, and we will lead you through all the steps you need to do, from the legal aspect to the riding abilities. Stay with us to learn more.

How to Get a Motorcycle License in Texas?

Every state has different laws and regulations about getting a motorcycle license, and these include required documents, age limits, and other specific things that we will mention in this article and help you get your Texas motorcycle license.

So getting a Texas motorcycle license requires the following steps to be accomplished:

  1. Get a driver’s license or have a Class C license
  2. Take a motorcycle safety course
  3. Take a vision test
  4. Pass the motorcycle knowledge test
  5. Pass the motorcycle driving skills test

Every person who wants to ride a motorcycle, moped, or any other type of two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicle on highways or other major roads needs to have a motorcycle license which is a legal requirement for riding these types of motorized vehicles.

Class M is a required license for riding motorcycles.

Age Requirements

Minors above fifteen and below eighteen years of age are allowed to ride motorcycles in Texas but to do so; they need to meet a few conditions. Minor has to qualify for a provisional M1 certification, which can only be granted by their parent’s authorization, a high school enrollment form, and a certified completion of a skills exam.

There is a restriction for minor riders, and they are not allowed to ride motorcycles that have engines stronger than 250 CCs since they are more powerful. After the rider turns sixteen, the provisional license will automatically turn to a standard M1 license.

Get a Driver’s License

Before applying for a motorcycle driver’s license, most states require that a rider already has a valid driver’s license. You need a different driver’s license for a car and a different one for a motorcycle, and the reason for that is driving a car and riding a motorcycle demand different driving skills or, in the case of a motorcycle, different riding skills that one must know to be able to ride a bike. You must be a minimum of eighteen years old in order to qualify for a driver’s license in the state of Texas.

Class C License is the name of the driver’s license in Texas. A person needs to have a Class C license before applying for a Class M license, and the Class M license is the one required for riding a motorcycle.

Note: You must know that riding a motorcycle with a Class C license is illegal in Texas, and please don’t ride it if you don’t have a valid Class M license because you can have legal issues if a police officer stops you and asks you for a license and you don’t have it.

Take A Motorcycle Safety Course

Taking a motorcycle safety course is the next step you need to take in the process of getting a motorcycle driver’s license in Texas. In this course, you will learn everything you need to know about riding a motorcycle and how to ride it safely and carefully.

The motorcycle safety course will cover the following topics:

  • How to ride a motorcycle
  • Best riding positions for good motorcycle control and your safety
  • How to ride with a passenger
  • The meaning of hand signals on the road
  • The purpose of various road signs for motorcycles

Texas Department Of Public Safety (DPS) is in charge of the safety course, and you must take the course that they approve. The most popular driving schools you can find in Texas are:

All of these schools need to be paid, and the price is different from school to school so if you are interested in all the details and information that each school provides, click on each schools name as it will lead you to their official sites where you can learn everything you want to know and contact them in case of any additional information.

The average price ranges around 200$, and you need to pay for the license fees additionally. You will also need to pay extra fees in some courses if they offer access to their online prerequisite program (as I said, this is optional, and not all course providers offer online courses).

After you finish the motorcycle safety course, you need to secure the certification because this certificate is a required document that you will need when applying for a Class M license, have that in mind.

Vision Test

You can take the vision test at the Department of Public Safety, or if you wish, you can also take it at a licensed optometrists clinic. You need to have 20/40 vision or better on both of your eyes. If you have 20/50 vision, you will still be qualified; the only thing that needs to be done is that the optometrist confirms that your eyesight can be improved in the future.

If you have a 20/60 or 20/70 vision, that means that your eyesight won’t be improved. This will limit you to ride only during daylight time, and you mustn’t go faster than 45 mph.

You can still take the vision test in case you wear prescription contacts or glasses, and you just need to meet the minimum standards when you wear the corrective lenses.

If you pass the vision test at a licensed optometrist’s office, you will have to submit the results together with a completed DL-63 form and give it to the DPS.

You will also be tested for color blindness which is a part of the vision test, and if your vision results are 20/200, you will be treated as legally blind, and you will be rejected.

Motorcycle Knowledge Test

The motorcycle knowledge test is a written exam that is designed to test your motorcycle riding knowledge. In this test, there will be themes involving everything from riding a motorcycle, safety practices, the function of the motorcycle parts, and everything related to a motorcycle.

This is a multiple-choice exam type, and the nice thing about this exam is that you can prepare for it online, where there are many materials available for you to practice before taking the exam. You can take practice tests that will help you to get familiar with all question types that you can bump into while writing your test.

The great thing about these exams is that they are mostly free and you can write them as many times as you want until you think that you are ready and prepared to take the real one.

Tip: Give your best in driving school and pay the most attention because the school will help you learn all the knowledge and concepts that you will need to use while riding motorcycles. The elimination process is one very useful method to be used while writing the actual exam where you eliminate the answers that you think are not correct and go with the answer that is the most logical one to you.

Here you can watch Texas Motorcycle written test:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlcBYxsD3qs

Skills Test

The skills test is an optional step you can take if the motorcycle safety course you took has a skills test, and this test can be credited for the motorcycle license. If your motorcycle safety course doesn’t have it, you will have to make a choice between using a motorcycle at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles or your model. If you choose your model, it needs to have the following parts:

  • Stop lamp
  • Exhaust system
  • Tail lamp
  • Mirror
  • Read red reflector
  • Horn
  • License plate lamp
  • Operational brake system
  • Vehicle identification number
  • DOT-approved motorcycle helmet

The skills test will test your motorcycle knowledge about starter, gear shifting, using the choke, brakes, throttle, clutch, and ignition. The instructor will ask you to do standard motorcycle operations like starting, stopping, making motorcycle maneuvers like quick turns, and other similar motorcycle skills.

Every riding skill is done at low speed and in a specially prepared enclosed course, so the rider and his surrounding are safe.

After you complete everything that the test requires, you will have to pay the registration fee that ranges from 25-33$, and after paying that fee, you will get your motorcycle license.

Conclusion

If you are a fan of motorcycles, you don’t have a motorcycle driver’s license, but you want to ride a motorcycle in the state of Texas legally; this is the perfect article for you that will help you get your valid motorcycle driver’s license in Texas.

We hope you liked this article and that it will help you get all the necessary information for obtaining a motorcycle license.

Mihael

Hello there fellow motorcycle enthusiasts; I’m Mihael. The first motorcycle I had was a scooter Gilera vxr 200 from 2003. This is the motorcycle I fell in love with, which brought me into the moto world. Since then, I have been riding many kinds of bikes, from dirt bikes to race bikes. At the moment, I have a Kawasaki Z750 from 2004, and all I can say is that it is a hell of a bike. I have been riding motorcycles for the last 10 years, and during this period, I have been to many locations where I would probably not be without my bike. My goal is to give you the best advice and tips possible that I have been using myself and that all of my biker friends find helpful to them as well.

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