Motorcycle License in Kansas
Verified against Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetMotorcycleLicense Research Team — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Kansas issues a Class M driver's license for motorcycle operation, reachable from age 14 through a graduated sequence of instruction permit, restricted license and full license. Completing an approved motorcycle safety course under the Motorcycle Safety Foundation curriculum or Department of Defense Instruction 6055.04 waives both the written and driving tests at any age; no course is otherwise mandatory. Kansas requires a helmet and eye protection only for a rider or passenger under 18, and requires eye protection of every operator regardless of age unless the motorcycle carries a tall windscreen.
Kansas's motorcycle license requirements — including a minimum age of 17 and a training course completion that can waive the skills test — are verified against Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (see K.S.A. 8-240 (drivers' licenses and instruction permits; fees; examination waiver)), current as of 2026-07-28.
Kansas Motorcycle License Requirements at a Glance
| Permit | Class M Instruction Permit |
|---|---|
| Permit minimum age | 14 |
| Permit fee | $2 |
| Permit validity | 365 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | 17 |
| License fee | — |
| Renewal | — / 6 years for a licensee aged 21 to 64; 4 years from 65; a license issued under 21 expires on the licensee's 21st birthday, after which it follows the 6-year cycle |
| Knowledge test | Required |
| Skills test | Requiredgiven by a third-party tester |
Kansas prices the Class M license itself by the applicant's age at issue rather than as a single figure: $12.50 for ages 21 through 64, $9 from 65, and $20 under 21. All three cover the license for the validity period that applies to that age band; none is a per-year rate.
Completing Kansas's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test. See Kansas’s motorcycle safety course.
Engine-size tiers
- Moped (motorized bicycle) license (up to 130cc, 30 mph max, separate credential) — A motorized bicycle — no more than 3.5 brake horsepower, a cylinder capacity of no more than 130cc, an automatic transmission and a maximum design speed of 30 mph — requires its own moped license rather than a Class M motorcycle license, issued after a vision test and a written test.
Kansas helmet law
Required for some riders
A rider is exempt only if all of the following are true:
- the rider is 18 or older
No one under 18 may operate or ride a motorcycle or motorized bicycle without a helmet meeting the minimum guidelines the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration set under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966; a rider 18 or older may ride without one. The section does not apply to a person riding within an enclosed cab, an autocycle, a golf cart, or a three-wheeled industrial or cargo vehicle commonly known as a truckster.
K.S.A. 8-1598 · verified 2026-07-28
Source Notes
Where a source is stale, conflicting, or required a judgment call, we document it here rather than presenting a single confident-sounding number. See our methodology for how these calls are made.
- License, permit and fee rules come from the Kansas Statutes Annotated, chapter 8, as published by the Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Training facts come from the Kansas Department of Revenue's list of approved motorcycle driver's education schools. Helmet and eye-protection rules come from the Kansas Statutes' motorcycle-equipment section.
- Kansas prices the Class M license by the applicant's age at issue — $12.50 for ages 21 through 64, $9 from 65, $20 under 21 — rather than as one flat fee.
- Kansas requires a Class M motorcycle instruction permit holder to ride accompanied by an experienced Class M license holder at every age, not only while under 18, which differs from most other states' permit rules.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- K.S.A. 8-240 (drivers' licenses and instruction permits; fees; examination waiver)
- K.S.A. 8-2,100 (instruction permits; conditions, restrictions and requirements; under 17 years of age)
- K.S.A. 8-239 (instruction permits for persons 17 years of age and older)
- K.S.A. 8-2,101 (restricted class C or M license; conditions, restrictions and requirements)
- K.S.A. 8-247 (driver's license expiration and renewal)
- Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles — Driver's License Frequently Asked Questions
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: K.S.A. 8-240 (drivers' licenses and instruction permits; fees; examination waiver)