Idaho Motorcycle Safety Course
Verified against Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program ·
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 →
In Idaho, riders under 21 must complete a motorcycle safety course before they can get the endorsement. This page covers who runs the course, what it costs, how long it takes, and exactly which tests completing it can waive.
Idaho's motorcycle safety course requirements — including course fees from $174 to $199 and completion waiving the state skills test if within 24 months — are verified against Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program (see Idaho STAR — Motorcycle Endorsement), current as of 2026-07-28.
Idaho Motorcycle Safety Course at a Glance
| Program | Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | Idaho Division of Career Technical Education, with the College of Southern Idaho as fiscal agent |
| Delivery model | Run by the stateThe state agency itself runs the ranges. |
| Typical cost | $174–$199 |
| Course length | 17 hours |
| Mandatory under age | Yes, under 21 |
| Waives the riding skills test | Yes, if within 24 months |
| Waives the knowledge test | No |
Idaho STAR runs Basic Rider Training in two formats: a traditional course of about 17 hours over three days at $199, and an eBRT at $174 that pairs 4 to 6 hours of online classroom work with about 9 hours of riding. The Basic II course costs $174 and pairs 4 to 6 hours of online classroom work with about 5 hours of riding. Motorcycles are provided; riders bringing their own must use a machine of 400cc or less on Basic. An Intro to Riding session costs $60 and does not lead to the endorsement. Completion cards are mailed within 10 business days. A rider under 17 must have completed an approved driver education course before enrolling in a motorcycle training course, and a rider under 18 needs a waiver signed by a parent or guardian before riding. The programme was created in 1994 and began training riders in 1996.
What Idaho’s course covers
Idaho teaches the Idaho STAR Basic Rider Training (BRT), developed by Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program. Full detail here.
Idaho STAR's Basic Rider Training is the state program's level-one endorsement course for riders with no or limited street-riding experience, running about 17 hours over three days in its traditional form or roughly nine hours of riding alongside a four-to-six-hour online classroom.
Once you complete the course, see endorsement requirements in Idaho.
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.
- Endorsement rules, tests and fees come from the Idaho Transportation Department. Training facts come from Idaho STAR, the state's own motorcycle safety programme, which the Transportation Department names as Idaho's primary provider. Helmet rules come from the Idaho Code.
- Idaho STAR course prices are the programme's published tuition for its basic courses and may change between riding seasons.
- Idaho publishes two different deadlines for using a course to skip the skills test. The Transportation Department's endorsement page and Idaho STAR both say two years from completing the course; the April 2026 Idaho Motorcycle Operator's Manual says 25 months. Two years is used here because it is the shorter deadline and the one both web sources give. A rider close to the limit should add the endorsement before the two-year mark rather than rely on the extra month.
Sources
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Idaho STAR — Motorcycle Endorsement