Rhode Island Motorcycle Safety Course
· Verified against Rhode Island Rider Education 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 →
Whether Rhode Island mandates a motorcycle safety course by age is not published by the state's own program. This page covers who runs the course, what it costs, how long it takes, and exactly which tests completing it can waive.
Rhode Island's motorcycle safety course requirements — including a course fee of $295 and completion waiving the state skills test if within 6 months — are verified against Rhode Island Rider Education Program (see Rhode Island DMV — Motorcycles), current as of 2026-07-28.
Rhode Island Motorcycle Safety Course at a Glance
| Program | Rhode Island Rider Education Program |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | Community College of Rhode Island, under the council on postsecondary education, per R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10.1-1.1 |
| Delivery model | Community collegesCommunity colleges and universities are the delivery channel. |
| Typical cost | $295 |
| Course length | 16 hours |
| Mandatory under age | — |
| Waives the riding skills test | Yes, if within 6 months |
| Waives the knowledge test | Yes, if within 6 months |
The course pairs an online eCourse with two riding-range sessions of about five hours each, 16 hours in total; CCRI provides the training motorcycle but not a helmet or other riding gear. The 2-wheel Basic Rider Course costs $295, including a $10 non-refundable registration fee, and there is no out-of-state fee. Cancelling with less than 48 hours' notice, or not attending, forfeits the refund, and moving to another class after that deadline costs a $60 rescheduling fee. A rider under 18 can enrol but needs a signed parent or guardian authorization, and CCRI's Minor Release Agreement Form must be notarized.
What Rhode Island’s course covers
Rhode Island teaches the Basic Rider Course (BRC), developed by Community College of Rhode Island. Full detail here.
How Rhode Island differs: No page reviewed states that CCRI's curriculum is Motorcycle Safety Foundation-derived; CCRI's own course pages and PDF never mention the Foundation. A SEPARATE statutory pathway, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10.1-1.2, lets a motorcycle dealer or safety association run an alternative course whose curriculum must be MSF-certified and whose instructors must hold MSF certification, but Rhode Island's DMV consumer-facing motorcycle page names only the CCRI course as the requirement, and the 1.2 pathway receives no state subsidy and was not found named on any DMV page consulted. This record treats CCRI's own course as the training.stateProgram.
Once you complete the course, see license requirements in Rhode Island.
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, fee and examination facts come from the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles and the Rhode Island General Laws. Training facts come from the Community College of Rhode Island, which the General Laws name as the state's motorcycle rider education provider.
- Rhode Island no longer issues a motorcycle instruction permit. A rider must already hold a Rhode Island driver's licence, complete the CCRI Basic Rider Course, and bring the course completion certificate to a DMV branch to add the motorcycle endorsement directly.
- Rhode Island's helmet law treats an operator and a passenger differently. An operator is exempt only if 21 or older AND licensed for at least one full year. A passenger of any age, riding with any operator, must always wear a helmet — there is no passenger exemption in Rhode Island law.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- Rhode Island DMV — Motorcycles
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10.1-1.1 (motorcycle driver education program through CCRI)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10.1-3 (examination; course-based compliance)
- CCRI — Basic Rider Course
- CCRI — Motorcycle Safety Program (course overview and FAQs)
- CCRI — Motorcycle Safety Program General Information (PDF)
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Rhode Island DMV — Motorcycles