Motorcycle License in Oregon
Verified against Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (DMV) ·
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 →
Oregon issues a motorcycle endorsement — two-wheel or a separate restricted three-wheel endorsement — added to an existing Oregon driver licence. Riders reach it through Team Oregon, Oregon State University's rider-training programme, whose in-person-classroom Basic Course waives both the DMV knowledge and skills tests while its online-classroom track and Intermediate Course waive the skills test only. Every rider and every passenger must wear a DOT-approved helmet, with no age or experience exemption.
Oregon's motorcycle license requirements — including a $98 fee to add the endorsement, a minimum age of 16, and a training course completion that can waive the skills test — are verified against Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (DMV) (see Oregon DMV — Motorcycle Instruction Permit & Endorsement), current as of 2026-07-28.
Oregon Motorcycle License Requirements at a Glance
| Permit | Motorcycle Instruction Permit |
|---|---|
| Permit minimum age | 16 |
| Permit fee | $30 |
| Permit validity | 365 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | 16 |
| License fee | $98 |
| Renewal | $82 |
| Knowledge test | Required — $7 fee25 questions |
| Skills test | Required |
A rider needs a permit or endorsement whenever the machine exceeds 30 mph on level ground or exceeds 50cc; anything at or under both thresholds needs neither. The restricted three-wheel endorsement authorises a three-wheel motorcycle only and requires only the knowledge test, vision test and fee — no Team Oregon course is required for it.
Completing Oregon's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test. See Oregon’s motorcycle safety course.
Oregon helmet law
Required for all riders
ORS 814.269 makes it an offence for a motorcycle operator to ride without a motorcycle helmet, and ORS 814.275 makes it a separate offence for a passenger to ride without one; both are Class D traffic violations. ORS 814.290 sets the only exemptions: a person within an enclosed cab, or a person operating or riding a three-wheeled vehicle capable of less than 15 mph. There is no age or experience exemption for an open two-wheeled or open three-wheeled machine. A separate offence, ORS 814.260, applies the same helmet duty to a moped rider.
ORS 814.269 (operator) and 814.275 (passenger) · 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.
- Permit, endorsement, fee and test facts come from the Oregon DMV, part of the Oregon Department of Transportation. Training facts come from Team Oregon, the Oregon State University program that runs the state's required rider-education courses. Helmet rules come from the Oregon Revised Statutes.
- Team Oregon's Basic Course has two versions with different effects on DMV testing: completing it with in-person classroom sessions waives both the knowledge and skills tests; completing it with the online classroom option waives the skills test only, leaving the DMV knowledge test still required. The Intermediate Course, for riders with existing basic skills, also waives the skills test only.
- Oregon requires a DOT-approved helmet of every motorcycle rider and every passenger, with no exemption based on age or riding experience. The only exemptions in Oregon law are for an enclosed cab or a slow (under 15 mph) three-wheeled vehicle.
Sources
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Oregon DMV — Motorcycle Instruction Permit & Endorsement