How to Get a Motorcycle License in Oregon: Team Oregon Course and Fees

To get a motorcycle license in Oregon, you add a motorcycle endorsement to an existing Oregon driver’s license. The path is the same for everyone: complete a Team Oregon training course, then visit the DMV with your completion card, proof of identity, and $98 in fees.¹ Riding without the endorsement is a Class A traffic violation with a maximum fine of $2,000.²

Who Qualifies

You need to be at least 16 years old and already hold a valid Oregon driver’s license.³ At the DMV counter you’ll present proof of identity, proof of your residential address, and either your Social Security Number or a certification that you don’t have one.⁴

Get an Instruction Permit If You Want to Practice First

The permit isn’t strictly required if you plan to go straight into a Team Oregon course, but it’s the only legal way to ride on public roads before you’re endorsed. To get one, visit a DMV office, pass a vision screening, and pass a written knowledge test on motorcycle-specific rules. The knowledge test costs $7 per attempt.³

The permit comes with tight restrictions. You can ride only in daylight, you cannot carry passengers, and you must be supervised by a rider who is at least 21, holds a motorcycle endorsement, and rides alongside you on a separate motorcycle.³ It’s valid for one year.⁵

Complete a Team Oregon Course

Every first-time endorsement applicant must complete a rider education course through Team Oregon, the state’s official motorcycle safety program.⁶

Basic Course vs. Intermediate Course

If you’re under 21, you must take the Basic Course. If you’re 21 or older, you can choose between the Basic Course and the Intermediate Course.⁷ The Intermediate Course assumes you can already start, stop, shift, and turn a motorcycle without help, so new riders 21 and up should still start with the Basic Course.

The Basic Course costs about $229 and the Intermediate Course about $199. Both mix classroom instruction with hands-on riding time.

What Each Course Waives at the DMV

The in-person Basic Course waives both the knowledge test and the skills test at the DMV. The Intermediate Course waives only the skills test, so you’ll still take the written knowledge test at the DMV. Team Oregon also offers online classroom versions of both courses, and those waive only the skills test regardless of which course you choose.⁶

What It Costs

If you already have an Oregon driver’s license, the endorsement fee at the DMV is $60 plus a $38 Motorcycle Safety Subaccount fee, for a total of $98.¹ If you’re getting a new Oregon license and adding the endorsement at the same time, the combined total is $162.⁸

At renewal, you pay the standard license renewal fee plus a $28 Motorcycle Safety Subaccount renewal fee. A combined renewal with the motorcycle endorsement currently runs $82.⁸

Add the Team Oregon course and, if applicable, the $7 knowledge test fee. Most new riders spend between $300 and $350 all in.

At the DMV

Bring your Team Oregon completion card to any Oregon DMV office. Making an appointment in advance cuts your wait. At the counter, you’ll hand over your completion card, show proof of identity and residence, take a vision screening, have a new photo taken, and pay your fees.⁹

If you finished the in-person Basic Course, you won’t take any additional tests. Anyone who took the Intermediate Course or an online classroom course also takes the written knowledge test that day. The DMV issues a temporary endorsement on the spot, and your permanent license card arrives by mail within a few weeks.

Penalty for Riding Without the Endorsement

Operating a motorcycle without the endorsement is a Class A traffic violation under Oregon law, with a maximum fine of $2,000.¹⁰² The court must suspend the fine if you complete a Team Oregon course and obtain your endorsement within 120 days of sentencing.

Helmet and Insurance Rules

Oregon is a universal helmet state. Every operator and every passenger must wear a helmet meeting federal DOT standards. Riding without one is a traffic violation, and so is carrying a passenger who isn’t wearing one.¹¹¹²

You also need liability insurance before you ride. Oregon’s minimum coverage requirements apply to motorcycles the same way they apply to cars:

Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash
Property damage liability: $20,000 per crash
Personal injury protection: $15,000 per person
Uninsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash

Personal injury protection and uninsured motorist coverage are mandatory in Oregon, which catches out riders coming from states where those are optional.¹³

Moving to Oregon With an Existing Endorsement

If you already hold a motorcycle endorsement from another U.S. state, a U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, Canada, or Japan, Oregon will carry it over without requiring you to retake any tests or complete a training course. When you apply for your Oregon driver’s license, tell the clerk you want to keep your motorcycle endorsement.¹⁴ You still pay the endorsement fees, but the training and testing are waived.

1
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 807.370 – License, Endorsement and Permit Fees
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Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 153.018 – Maximum Fines
3
Oregon Department of Transportation. Motorcycle Instruction Permit and Endorsement
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Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Driver Information
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Oregon Department of Transportation. Section One – Riding in Oregon
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Oregon Department of Transportation. Oregon Motorcycle and Moped Manual
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Team Oregon. Eligibility Requirements
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Oregon Department of Transportation. Driver Licensing and ID Card Fees
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Team Oregon. How to Get Endorsed
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Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 807.010 – Operating Vehicle Without Driving Privileges or in Violation of License Restrictions
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Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 814.269 – Failure of Motorcycle Operator to Wear a Motorcycle Helmet
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Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 814.275 – Failure of Motorcycle Passenger to Wear a Motorcycle Helmet
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Oregon Department of Transportation. Insurance Requirements
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Oregon Department of Transportation. New to Oregon