A 3-minute lesson from the Indiana course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
To ride a motorcycle legally you need either a motorcycle learner's permit, which is for practice, or a motorcycle endorsement on your Indiana driver's license.
To get a motorcycle learner's permit you must:
Hold a valid Indiana driver's license
Pass a knowledge exam based on the Motorcycle Operator's Manual
If you don't earn the endorsement before the renewed permit expires, you must wait one year to reapply for a permit, or complete a motorcycle safety course with an approved Ride Safe Indiana provider.
To get a motorcycle endorsement, riders of any age must either complete a Ride Safe Indiana safety course or pass both the motorcycle knowledge exam and the riding skills exam.
If you're getting your first Indiana license, you can add the endorsement at the same time if you're at least 16 years and 90 days old and have completed a motorcycle safety course.
New residents with a valid motorcycle endorsement or motorcycle license from another state can add the endorsement after passing the motorcycle knowledge exam.
You can renew a license with a motorcycle endorsement at any branch or online up to two years before it expires. An unexpired endorsement renews without the endorsement fee.
Your motorcycle permit has already been renewed once and is about to expire, and you still have no endorsement. Once it expires you must wait one year for a new permit, unless you complete a Ride Safe Indiana safety course.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What must you hold before applying for a motorcycle learner's permit?
A valid Indiana identification card
A commercial learner's permit
Proof of age and residency alone
A valid Indiana driver's license
Answer: A valid Indiana driver's license
To obtain a motorcycle learner's permit you must hold a valid Indiana driver's license.
What restriction applies to riding with a motorcycle learner's permit?
Wear a helmet only if under 18
Wear a helmet and carry no passengers
Carry one passenger who is 18 or older
Ride only with a licensed rider along
Answer: Wear a helmet and carry no passengers
A motorcycle learner's permit holder must wear a helmet and may ride only without passengers, from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.