How to Get a Motorcycle License in Colorado

Getting a motorcycle license in Colorado means adding an “M” endorsement to a driver license you already hold, and the state gives you two ways to earn it: a DMV written and skills test, or a state-approved training course that waives the riding test. Below, we lay out each step, what the permit lets you do (and what it does not), what the process costs in 2026, and why the months right after you get endorsed matter so much. If a driver has already cut you off or turned across your path, a Denver motorcycle accident lawyer at Boesen Law can tell you where your claim stands.

Why Your First Riding Season Deserves a Plan

Colorado lost 147 motorcyclists on its roads in 2025, down from a record 165 the year before, and in 2024 riders made up roughly a quarter of all traffic deaths while accounting for only 3% of vehicle registrations, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. CDOT also reports that almost half of the motorcyclists killed over the last five years were not wearing a helmet.

Skill gaps show up in the crash reports. Through July 7, 2026, Colorado State Patrol troopers investigated 331 motorcycle crashes and found the rider at fault in 240 of them, with lane violations (weaving) leading the list at 60, followed by inattention and speed at 41 each, per a State Patrol safety release. The State Patrol notes that weaving can signal inexperience, and inexperience is exactly what rider training targets.

The other side of that data matters too. Plenty of crashes involve riders who did everything right and still got hit by a driver who never looked. Getting licensed properly protects you on the road, and it also protects your claim if someone else causes a wreck. Boesen Law represents the riders in that second group, and a clean license history makes their cases easier to win.

For answers to your questions, call:
(303) 999-9999

How to Get a Motorcycle License in Colorado, Step by Step

The Colorado DMV offers two routes to the endorsement. Both start with a valid Colorado driver license, and both end at a driver license office, because the endorsement cannot be added by mail, online, or over the phone.

Route 1: DMV testing

1. Study the Colorado Motorcycle Operator’s Handbook. The written exam draws on it, and so do the skills test exercises.
2. Pass the motorcycle written exam. This is the knowledge test that unlocks the permit.
3. Buy your motorcycle instruction permit. Under the fee schedule that took effect June 30, 2026, a motorcycle learner’s permit costs $20, according to the Colorado DMV fee announcement.
4. Practice under supervision. The permit rules in the next section apply here.
5. Schedule and pass the drive skills test. You bring a registered, insured motorcycle, and the examiner scores you on low-speed control and hazard exercises such as a cone weave, a quick stop, and an obstacle swerve.
6. Buy a new license with the endorsement. The same fee schedule lists a standard driver license at $34.

Route 2: MOST training

1. Enroll in a Motorcycle Operator Safety Training (MOST) course. The Colorado State Patrol oversees MOST, and classes are booked through the RideSafeCO registration site with certified providers across the state.
2. Finish the course and keep the original license waiver card. Passing MOST waives the DMV riding test.
3. Take the card to a driver license office appointment and buy a new license with the M endorsement.

A few details trip people up. The DMV does not accept out-of-state Motorcycle Safety Foundation cards unless the course was completed on a military base and you hold a valid military ID. An “M” endorsement covers two- and three-wheel motorcycles, while a “3” endorsement covers three-wheelers only. If you do get hurt while learning, a crash with another vehicle is still that driver’s responsibility when they caused it, and Boesen Law can look at the facts with you.

What a Colorado Motorcycle Permit Allows

Supervision rules for every permit holder

The state’s Motorcycle Operator’s Handbook says a permit lets you ride only under the immediate, proximate supervision of an adult who is at least 21 and holds a valid Colorado license endorsed for motorcycles. In plain terms, a permit is a learning tool, not a license to commute solo.

Extra requirements for riders under 18

Minors carry more conditions:

• Twelve months on the permit. Riders under 18 must hold the motorcycle instruction permit for 12 months, and be at least 16, before adding the endorsement.
• Training before the permit for the youngest riders. A 15-year-old must complete a State Patrol approved safety training program before a permit is issued.
• A signed affidavit. A DR 2460M Affidavit of Liability (Motorcycle) must be filed, and a parent or guardian must give permission to ride.
• Who can supervise. Under C.R.S. § 42-2-106, a minor riding with someone other than the MOST instructor or the adult who signed the affidavit needs parent or guardian permission to ride with another endorsed adult.

Parents often ask us what happens if a teen on a permit is hit by a careless driver. The permit rules affect how the ride was supervised, but they do not excuse a driver who ran a light, and our lawyers look at both questions.

Helmet Law and Riding Gear for New Riders

Colorado’s helmet rule, C.R.S. § 42-4-1502, is narrower than many new riders expect. It requires every operator and passenger under 18 to wear a helmet that meets federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218, and a violation is a class A traffic infraction. Adults are not required to wear one, though the question of whether you must wear a motorcycle helmet in Colorado is only half the story once a crash claim is involved.

Gear often comes up after a collision:

• Helmet. Skipping one is legal for adults, yet an insurer may argue a head injury would have been less severe with one on.
• Eye and face protection. The state handbook points out that a windshield is no substitute for goggles or a face shield.
• Boots, gloves, and armor. Abrasion and fracture injuries are often the reason medical bills climb after a low-speed fall.
• Visibility. Bright gear and a working headlight help drivers see you, and drivers who still fail to yield carry the blame for that failure.

When an adjuster raises your gear to cut a claim, Boesen Law separates what caused the crash from what the insurer says about your injuries.

Road Rules That Catch New Riders Off Guard

The written test covers the basics, but two rules in particular cause trouble for riders in their first year.

Lane filtering is legal, lane splitting is not

Since August 7, 2024, lane filtering has been legal in Colorado under five conditions: the other vehicles must be stopped and traveling in your direction, you must stay at 15 mph or less, you pass on the left, the lane must be wide enough, and you merge back in once traffic moves. Riding between moving cars is still illegal, and so is using the right shoulder. The new lane filtering law is also temporary for now, set to expire in September 2027 unless lawmakers extend it, so check its status before your first rush hour on I-25.

Passengers and cargo

A passenger may ride only on a permanent seat built for two or on a seat firmly attached behind or beside the operator, and nobody may sit in a spot that blocks your control or view. You also may not carry packages that keep both hands off the handlebars. Insurance minimums, equipment rules, and the rest of the Colorado motorcycle laws apply from your first ride on a permit, and following them closely gives our lawyers a cleaner case to present if a driver hits you anyway.

If You Are Hit During Your First Year of Riding

New riders often worry that inexperience will sink a claim. It usually does not, because the question is who caused the collision, not how many miles you have logged. Colorado uses modified comparative fault, and how comparative negligence affects a claim comes down to percentages: your recovery is reduced by your share of fault and barred only if your share equals or exceeds the other side’s.

Your license status can still come up. A rider on a permit without the required supervision, or riding with no endorsement at all, may face citations, and an insurer will try to use that against you. Those issues are arguments about fault, not automatic defeats, and the evidence decides them. Photos, helmet damage, dashcam footage, and the police report are the kinds of evidence for a motorcycle accident claim that hold up best.

Head injuries deserve special attention after any fall from a bike, even at low speed. If you have headaches, memory gaps, or mood changes after a crash, get evaluated, because a traumatic brain injury can hide for days. Boesen Law can connect the medical record to the crash while the evidence is still fresh.

A Motorcycle Crash Attorney’s View on New Riders

Stephen A. Justino, who has spent thirty-two years representing people hurt in car, truck, and motorcycle crashes, shares:

“The first thing an adjuster asks about a new rider is the license, so I want that answer to be clean. When a rider has the M endorsement or rode within the permit rules, the conversation shifts back where it belongs, to the driver who turned left without looking or changed lanes into the bike. I also pay close attention to the first-season crashes where a rider was blamed for ‘panicking,’ because a quick stop or a swerve is often the correct response to a car that should never have been there. And I remind every rider that a claim is built in the first days: the bike, the helmet, the gear, and the scene photos tell the story before memories fade.”

The right coverage question also matters. A driver’s liability limits may be low, and your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage can make the difference in a serious case.

Results in Cases Like These

For one client injured in a motorcycle crash, Boesen Law secured $2,200,000 in compensation. That result, along with others across Colorado, is listed on our case results page. If you are weighing what your own crash could be worth, a conversation with our team is the place to start.

Contact Boesen Law After a Motorcycle Crash

Earning your endorsement is the part you control. What another driver does is not, and if a careless motorist has put you in the hospital or off your bike for the season, you deserve a team that works for everything you are owed. Boesen Law is a boutique firm with big results, with decades of experience helping injured Coloradans.

Your first meeting is a free, in-person consultation, and our team speaks English, Russian, and Spanish. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you. Contact Boesen Law any hour of the day, every day of the week, and tell us what happened.

FAQs About How to Get a Motorcycle License in Colorado

Can I ride alone with a motorcycle permit in Colorado?

No. A Colorado motorcycle instruction permit allows riding only under the immediate, proximate supervision of an adult who is at least 21 and holds a valid Colorado license endorsed for motorcycles. Riders under 18 face added conditions, including a 12-month holding period before the endorsement can be added.

Is a motorcycle license harder to get than a car license?

It depends on the route. The DMV skills test scores low-speed control, quick stops, and swerves, which many new riders find tougher than a car road test. Many riders take the MOST course instead, since passing it waives the DMV riding test and gives them structured practice before riding in traffic.

How much is a motorcycle class in Colorado?

MOST course tuition is set by each certified training provider, and current prices and dates are listed when you book through the RideSafeCO registration site. The state fees are separate: as of June 30, 2026, a motorcycle learner’s permit costs $20 and a driver license costs $34 at a state office.

Does riding without an endorsement ruin my injury claim?

Not automatically. Riding unendorsed can bring a citation, and an insurer may argue it shows carelessness. The claim still turns on who caused the crash, and Colorado’s comparative fault rules reduce, rather than erase, a recovery unless your share of fault equals or exceeds the other side’s.

How long do I have to file a claim after a motorcycle crash in Colorado?

Most motor vehicle injury lawsuits must be filed within three years of the crash, a deadline set by the personal injury time limits under C.R.S. § 13-80-101. Claims against a government entity carry much shorter notice deadlines, so it pays to talk with a lawyer early.

Call (303) 999-9999 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form