Australia Motorcycle Licence Study Guide 2026

How rider licensing works in Australia

Each state and territory runs its own motorcycle licensing, so the age, test and learner rules depend on where you live. The riding skills are the same everywhere, and the road rules are very similar. Read this guide together with your own state's rider handbook.

In every state covered here, the path has the same shape:

Study the road rules and your state's rider handbook.
Pass a knowledge test (and in most states a training course) to get a learner licence or permit.
Practise under learner rules: L plates, zero alcohol, no passengers and a LAMS motorcycle.
Pass a riding assessment, and in some states a hazard perception test, to move to a provisional or restricted licence.
After a set time, and sometimes another test, move to a full licence that allows any motorcycle.

The learner test in four states

State	Knowledge test	Who can apply	Some learner rules
New South Wales	Rider Knowledge Test: 45 questions. You need 12 of 15 general knowledge and 29 of 30 road safety questions. No time limit.	From 16 years and 9 months. No car licence needed. A pre-learner course is required in rider training areas.	90 km/h maximum, L plate on the rear, approved hi-vis vest or jacket and gloves, zero alcohol, no pillion, no lane filtering, no phone use.
Victoria	Learner permit knowledge test: 32 questions, 25 correct to pass (78%). Taken during a two-day course.	18 or older and a Victorian resident.	Permit lasts 15 months. L plate, hi-vis vest or jacket, headlight on, LAMS motorcycle, zero alcohol, no pillion, no towing, no lane filtering.
Queensland	Motorcycle knowledge test: 30 questions, at least 27 correct.	Must have held a provisional or open car licence for at least 1 year and done the Q-Ride pre-learner course (or have an exemption).	A supervisor rides on another vehicle or in a sidecar, L plate or L vest, 0.00 BAC, no passenger except a supervisor in a sidecar.
Western Australia	Computerised Theory Test: 35 questions, at least 28 correct.	From 16. The learner's permit lasts 3 years.	Approved supervisor (pillion, sidecar or another motorcycle), L plates front and back, 0.00% BAC, 50 logged hours including 5 at night if you have no car licence.

After the learner stage

State	Next stage	Moving to a full licence
New South Wales	After at least 3 months on your Ls and from age 17, pass the pre-provisional course and the Motorcycle Operator Skills Test (MOST). P1: red P, 90 km/h maximum, 4 demerit points.	At least 12 months on P1, then P2 (green P, 100 km/h maximum). P2 is valid for 30 months.
Victoria	After at least 3 months on your permit, a check ride and a licence assessment. Riders without a driver licence also pass a Hazard Perception Test.	A 3-year restricted period: zero alcohol, LAMS only, no pillion, no towing, headlight on.
Queensland	After at least 90 days, pass the motorcycle hazard perception test, then the Q-Ride RE course or a Q-SAFE riding test.	At least 2 years on RE, then the Q-Ride R course or a Q-SAFE test. Zero alcohol for the first year on RE.
Western Australia	Pass the Hazard Perception Test (after at least 6 months on your permit) and a Practical Driving Assessment on a LAMS motorcycle.	2 years on P plates (red for 6 months, then green). After 2 years on R-E, a PDA for the R licence.

LAMS: motorcycles for new riders

New riders may ride only motorcycles on the Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS) list. A petrol LAMS motorcycle has an engine of no more than 660 cc and a power-to-weight ratio of no more than 150 kW per tonne. An electric LAMS motorcycle has a power output of no more than 25 kW. A motorcycle must be on the approved list, not just under the limits.

NSW: learners and P1 riders must ride an approved motorcycle, and P2 riders may ride only motorcycles approved for novice riders.
Victoria: learners, and riders in their 3-year restricted period, ride LAMS motorcycles only.
Queensland: class RE covers learner approved motorcycles. Class R lets you ride any motorcycle.
Western Australia: class R-E covers LAMS motorcycles, using the NSW approved list. Class R allows motorcycles over 660 cc or over 150 kW per tonne.

Your licence may also limit the type of motorcycle. In NSW, training on an automatic gives a licence for automatics only, and training on a trike gives a licence for three-wheelers only. In Victoria, passing the licence assessment on an automatic limits you to automatics for three years unless you are reassessed on a manual.

Helmets and protective gear

A motorcycle has no body to protect you in a crash, so your gear is your protection. Wear it on every ride, even a short one.

Full protective gear covers you from head to toe.

A full-face helmet.
Eye protection: the helmet's visor.
A motorcycle jacket with long sleeves and reflective material.
Motorcycle gloves that cover the fingers.
Strong motorcycle pants.
Boots that protect the ankles.

Helmets

The rider and every passenger must wear an approved motorcycle helmet, securely fitted and fastened. An approved helmet meets AS/NZS 1698 (or the older AS 1698) or UNECE 22.05 or 22.06, and has a label or sticker that shows it.

Replace a helmet after a crash or a hard knock, even if it looks fine.
Replace it if it becomes loose or the straps are worn.
Never buy a second-hand helmet. You cannot know if it has been damaged.

Clothing, gloves and boots

Jacket and pants: made for motorcycling, strong against abrasion and tearing, covering your arms, legs and body, closed at the wrists, waist and ankles, with impact armour at the back, shoulders, elbows, hips and knees.
Gloves: gauntlet style, with strong palms, knuckle protection and a wrist fastener.
Boots: protect your ankles and shins, overlap your pants and fasten securely.
Eye protection: a shatterproof, unscratched visor or goggles. Use a clear lens at night. A screen or fairing does not protect your eyes.

MotoCAP rates motorcycle clothing for protection and comfort, and CRASH rates helmets. Use them to compare gear. Bright, fluorescent or reflective gear and a light-coloured helmet help other road users see you.

Learners in NSW and Victoria must also wear an approved high-visibility vest or jacket. In NSW, learners and P1 riders must wear approved gloves.

Checks before you ride

A few minutes of checks before each ride can prevent a breakdown or a crash.

Tyres: at least 1.5 mm of tread, inflated to the maker's recommended pressure, with no cracks or bumps on the sidewalls. No regrooved tyres unless they were made that way.
Controls: set so you can reach them easily. Replace a broken or sharp brake or clutch lever. Check cables for kinks or broken strands.
Lights: headlight, brake light and indicators all working. Do not ride at night if your lights do not work.
Brakes, steering, horn and mirrors: all working. Motorcycles built after 1 January 1983 need a mirror on each side.
Chain: check the chain guard is in place.

Braking, steering and cornering

Braking

Use two-stage braking: first squeeze lightly to take up the free play and settle the motorcycle, then squeeze progressively harder. This helps the tyres grip and reduces skids, especially on wet roads. In an emergency, use both brakes.

If the front wheel skids, release the front brake quickly, then reapply it gently.
If the rear wheel skids, release the rear brake, then reapply it slowly.
Braking with only the front brake while leaning in a curve can make the motorcycle run wide. Do your braking before the curve.
Swerving is rarely the right choice. It can lead to a worse crash, such as a head-on. Braking is often the only option.

Countersteering

At very low speeds you steer by turning the handlebars. As speed increases, countersteering becomes more effective: press the grip on the side you want to go. Press the right grip forward to go right.

Countersteering: press the grip on the side you want to turn toward.

The rider presses the right grip forward, and for a moment the front wheel points slightly left.
The motorcycle and rider lean to the right.
The motorcycle follows the road as it turns right.

Cornering

Slow down before the curve, while the motorcycle is upright.
Enter wide to see further around the curve, and plan to finish tight.
Stay out of the head-on zone, the part of your lane next to the centre line, where oncoming vehicles may cross over.
Look through the curve, with your chin pointing where you want to go.
Wait until the motorcycle begins to straighten before you accelerate.

Running wide on the way out of a curve is a common cause of crashes. Never cross the centre line.

In a normal curve, the rider leans with the motorcycle.

The head stays level, with the eyes in line with the horizon.
The body leans with the motorcycle at the same angle.
The arms are relaxed, with the hands on the grips.
The feet stay on the footrests.
The lean angle of the motorcycle.

Lane position and space

A rider may use any part of the lane. Choose your position by thinking about three things:

Space: keep a buffer from hazards such as cars waiting to pull out, parked cars and oncoming traffic.
Surface: avoid paint, oil, water, sand, gravel, potholes and metal plates where you can. If you must ride on a poor surface to keep your buffer, slow down.
Sight: choose a position that lets you see the road ahead and lets others see you.

On a road with more than one lane in your direction, the lane furthest from oncoming traffic keeps you out of the head-on zone. The Victorian Rider Handbook suggests riding in the right-hand wheel track and avoiding the centre of the lane, where oil and debris collect.

Following distance

Keep a gap of at least 3 seconds behind the vehicle ahead in good conditions. Make it 4 seconds or more on wet, icy or unsealed roads and at night. To measure it, count from when the back of the vehicle ahead passes a fixed object until you reach the same object. If you cannot see at least 5 seconds ahead, slow down.

An alert rider takes about 1.5 seconds to react, and the motorcycle keeps moving during that time. When you stop behind another vehicle, leave one to two car lengths so you have room to move.

Scanning and mirrors

Keep your eyes moving: far ahead, the road surface, left and right, your mirrors and your instruments.
Look over, under and through the vehicle ahead to see brake lights and changes early.
Check your mirrors every few seconds and before you change speed or position.
Do a head check before you turn, change lanes or move off. Mirrors do not show your blind spot.
Do not ride beside other vehicles or in their blind spots.

Hazards and intersections

In rider training, a hazard is anything that could speed up or steer into the space you need to avoid a crash. Respond before the hazard reaches you: set up your brakes and slow down, or move away to make a bigger buffer, or both.

When a vehicle could turn across your path, slow down and keep a buffer.
When you turn across traffic, choose a gap that lets you clear the intersection at least 3 seconds before approaching vehicles arrive.
When you join traffic, reach traffic speed before approaching vehicles are within 3 seconds of you.
Before turning right, do a head check in case a vehicle behind is overtaking you.
Give way to pedestrians crossing the road you are turning into.

When you are first in line at a red light, stay in first gear with the brake on and watch your mirrors. If a vehicle behind is not stopping, you can move out of the way.

Always signal when you merge, change lanes, turn or join traffic. Use a hand signal if bright light makes your indicators hard to see.

Weather, night and lights

On wet roads, increase your gap to 4 seconds or more and use two-stage braking. Harsh braking on wet or gravel roads can cause a skid.
Being too hot or too cold hurts your concentration. Layer your clothing and use vents.
Ride with your headlight on low beam in daylight so others see you sooner. In Victoria, learners and restricted riders must keep the headlight on at all times.
At night, ride slowly enough to stop within the distance your headlight shows.
Dip to low beam when an oncoming vehicle is within 200 metres, and when you are within 200 metres behind another vehicle.

Lane filtering and special lanes

Lane filtering means riding at low speed between lanes of stopped or slow-moving traffic going the same way. Lane splitting means riding between moving vehicles at more than 30 km/h. Lane splitting is dangerous; avoid it.

State	Lane filtering rules
New South Wales	Full licence holders only, at 30 km/h or less, in marked lanes with traffic going the same way. Not in school zones, bus-only lanes, or between a vehicle and the kerb or parked cars.
Queensland	Open licence holders only, at 30 km/h or less. Not in school zones during school zone hours, in bicycle lanes, between a vehicle and the kerb, or where a 'no filtering' sign applies. Open licence holders may also edge filter on the shoulder of major roads with a limit of 90 km/h or more, at 30 km/h or less.
Victoria	Learner riders must not lane filter. The handbook tells all riders to avoid lane splitting.

Motorcycles must not use bus, tram or bicycle lanes except where the road rules allow it.

Riding position, passengers and loads

Sit astride the seat facing forward, with at least one hand on the handlebars and both feet on the footrests. You may take a foot off a footrest only when moving under 10 km/h to park, stop or move off, or briefly to ease a cramp.

Pillion passengers

A pillion passenger must be at least 8 years old. Younger children may travel in a sidecar while wearing a helmet.
The passenger sits astride the pillion seat, facing forward, with both feet on the pillion footrests, and wears an approved, fastened helmet.
Only one pillion passenger is allowed.
Learners may not carry a pillion passenger, except that in WA a learner's approved supervisor may ride as the pillion. In NSW, P1 riders may not either. In Victoria, only unrestricted riders may. In Queensland, RE riders must hold the licence for at least 1 year first.

Rider and passenger in the correct positions.

The rider's hands are on the handlebar grips.
The rider's feet are on the rider footrests.
The passenger holds the rider's waist or the passenger handholds.
The passenger's feet are on the passenger footrests.

Loads

On a solo motorcycle, a load must not stick out more than 150 mm in front of the front wheel or 300 mm behind the rear wheel, or past the sides. Secure every load so the motorcycle stays stable, and never ride with an animal between you and the handlebars.

Riding in a group

Australian rider handbooks recommend riding in single file with a gap of at least 3 seconds between riders. Each rider can then use the whole lane to avoid hazards and see the road ahead. The NSW handbook warns that a staggered formation is dangerous, because riders cannot keep a buffer from hazards.

Keep groups to four or five riders. Split a larger group.
Plan the pace around the least experienced rider.
Do not race, and do not feel pressured to keep up.

Alcohol, drugs and fatigue

Riding needs balance, coordination and quick judgement, and alcohol harms all three. In all four states covered here, learner riders must have zero alcohol. Provisional riders in NSW and WA, restricted riders in Victoria, and RE riders in Queensland in their first year must also have zero alcohol.

Do not ride with illegal drugs in your system. In NSW, police use mobile drug testing for ecstasy, cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Do not ride if a prescription or over-the-counter medicine could affect your riding.
Fatigue builds fast on a motorcycle. On long rides, take a break about every 1.5 hours or about every 150 km.

Tips for the knowledge test

Read your state's rider handbook and the road rules. The questions come from them.
Learn the local numbers: test length and pass mark, learner speed limit, minimum time on your Ls, passenger rules and alcohol limits.
Practise until you score well above the pass mark. In NSW you can get only one road safety question wrong.
Read every question to the end. Words like 'learner', 'P1' and 'full licence' change the answer.