Do You Have to Take a Motorcycle Road Test in Michigan? (2026)
Do you have to take a motorcycle road test in Michigan? Yes, for the CY endorsement you do need to pass an on-cycle skills test. Unless you waive it. Michigan Secretary of State (SOS) gives you two paths. You can take the road test after a TIP. Or you finish an approved Michigan motorcycle safety course, which is the route I push most students toward, and skip the SOS test altogether.
Is a Motorcycle Road Test Required in Michigan?
So yes, if you want CY on your license you'll ride for an examiner at some point. An approved Michigan motorcycle safety course waives it. The written test alone won't earn the endorsement.
The sequence works like this. First you pass the 20-question knowledge test and walk out with your Temporary Instruction Permit (everybody calls it the TIP). That permit lets you practice riding with restrictions. After that, you either schedule the SOS on-cycle skills test or enroll in a Michigan motorcycle safety course that includes a skills evaluation. If you pass the course, the road test waiver is submitted and you skip the separate SOS test.
The SOS administers or approves skills testing through third-party organizations. Most testing sites sit around the metro areas, so near Detroit, Lansing, Ann Arbor or Grand Rapids you've got a few to pick from.
Up north or out in farm country there aren't as many sites, so I'd start looking the week you get your permit, because the TIP is only good for 180 days and if it runs out before you finish testing you're back at the beginning.
What the Michigan Motorcycle Skills Test Involves
The Michigan motorcycle skills test is a marked course. You'll be asked to do controlled stops, tight turns, cornering, a swerve and some quick braking.
The course uses cones and boundary lines. I tell students to treat those lines like curbs.
The examiner is watching how you handle the bike at walking speed and how you react when it's time to stop or swerve, and going fast earns you nothing out there, so the riders who pass tend to have a smooth clutch hand, a steady throttle and their head turned to where they're headed. You may fail for a foot down, crossing a boundary line, or repeated stalls. These are not minor mistakes. They can end the test immediately.
You supply a legal, insured motorcycle for the test. Bring the registration, because before you ride a single cone the examiner's going to look at your lights, brakes and tires. If you ride to the test on a TIP, remember that TIP restrictions still apply. You cannot carry passengers and you cannot ride at night.
This one trips people up.
Many riders fail the U-turn on the Michigan motorcycle on-cycle skills test. They look down at the cones. The bike goes where your eyes go, so pick a spot across the box and spend a few evenings on the slow stuff before test day.
How to Skip the Road Test With a Safety Course
Pass an approved Michigan motorcycle safety course and that's your Michigan motorcycle road test waiver right there. That is the biggest shortcut available. You'll spend part of it in a classroom and part on a bike in a lot. You take a skills evaluation. If you pass, the provider submits the waiver to SOS. You don't schedule a separate road test.
Under-18 riders are generally required to take a safety course. There is no choice for minors. For adults, the course is optional. It covers the same low-speed control and emergency maneuvers as the SOS test. Instructors watch you in a controlled lot.
Dates depend a lot on where you live, so look early, and before you pay anybody check Michigan.gov/SOS to make sure the course is approved and see what waiver paperwork you need.
How the Road Test Fits the CY Endorsement Path
The full path to the CY endorsement is straightforward but easy to mess up if you skip steps. Here is the recap.
- Pass the 20-question knowledge test first, since that's what gets you the TIP.
- Practice within TIP limits. No passengers, no riding after dark and no freeways while you're on the permit.
- Then pass the SOS skills test or the skills evaluation at the end of an approved course.
The safety course waiver replaces the road test. It does not replace the knowledge test. You still need to pass the written exam first. Two answers look right on the knowledge test when they ask about TIP restrictions. Read slowly.
You must complete testing within the 180-day TIP window. The CY endorsement is then added to your Michigan license. The fee is commonly about $16, but confirm on the SOS site because fees change. If your TIP expires, you retake the knowledge test and pay again.
For the knowledge test, use Drivio's free Michigan motorcycle practice test at /moto/michigan. It covers the written exam. The MI motorcycle road test comes later.
How to Prepare for (or Avoid) the Skills Test
The way I see it, you can practice the core maneuvers on your own inside your TIP limits, or sign up for a safety course and get training plus the skills-test waiver in one shot. Most of my students do better in the course because somebody's telling them what went wrong on every pass, and practicing alone only helps if you know what the examiner scores.
If you're taking the SOS skills test, do a mock run of the layout before test day. Set some cones up in an empty church or school lot and run the U-turn box, the quick stop and the swerve until you're bored with it, and then a few more times, because bored is about where it gets automatic.
Do not forget the written test comes first. Many riders focus so much on riding that they fail the knowledge test and never get the TIP. The Michigan motorcycle road test means nothing if you cannot get the permit. Use Drivio's free Michigan motorcycle practice test at /moto/michigan to lock in the written portion.
Michigan Motorcycle Road Test FAQ
Do I have to take a motorcycle road test in Michigan? Yes, unless you complete an approved safety course. That waives the motorcycle road test MI requirement.
Can a safety course waive the road test? Yes. It includes a riding skills evaluation. That evaluation becomes your Michigan motorcycle road test waiver.
What maneuvers are tested? You'll show these in a marked course:
- controlled stops
- tight turns
- cornering
- swerving
- quick braking
Who gives the skills test? The SOS or a third-party tester it approves, and if you take a course, the instructors run the skills evaluation at the end.
Is a course required under 18? Yes. Under 18 you're taking an approved Michigan motorcycle safety course no matter what, and passing it waives the road test.
How long is the TIP valid? 180 days. Finish testing by then or start over.
Common Questions About the Michigan Skills Test
Can I use my own motorcycle? Yes. It has to be legal and insured, and the examiner gives it a quick once-over before you ride.
How soon can I retake it if I fail? You can reschedule. You still must finish within the 180-day TIP window. Some testers impose a waiting period. Ask when you book.
Is the safety course worth it? I think so for most people, since you leave with real instruction and the road test waiver in hand. Dense traffic makes the controlled practice useful.
What if I only have a TIP? You can practice legally within TIP limits. You cannot:
- ride at night
- carry passengers
- use freeways
A TIP alone won't get you CY, so you'll still need the skills test or a course waiver before the 180 days are up.
How do I schedule the skills test? You book the MI motorcycle road test with the SOS or an approved third-party tester, and openings get thin once the weather turns nice. Book early, especially in spring.
Nobody built the Michigan motorcycle skills test to be impossible, it's there to see that you can handle the bike slow and react when something comes at you, so put in the parking-lot hours first and then go book your date.
Share
