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Motorcycles are great for people who enjoy the feel of wind in their face and the freedom and mobility that these vehicles have to offer. But these two-wheeled joyrides are more than just a doorway to an enjoyable roadway experience. They’re also a doorway to a wide world of regulation. 

Motorcyclists, meet New York State motorcycle laws.

NY Motorcycle License Requirements 

To legally drive a motorcycle on public roads, you need to have a Class M or MJ motorcycle license. A Class M license is the standard motorcycle license, whereas a Class MJ license is the junior version of the license. Drivers with Class MJ licenses are subject to additional requirements and restrictions that do not apply to drivers with Class M licenses.

If you are under the age of 18 and wish to drive a motorcycle, you will only qualify for a junior license (exceptions exist for 17-year-olds who have completed high school or a similar program and already have their Class MJ license). Junior licenses are regulated by the Graduated License Law and other restrictions. With a junior license, you may not do any of the following:

• Drive on any road or path inside of a New York City park.
• Drive on any bridge under the jurisdiction of the Tri-borough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.
• Drive through any tunnel under the jurisdiction of the Tri-borough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.
• Drive on the following parkways: Cross County, Hutchinson River, Saw Mill River, or Taconic State.
• Drive in a DMV road test area.

Regardless of your age, before you can get a bona fide Class M motorcycle license, you first need to get a motorcycle learner’s permit. That’s true whether you’re 16 or 61. You get this license by going to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), applying for it, and passing the road test.

NY Motorcycle Equipment Requirements 

In addition to rigorous licensing requirements, the state has written a long list of vehicle requirements for motorcycles. Many of the equipment laws for other vehicles also apply to motorcycles, but with a few minor changes. That includes many of the subsections and corresponding paragraphs of section 325 of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL).

What does all that legalese mean for you? It means that you’ll have to ensure that your motorcycle stays up to code if you want to avoid getting a ticket. That means having the proper muffler, reflective equipment, and lights, among other things.

Muffler

Not only does your motorcycle have to be equipped with a muffler, it has to be equipped with a muffler that meets the legal standards. 

Your motorcycle’s muffler must be in good working order and capable of preventing “excessive or unusual noise.” It must also still contain the baffle plates and screens that it came with, as well as all of its other original parts. If you tamper with your motorcycle’s muffler and remove or add any parts other than in the course of repairs, you could get a ticket for inadequate equipment.

Because of the fact that all mufflers must come equipped with internal baffles, straight pipes are illegal in the state of New York. These exhaust pipes greatly exceed the legal noise limits. Any similar exhaust system or one that has been altered to create a sound louder than the standard sound of a muffled exhaust system is illegal for the same reason.

Reflective Equipment

The rules for motorcycle reflectors are less extensive than the rules for motorcycle mufflers. That said, the penalties can be just as steep if you get a ticket for inadequate reflective equipment.

The legal standard for reflective equipment on a motorcycle is one red reflector attached to the rear of the vehicle and facing backward. The reflector must be red. The law makes no exception for other colors. The law does, however, allow for the reflector to be a built-in part of the motorcycle’s tail light.

You do not have to have reflectors on the front or sides of your motorcycle.

Lights

The rules for motorcycle lights vary depending on whether a sidecar is equipped. Here are all of the lights that your motorcycle must have installed and in good working condition in order to pass the required inspections:

• One headlight facing forward and capable of both high and low beams.
• One red stop light.
• A bright, white license plate light.
• Amber front turn signals.
• Red or amber rear turn signals.

If a sidecar is equipped, the motorcycle must have two headlights.

NY Motorcycle Registration Process 

The New York State DMV handles the motor vehicle registration process for the state, so get ready for bureaucracy! Fortunately, not everybody has to go in person to the DMV to register their vehicle. If you live in any of the following counties, you can register your vehicle online:

• Albany County
• Bronx County
• Kings County
• Nassau County
• New York County
• Onondaga County
• Queens County
• Richmond County
• Rockland County
• Suffolk County
• Westchester County

The first step is to get your vehicle insured. The DMV will not accept any registration applications for vehicles that do not have proper insurance coverage.

The next step is to gather the required documents:

• A completed Application for Vehicle Registration (MV-82).
• A completed Statement of Transaction — Sale or Gift of a Motor Vehicle, Trailer, All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV), Vessel (Boat), or Snowmobile (DTF-802).
• Your New York state driver license or non-driver ID.
• A bill of sale for the motorcycle.
• Proof that you paid the sales tax.
• The original title or proof of ownership of the motorcycle.
• Proof that you’ve paid the required fees or are exempt from doing so.
• Your insurance card for the motorcycle.

Once you’ve collected all of those documents, submit them to the DMV and wait for them to give you a few other documents to fill out. Once you’ve received your license plate, registration window sticker, registration document, and temporary inspection sticker, you will need to take the vehicle for a final inspection.

From then on, you will need to get the vehicle inspected every 12 months to prevent the cancellation of your registration.

NY Motorcycle Laws for the Road 

When it comes to vehicles, the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law covers just about everything there is. There are thousands of sections in the VTL that each cover something different. That ranges from the definition of a motorcycle to the exact scientific measurements required for an exhaust system to be legally compliant—and then some!

Many of the most common questions about New York’s motorcycle laws are about lane splitting, helmet laws, and carrying passengers. The writers of the VTL spared no ink when it came to writing those laws, meaning they can be quite lengthy, not to mention complex. Let’s break these three laws down a bit.

Lane Splitting

Lane splitting is the act of riding between two lanes. Since that usually means driving over the white lines dividing traffic lanes, it’s also come to be known as “white-lining” and “stripe-riding.” Call it whatever you want, but the state calls it illegal.

Lane splitting is a misdemeanor in New York. Even a first-timer convicted of lane splitting can be sentenced to up to 15 days in jail.

In 2019, New York state police officers issued 2,116 traffic tickets for riding motorcycles between lanes. Each of these tickets can cost as much as $538 for a third offense.

Helmet laws

It is illegal to drive or ride on a motorcycle in New York without the proper kind of helmet. Not only do you have to wear a helmet, you have to wear a helmet specifically designed for motorcycles and compliant with regulatory requirements. Here’s the exact text from the VTL:

“It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or ride upon a motorcycle unless he wears a protective helmet of a type which meets the requirements set forth in section 571.218 of the federal motor vehicle safety standards.”

That is to say that you must wear a helmet approved for use by the Department of Transportation (DOT). That’s true no matter how old you are or how long you’ve been riding motorcycles.

Carrying passengers

You are allowed to carry passengers on your motorcycle provided that they satisfy the requirements established in section 1251 of the VTL. Those requirements are as follows:

• The motorcycle must have been built with passengers in mind (that is, it must have a permanent passenger seat).
• The passenger must ride on said passenger seat.
• The passenger cannot be facing backward or sideways.
• The passenger must wear a DOT-approved helmet.
• The passenger must be seated so as not to impair the driver’s view or ability to drive safely.

There is no minimum age a person must be to ride as a passenger on a motorcycle. However, they must still adhere to the above requirements.

Laws Against Racing Motorcycles in NY 

Whether you’re driving a motorcycle, car, or other vehicle, street racing is illegal in New York (and just about everywhere else, too). Street racing motorcycles in New York can be either a Class A misdemeanor or Class E felony and carry steep penalties ranging from jail time to increased insurance premiums.

Jail Time

A first-time violation for street racing in New York is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail in addition to all of the other possible penalties. To make matters worse, street racing is rarely charged solo. Oftentimes, the court will decide to charge you with speeding, reckless driving, improper lane change, failure to use proper turn signals, and/or other violations.

If you’re convicted of street racing more than one time, the charge is increased to a Class E felony, which can impose up to six months in jail.

Fines

The fine for a first-time violation for street racing in New York is up to $525. Even if the court decides to go easy on you, and it quite likely won’t, you will have to pay a minimum of $300. But that’s only for Class A misdemeanor street racing.

The fine for Class E felony street racing is a minimum of $525 and a maximum of $750. This is the price before additional financial penalties, such as surcharges and other fees.

Surcharges

The civil surcharge for street racing varies depending on the severity of the violation. You can expect to pay no less than $88 in surcharges for a first-time violation. It’s possible for street racing to cost significantly more, as Class E felonies can impose far greater criminal surcharges.

Points

New York courts do not give out points for street racing, but they do for the other tickets that you’re almost certain to get when street racing, such as speeding.

The government is highly likely to suspend or revoke your license the moment the court renders a conviction, regardless of how many points are or aren’t on your license at the time.

Fees

Get enough points on your license and you might have to pay the Driver Responsibility Assessment (DRA) fee. The DRA fee must be paid annually for three years. If you have six points on your license, the fee is $300. For each additional point, the fee increases by $75. For example, if you have 10 points on your license, you will have to pay $600.

Insurance Increases

According to research from the Zebra, car insurance premiums increase by an average of 73.2% after a street racing conviction. If you’re paying the average for car insurance in New York, which is $1,688, the new cost of your insurance will be around $2,923.62.

Of course, that’s assuming your insurer doesn’t choose to drop you entirely. Oftentimes, after serious convictions like for street racing, insurance providers will void your current insurance plan. Other companies might go even further, refusing to offer you new insurance plans in the future.

NY Motorcycle Safety Inspection Requirements 

The state of New York requires you to have your motorcycle inspected once every 12 months and whenever you sell or trade it. An inspection is to ensure that your vehicle has the equipment it needs to be compliant with laws and regulations.

Failure to obtain a safety inspection can result in you getting a ticket and not being able to renew the vehicle’s registration.

Motorcycles are exempt from emissions standards inspections.

NY Motorcycle Insurance Requirements 

The state of New York requires you to have the following minimum coverage plan:

• $25,000 for bodily injury per person.
• $50,000 for total bodily injury in the event that multiple people are hurt in the accident.
• $50,000 for death per person.
• $100,000 for death if there are multiple fatalities in the accident.
• $10,000 for property damage.

Items That Every NY Motorcycle Rider Should Have 

There are countless must-haves that every motorcyclist should know about. Too many, in fact, to list them all in one article. So we’ve gone through and selected a few that we think matter the most to New Yorkers who love to ride. Obviously, you’ll want a helmet and safety gear, so we’ll just focus on the essential nonessentials:

• A tool kit for repairing your bike.
• Earplugs. Do not use headphones or earbuds, as those can get you a ticket.
• A Bluetooth headset for communication.
• Water.
• A case for luggage.

What To Do If You Get a Ticket on Your Motorcycle 

If you’ve gotten a traffic ticket on your motorcycle, don’t fret and don’t pay. Before you stress out and plead guilty to a ticket that might not be valid, contact a lawyer through the WinIt app. These traffic ticket experts know the ins and outs of the law and can identify any holes in the prosecution’s argument from a mile away.

Take your case to court and win it with WinIt!