Hawaii Motorcycle Permit Practice Test

Hawaii doesn’t publish the size or pass mark of the motorcycle knowledge exam. Our practice exam uses 25 questions with 20 to pass (80%), from the Hawaii Motorcycle Operator Manual. Hawaii Motorcycle Operator Manual p. iii to 56

The Hawaii Motorcycle Operator Manual (Version 5, 2017): Hawaii’s rules on permits, equipment, helmets, passengers and insurance, then gear, controls and checks, lane position, intersections, crash avoidance, passengers and group riding, alcohol and fatigue, the skill test, three-wheelers and hand signals. Hawaii Motorcycle Operator Manual p. iii to 56

Only without a Class 3 (car) license already: then Hawaii's general driver knowledge exam comes on top of the motorcycle written test. On Oahu, people who transferred an out-of-state license since September 2016 take both tests. The motorcycle test is given in person only, never online.

You need 20 of the 25 questions right (80%). Always confirm the current test with the Hawaii Department of Transportation. Compare every state →

You can miss up to 5 of the 25 questions: you need 20 right (80%) to pass.

Complete a Hawaii state-approved Basic Rider Course (required before the Class 2 instruction permit since Act 66 of 2025), then visit your county DMV, pass the eye exam and motorcycle knowledge exam, and get the Class 2 instruction permit. You then pass an off-street skill test on a motorcycle with a current safety inspection and insurance card. The motorcycle license is a Type 2 designation.

No. The Hawaii DOT says an MSF completion card is not a waiver from the road test, and only course sites that meet Hawaii’s rules can issue the completion certificate you need for the permit. You still take the written test too.

Start with the Graduated Licensing program, submit a parental consent affidavit, and earn a driver education certificate and a behind-the-wheel motorcycle certificate. The manual adds 90 days of practice on the permit before the road test. Riders under 18 must wear a helmet.

One year. You can renew it only if you've taken the skills test at least once before it expires. Let it run out without ever trying the skills test and you have to wait three months before you can apply for a new one.

You may not carry any passenger, and you may not ride during the hours of darkness while you learn. The same limits apply on a Class 1 moped instruction permit. Riders under 18 must also wear a helmet.

At least 15 years and 6 months for a Class 2 instruction permit. Applicants under 18 need a birth certificate and a parental consent affidavit signed before someone authorized to give oaths; whoever signs shares legal liability for damage the young rider causes through negligence.

Usually, if it's still valid: you pass a vision screening, give fingerprints and surrender the old license, and receive a Class 2-3 (motorcycle and car) license. Motorcycle endorsements from Alabama and reciprocal licenses from Japan, Korea and Taiwan can't be transferred. An expired license means both written tests and the skills test.

Yes, in two cases: you hold a skills-test Certification for Waiver from the state's Motorcycle Safety Education Program, or you already have a valid motorcycle license or endorsement issued by another state. Otherwise you take the off-street skills test on a motorcycle with current registration, safety inspection and a liability insurance card.

No. Lane splitting and lane sharing are illegal under HRS 291C-153(c), riding on the shoulder isn’t allowed, motorcycles may not use bicycle lanes, and riding side by side in a group is not allowed (HRS 291C-153(d)).

Riders and passengers under 18, with the chin strap fastened, and all moped drivers since Act 222 (2025). Everyone needs glasses, goggles or a face shield unless the motorcycle has a windshield. Helmets must be DOT compliant, and children under 7 may not ride as passengers.

Yes, any category of driver’s license; without one you can get a Category 1 (moped) license. Since Act 222 (2025) nobody under 16 may drive a moped, and moped drivers must wear a helmet. A moped has a motor of no more than two horsepower and a top speed of 30 mph.

Yes. Hawaii treats motor scooters like motorcycles: riding either takes a Class 2 motorcycle license, and you need a county instruction permit while you learn. Only a moped can be ridden on any class of license (or a Class 1 moped license).

Yes. Hawaii requires liability insurance for motorcycles and motor scooters, and the skills test isn't given without a liability insurance card for the motorcycle. Mopeds must be registered and pass safety checks, and the rider needs a valid driver's license.

Working lights (headlamp, tail lamp and stop lamp), brakes, a horn, a muffler, a seat and a rear-view mirror, plus fenders or mud guards. Hawaii also bans raising the handlebars more than 15 inches above the seat.

Not on a two-wheeled moped: Hawaii allows no passengers on one. On a motorcycle, never carry more people than it was designed and equipped for, and any passenger outside a sidecar or enclosed cab needs footrests.

Yes. Finishing a motorcycle education course earns a 15% discount on your liability premiums. To buy that liability policy at all, you need a motorcycle or motor scooter license, or a learner's permit plus a completed course. Keep the proof-of-insurance card on the bike or with whoever rides it.