Motorcycling

A motorcycle can match a car in speed, but provides a sense of freedom to get around both in cities and the countryside. Motorcycling allows you to be immersed in your surroundings as you travel so that, much like cycling, you are, "in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming" as Robert Pirsig wrote in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. On a motorcycle you can cover vast distances in a day, at speeds as fast as the freeways allow. Adventure touring motorcycles combine swift road speed, and cargo and passenger capability with some limited off-road ability, greatly expanding the potential scope and range of a trip, recreating the epic rides made famous in Ewan McGregor's The Long Way Round or Neal Peart's Ghost Rider.

You can explore a region on a rental motorcycle, or explore a city on a rental scooter, avoiding the need to ride or ship your own bike to your destination. But motorcycle touring requires detailed planning, careful packing, and a degree of personal resourcefulness beyond driving. The inherent risk of travel on two wheels must be given serious thought. Only experienced riders should attempt a trip far from home or lasting more than a day. Novice riders should develop their skills and get miles under their belt exploring their local area before attempting touring.

Types of motorcycle riding

  • Urban motorcycling, usually with a motor scooter or other light vehicle. Renting a scooter can be useful when you are in another city or at a resort without your own vehicle.
  • Motorcycle touring on long road trips
  • Offroad motorcycling
  • Motorcycle sport
  • Motorcycle taxi

The touring motorcycle

Rental

Laws by country

Motorcycle laws by country
JurisdictionLane splitting allowed?Helmet required?
AfghanistanNo
AlbaniaYes
AndorraYes
AngolaYes
ArgentinaYes
ArmeniaYes
AustraliaLegal in all states up to 30km/h Yes
AustriaYes
AzerbaijanYes
BahamasYes
BahrainYes
BangladeshYes
BarbadosYes
BurundiNo
BelarusYes
BelgiumYesYes
BelizeYes
BeninYes
BhutanYes
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)Yes (except child passengers)
Bosnia and HerzegovinaYes
BotswanaYes
BrazilYes
Brunei DarussalamYesYes
BulgariaYes
Burkina FasoYes
CambodiaYes (except passengers)
CameroonYes
CanadaAlbertaYes (except practicing Sikhs wearing turbans)
British ColumbiaYes (except practicing Sikhs wearing turbans)
ManitobaYes (except practicing Sikhs wearing turbans)
New BrunswickYes
Newfoundland and LabradorYes
Northwest TerritoriesYes
Nova ScotiaYes
NunavutYes
OntarioNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles (The Highway Traffic Act may make motorcycle lane splitting potentially illegal per Section 130 if driving carelessly and Section 154 if not driving in marked lanes. )Required. Highway Traffic Act, Section 104
QuebecNo for motorcycles, mopeds, or bicycles between two lines of vehicles moving on contiguous lanes (Highway Safety Code, Section 478)Yes
Prince Edward IslandYes
SaskatchewanYes
YukonYes
Cape VerdeYes
Central African RepublicYes
ChadYes
ChileYes
ChinaYes
ColombiaYes
ComorosYes
CongoYes
Cook IslandsYes (except child passengers)
Costa RicaYes
Côte d'IvoireYes
CroatiaYes
CubaYes
CyprusYes
Czech RepublicYes
Democratic People's Republic of KoreaYes
Democratic Republic of the CongoYes
DenmarkYes
DominicaNo
Dominican RepublicYes (except passengers)
EcuadorYes
EgyptYes (except passengers)
El SalvadorYes
Equatorial GuineaYes
EstoniaYes
EswatiniYes
EthiopiaYes
FijiNo (except child passengers)
FinlandYes
FranceYesYes
GabonYes
GambiaNo
GeorgiaYes
GermanyYes, but only when other traffic is stationaryYes
GhanaYes
GreeceYes
GuatemalaYes
GuineaYes
Guinea-BissauYes
GuyanaYes
HondurasYes
HungaryYes
IcelandYes
IndiaYes
IndonesiaYes
Iran (Islamic Republic of)Yes
IraqYes (except passengers)
IrelandYes, at low speed Yes
IsraelYes
ItalyYes, but only on the left and only where there is no solid white lane line/centre line. However, all rules are widely ignoredYes, although widely ignored in Sicily
JamaicaYes
JapanAdvanced stop lines (Japanese: 二段停止線) attract motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles to lane split (Guidance marking (Japanese: 指示標示) number 203-2 (Japanese: 203の2) ) Yes
JordanYes
KazakhstanYes
KenyaYes
KuwaitYes (except child passengers)
KyrgyzstanYes
Lao People's Democratic RepublicYes
LatviaYes
LebanonYes
LesothoYes
LiberiaNo
LithuaniaYes
LuxembourgYes
MadagascarYes
MalawiYes
MalaysiaYesYes
MaldivesYes (except child passengers)
MaliYes
MaltaYes
Marshall IslandsYes
MauritaniaYes
MauritiusYes
MexicoYes
MongoliaYes
MontenegroYes
MoroccoYes
MozambiqueYes
MyanmarYes
NamibiaYes
NepalYes
NetherlandsYes
New ZealandYes, but not advised for learner riders Yes
NicaraguaYes
NigerYes
NigeriaYes
NiueYes
North MacedoniaYes
NorwayYes
OmanYes
PakistanYes
PalauYes
PanamaYes
Papua New GuineaYes
ParaguayYes
PeruYes
PhilippinesYes
PolandYes
PortugalYesNo
QatarYes
Republic of KoreaYes
Republic of MoldovaYes
RomaniaYes
Russian FederationYes
RwandaYes
Saint Kitts and NevisYes
Saint LuciaYes
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesYes
SamoaYes
San MarinoYes
Sao Tome and PrincipeYes (except child passengers)
Saudi ArabiaYes
SenegalYes
SerbiaYes
SeychellesYes
Sierra LeoneYes
SingaporeYes
SlovakiaYes
SloveniaYes
Solomon IslandsYes
South AfricaYes (Article 298 of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 1999)Yes
SpainYes
Sri LankaYes
SudanYes (except passengers)
SurinameYes
SwedenYes
SwitzerlandYes
Syrian Arab RepublicYes (except child passengers)
TajikistanYes
Taiwan, Republic of ChinaNo for motorcycles larger than 250 cm3 on national or provincial freeways or expressways (Article 20 of the http://www.freeway.gov.tw/english/Print.aspx?cnid=1094&p=522); advanced stop lines attract motorcycles up to 250 cm3 to lane split (Article 174-2 of the Regulations on Establishing Traffic Signs and Indicating LinesYes
ThailandYes
Timor-LesteYes
TogoYes
TongaYes
Trinidad and TobagoYes
TunisiaYes
TurkeyYes
UgandaYes
UkraineYes
United Arab EmiratesYes
United KingdomYes (Highway Code Rule 88)Yes
United Republic of TanzaniaYes (except passengers)
United StatesAlabamaNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (Code of Alabama, Section 32-5A-242, Operating motorcycles on roadways laned for traffic.)
AlaskaNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty ([group+!2713+aac+02!2E427!27!3A/doc/{@1}/hits_only 13 AAC (Alaska Administrative Code) 02.427. Driving motorcycles and motor-driven cycles on roadways laned for traffic.])
ArizonaYes for motorcycles with two wheels under considerable conditions to filter since September 24, 2022 (Arizona Revised Statutes 28.903. Operation of motorcycle on laned roadway; exceptions.)
ArkansasNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
California Yes for motorcycles with two wheels Required. California Vehicle Code Section 27803
ColoradoNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (Colorado Revised Statutes Section 42-4-1503. Operating motorcycles on roadways laned for traffic.)
ConnecticutNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (General Statutes of Connecticut Section 14-289b. Operation of motorcycles.)
DelawareNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
District of ColumbiaNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles Required. Washington DC Municipal Regulations, Rule: 18-2215
FloridaNo for motorcycles except police officers or firefighters on duty (Florida Statutes, 316.209 Operating motorcycles on roadways laned for traffic.)
GeorgiaNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (Georgia Code § 40-6-312. Operating motorcycle on roadway laned for traffic.)
HawaiiNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (Hawaii Revised Statutes §291C-153. Operating motorcycles on roadways laned for traffic.)
IdahoNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles Required if under age 18; Idaho Statutes, Title 49, Chapter 6, Section 666
IllinoisNo for motorcycles (625 ILCS (Illinois Compiled Statutes) 5/11-703)
IndianaNo for motorcycles as a vehicle may not be driven or operated in a manner that deprives another vehicle of the full use of a traffic lane (Indiana Code 9-21-10-6 Traffic lanes; restrictions on use.)
IowaNo for motorcycles or motorized bicycles (Iowa Code 321.275 (4))
KansasNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (Kansas Statutes Annotated 8-1595)
KentuckyNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
LouisianaNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (Louisiana RS (Revised Statutes) 32:191.1)
MaineNo for motorcycles except law enforcement officers on duty (Maine Revised Statutes Title 29-A, §2062 (5), (6))
MarylandNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (Maryland Transportation Code Section 21-1303. Operating on laned roadways.)
MassachusettsNo for motorcycles (General Laws, Chapter 89, Section 4A)
MichiganNo for motorcycles, mopeds, low-speed vehicles, or electric personal assistive mobility devices except police officers on duty; (Michigan Vehicle Code Section 257.660 Electric personal assistive mobility device, low-speed vehicle, or moped; operation; limitations; applicability to police officer; regulation by local government; prohibitions; regulation by department of natural resources.) also no for bicycles per 2006 Law (2006 Michigan Compiled Laws Section 257.660) until legalized by 2010 Law (2010 Michigan Compiled Laws Section 257.660)
MinnesotaNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (2013 Minnesota Statutes, 169.974, Subdivision 5)
MississippiNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
MissouriNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
MontanaYes for motorcycles with two wheels to filter no faster then 20 miles an hour (32 km/h) to overtake the stopped or slow-moving vehicle no faster then 10 miles an hour (16 km/h) since October 1, 2021
NebraskaNo for motorcycles except peace officers on duty
NevadaNo for motorcycles or mopeds except police officers on duty (NRS (Nevada Revised Statutes) 486.351 Unlawful passing; driving abreast.) Required. Nevada Revised Statutes, Title 43, Chapter 486, Section 486.231
New HampshireNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (Revised Statutes, Section 265:121: Driving Motorcycles on Roadways Laned for Traffic.)
New JerseyNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles, discouraged by official motorcycle manual (State of New Jersey - Motor Vehicle Commission: Manuals: Motorcycle driver manual revised in July 2012, pages 12 and 13 of 19)
New MexicoNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
New YorkNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (Laws of New York: Vehicle and Traffic Law, Section 1252 (b),(c))
North CarolinaNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
North DakotaNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (North Dakota Century Code, Section 39-10.2-03. Operating motorcycles on roadways laned for traffic.)
OhioNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
OklahomaNo for motorcycles, motor-driven cycles, motorized scooters, motorized bicycles, or electric-assisted bicycles except authorized emergency vehicles (Oklahoma Statutes, Section 47-11-1103D.)
OregonNo for motorcycles or mopeds except police officers on duty (Oregon Revised Statutes 814.240) Required. Oregon Revised Statutes 814.269
PennsylvaniaNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (Vehicle Code Section 3523)
Puerto RicoNo for motorcycles except law enforcement officers on duty (9 L.P.R.A (Laws of Puerto Rico Unannotated) § 5296. Use of any vehicle, carriage or motorcycle.)
Rhode IslandNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
South CarolinaNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (South Carolina Code of Laws Section 56-5-3640)
South DakotaNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (South Carolina Codified Laws Section 32-20-9.2, 9.3, 9.4)
TennesseeNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty (Tennessee Code § 55-8-182. Operation of motorcycles on laned roadways.)
TexasNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
UtahYes for motorcycles other than autocycle under considerable conditions to filter since May 14, 2019
VermontNo for motorcycles or motor-driven cycles except police officers on duty (23 V.S.A. (Vermont Statutes Annotated) § 1115)
VirginiaNo for motorcycles (Code of Virginia § 46.2-857. Driving two abreast in a single lane.)
WashingtonNo for motorcycles except police officers on duty, (Revised Code of Washington) Required by law; Revised Code of Washington, 46.37.530
West VirginiaNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
WisconsinNot authorized or legally referenced for motorcycles
WyomingNo for motorcycles or motor-driven cycles except police officers on duty (Wyoming Statutes § 31-5-115)
UruguayYes
UzbekistanYes
VanuatuYes
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)Yes
VietnamYes
YemenNo
ZambiaYes
ZimbabweYes

See also

Motorcycling
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