
The legal age for riding a motorcycle is between 18 and 60 years old. The age requirement for obtaining a regular three-wheeled motorcycle or regular two-wheeled motorcycle license is 18 years or older and under 60 years old. In addition to the age requirement for riders, obtaining a regular two-wheeled motorcycle license also has specific physical condition requirements, including "height, vision, color discrimination, hearing, upper limbs, lower limbs, torso, and neck." If you have hearing impairments and cannot meet the requirement of "identifying the direction of a sound source from 50 cm away from a tuning fork," you may not apply for a motorcycle license. Requirements for obtaining a motorcycle license: Height must be at least 150 cm, uncorrected or corrected visual acuity must reach at least 4.9 on the logarithmic visual acuity chart, no red-green color blindness, ability to distinguish the direction of a sound source from 50 cm away from a tuning fork with each ear, both thumbs must be intact, and each hand must have at least three other fingers intact with normal movement function, lower limbs must be intact with normal movement function, and the difference in leg length must not exceed 5 cm, with no movement disorders. Circumstances under which a motorcycle license cannot be obtained: Organic heart disease, epilepsy, Meniere's disease, vertigo, hysteria, Parkinson's disease, mental illness, dementia, or other neurological diseases affecting limb movement that may hinder safe driving, drug abuse or injection, long-term dependence on psychotropic drugs without successful rehabilitation, revocation of a motor vehicle driver's license within the past two years, fleeing the scene of a traffic accident leading to license revocation, revocation of driving privileges within the past three years, or other circumstances stipulated by laws and administrative regulations.

A neighbor's kid asked me the same question a few days ago. In China, motorcycle licenses are divided into three types: License D for three-wheeled motorcycles, License E for regular two-wheelers, and License F for light motorcycles. You must be at least 18 years old to obtain License E or F, but there's a special category called light motorcycles—those with an engine displacement of 50ml or less (blue license plates). You can get License F and ride them at 16. Nowadays, many electric motorcycles also fall under the light motorcycle category, so parents buying vehicles for high school students should pay special attention to this rule. A reminder to everyone: never ride without a license. Last year, a local student was fined 2,000 RMB and had their modified electric motorcycle confiscated for unlicensed riding.

Last month, while accompanying a friend at the driving school for their license test, we discussed this. The legal minimum age to obtain a motorcycle license is 18, but there's an exception: blue-plate light motorcycles allow applicants aged 16 and above. It's worth noting that many electric bicycles on the market actually exceed the standard—those with speeds over 25 km/h or motors exceeding 400W are classified as motorcycles. My friend mentioned that his 16-year-old nephew was riding an over-spec electric bike and was penalized by traffic police for unlicensed driving, resulting in the bike being impounded and requiring him to retake the driving test. It's advisable to check the vehicle's certification category before purchasing.

Last year, I helped my cousin research motorcycle regulations. Simply put, you can obtain a regular motorcycle license at the age of 18, but mopeds (including some electric motorcycles) can be legally ridden at 16. However, there are three key points to note in practice: first, local policies vary, such as Beijing's urban areas prohibiting motorcycle registration; second, children under 12 are not allowed to ride on the back of a motorcycle; and third, drivers in the probationary period are prohibited from riding on highways. I remember my cousin specifically chose a 48cc small-displacement bike after getting his Class F license and commuted very cautiously every day with a helmet on.


