Motorcycles, quad bikes and scooters

Introduction

Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable road users because they are less protected than drivers. 

They have a greater chance of being killed or seriously injured. 

The following pages provide information on safety tips and rules for motorcycles, quad bikes and scooters, including safety gear, riding tips and maintaining your motorcycle or scooter.


Motorcycle safety

You need to get a motorcycle licence to ride on a public road or place in the Northern Territory (NT).

Before you start riding, you should do all of the following:

  • check your motorcycle
  • check your protective clothing
  • read the safe riding tips for motorcycles
  • learn the road rules for motorcycle riders.

Check your motorcycle

You should choose the right motorcycle for you.

Make sure you get your motorcycle regularly serviced, and check that there are no fluid leaks and the oil and water levels on your motorcycle are correct.

Check your lights, brakes, steering, horn and tyres.

If you're upgrading to a more powerful motorcycle after gaining your R class licence, take time to practice before taking to the road.

Check your protective clothing

You must wear the correct protective clothing including an approved motorcycle helmet.

Pillion or sidecar passengers should also wear all protective gear.

Your protective clothing should:

  • cover your whole body with impact protectors over your joints
  • protect your skin with abrasion-resistant material in vulnerable areas
  • have secure seams
  • have secure fastenings that are protected from contact with the road or other surfaces in a crash
  • not have external pockets or straps that could become tear points or snag on something in a crash
  • be made of insulated, waterproof and windproof materials
  • include reflective or light colours and ventilation to protect you from heat
  • fit you properly
  • not be carrying anything in the pockets that could cause injury in a crash.

For more information on riding gear, read the good gear guide PDF (3.1 MB).

You must wear an approved motorcycle helmet when riding on the road or on a public place in the NT. Helmets must meet the Australian standards.

For more information on helmets, go to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission website.

Safe riding tips for motorcycles

Remember the three second rule - keep a safe distance when following other vehicles – also make sure you keep a safe distance at your back and sides.

Reduce your risk of crash – a low risk rider has good observation, speed management, road positioning, decision making and hazard perception skills.

Select a safe gap when turning, overtaking or changing lanes. This is a critical skill to safe riding.

Moving between traffic

You can only lane filter through traffic travelling 30km/h or less and when it is safe to do so.

Lane filtering is when a motorcycle rider moves in between two lanes of stationary or slow moving traffic.

You must not:

  • lane split - move past stationary or moving traffic at an unsafe speed of more than 30km/h.
  • edge filter - change direction to move towards the edge, kerb or shoulder of the road to either:
    • pass one or more vehicles on the road
    • pass between two vehicles, one of which is parked.

Check for hazards

Be aware of potential hazards including blind corners, blocked intersections, crests, poor weather conditions, other road users tailgating you and maintain a crash avoidance space.

Position for curves and bends - starting curves wide will improve your vision.

Ride your own ride and don't try to keep up with your friends who may be more experienced.

Check road conditions and weather reports and adjust your journey if necessary.

Be careful at T-intersections.


Motorcycle riders: road rules

In the Northern Territory (NT), you must hold a rider (class R) licence to ride a motorcycle.

In addition to the road rules in the NT, you must also follow specific road rules for motorcycles.

If you don't follow these rules, you may face traffic offences and penalties.

Rules for all rider licence holders

The following rules apply to all rider licence holders:

  • You must have at least one hand on the handlebars.
  • You must keep both feet on the footrests except when stopping or moving off.
  • If the lane is wide enough in certain circumstances, you can share a lane with another motorcycle rider if you're not more than 1.5m apart.

Rules for specific rider licences

In addition to the above, you must also follow the rules that apply to your specific licence.

Blood or breath alcohol concentration

Your blood or breath alcohol concentration must be zero - even if you hold an open licence in another class.

Display an L plate

You must clearly show a yellow L plate on the:

  • rear of the motorcycle you're riding or
  • back of a vest worn while riding.

The plate must not be hidden or covered.

Licence

You must carry your learner rider licence with you at all times when you are riding.

Motorcycle type

You must only ride learner approved motorcycles (LAM).

Check the LAM list on the New South Wales Government website.

Speed

You must not exceed 80km/h.

Passengers

You must not to carry any pillion passenger on your motorcycle.

Blood or breath alcohol concentration

Your blood or breath alcohol concentration must be zero.

Display a P plate

You must clearly show a P plate on the:

  • rear of the motorcycle you're riding or
  • back of a vest worn while riding.

The plate must not be hidden or covered.

Licence

You must carry your provisional rider licence with you at all times when riding.

Motorcycle type

You must only ride learner approved motorcycles (LAM).

Check the LAM list on the New South Wales Government website.

Speed

You must not exceed 100km/h.

Passengers

You must not carry any pillion passengers on your motorcycle.

Demerit points

If you hold a provisional licence and get 5 or more demerit points in a continuous 12 month period, you will get a notice requiring you to choose between a:

  • period of suspension or
  • 12 month good driving behaviour period.

Read more about demerit points.

Blood or breath alcohol concentration

Your blood or breath alcohol concentration must be less than 0.05% BAC.

Licence

You must carry your restricted rider licence at all times when riding.

Motorcycle type

You must only ride learner approved motorcycles (LAM).

Check the LAM list on the New South Wales Government website.

Passengers

You must not carry any pillion passengers on your motorcycle.

Demerit points

Read about demerit points.

Blood or breath alcohol concentration

Your blood or breath alcohol concentration must be less than 0.05% BAC.

Passengers

You and any pillion or sidecar passenger must each wear a correctly fitted, securely fastened and approved helmet.

There must be an approved seat and adequate/secure footrests for any pillion passenger.

You and any pillion passenger must sit astride the seat and face forwards.

Any pillion passenger must have their feet on the footrests.

You can only have one pillion passenger.

Any pillion passenger must be 8 years of age or older.

Demerit points

If you hold an open licence and get 12 or more demerit points in a 3-year period, you will be sent a notice requiring you to choose between a:

  • period of suspension or
  • 12 month good driving behaviour period.

Read more about demerit points.

Lane filtering

If you have a full or open motorcycle licence, you can safely lane filter between stationary or slow moving traffic moving in the same direction of travel.

You can only do this if:

  • your speed is not over 30km/h and
  • it is safe to do so.

You must not overtake vehicles by:

  • lane splitting - moving past stationary or moving traffic at an unsafe speed of more than 30km/h.
  • edge filtering - changing direction to move towards the edge, kerb or shoulder of the road to either:
    • pass one or more vehicles on the road
    • pass between 2 vehicles, one of which is parked.

For more information, go to the Road Safety NT website.


Quad bike safety

It is illegal for you to ride a quad bike on a public road or public place unless you have work-related conditional registration. Read about conditional registration.

A public place includes:

  • parks
  • crown land
  • beaches
  • or footpaths.

Quad bikes are not designed for the road.

They do not meet national safety standards for road use.

Safety tips for quad bike riders

You must wear the right safety gear, including:

  • an approved secure fitting helmet
  • jacket
  • pants
  • gloves
  • eye protection.

Find  out how you can ride safe on the Road Safety’s Towards Zero website.

Read the good gear guide to find out what motorcycle protective clothing you need to wear.

Stay grounded

You must keep all wheels on the ground at all times to avoid the risk of rollovers.

Don’t overload

You must not overload the quad bike.

Carrying loads will make it harder for you to control, especially on slopes.

Ride to your ability

To ride safely and react quickly to changing terrain and conditions you will need to have:

  • strength
  • weight
  • agility.

Get training

Training courses teach you how to operate these vehicles properly and safely.

Stay off-road

You must stay off road unless you have a conditional registration.

Never ride double

You must not share a single-seat. This can make these vehicles harder to handle and increases your risk of injury.

Kids on kids’ bikes

You must supervise children on and around quad bikes at all times.

You must not let children under the age of 16 years ride an adult-sized quad bike.

Conditional registration

You can apply for a conditional registration if you are required to use a quad bike for work-related purposes.

More information

To learn more about quad bikes and safety tips go to the Towards Zero website.

Read more on quad bike safety on the FarmSafe Australia website.


Scooter safety

You must hold a class R rider licence to ride a scooter in the Northern Territory (NT).

Scooters are small motorcycles, similar to a Vespa. Scooter engine sizes vary from 50ml to 650ml.

To get a learner rider licence, you will need to pass a rider theory knowledge test and complete either a:

  • balance and stability skills test (MOST) or
  • pre-learner motorcyclist education training and licensing (METAL) course.

Before you start riding, you should always check your scooter and make sure you have the right protective clothing.

You must also obey the same road rules in the NT as other road users. If you don't follow any of these rules, you may face a traffic offence or penalty.

Check your scooter

You should make sure you get your scooter regularly serviced.

Make sure there are no fluid leaks and the oil and water levels on your scooter are correct.

Check your lights, brakes, steering, horn and tyres.

Check your protective clothing

You must wear an approved helmet when riding on the road or on a public place in the NT. Helmets must meet Australian standards.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission also has more information on helmets.

It's also recommended that you and your passengers should wear protective clothing.

The following list includes 10 basic tips for riding safety gear:

  • cover your whole body
  • use impact protectors over your joints
  • protect your skin with abrasion-resistant material in vulnerable areas
  • check the seams on your gear
  • check that all fastenings are secure and protected from contact with the road or other surfaces in a crash
  • avoid external pockets or straps that could become tear points or snag on something in a crash
  • use insulated, waterproof and windproof materials
  • use reflective or light colours and ventilation to protect you from heat
  • check that all your gear fits you properly
  • don't carry anything in your pockets that could cause injury in a crash.

For more information on riding gear, read the Good Gear Guide PDF (3.1 MB).

Safe riding tips

Remember the three second rule - keep a safe distance when following other vehicles – also make sure you keep a safe distance at your back and sides.

Reduce your risk of crash - a low risk rider has good observation, speed management, road positioning, decision making and hazard perception skills.

Select a safe gap when turning, overtaking or changing lanes is a critical skill to safe riding.

Be aware of potential hazards including blind corners, blocked intersections, crests, poor weather conditions, other road users tailgating you and maintain a crash avoidance space.

Position for curves and bends - starting curves wide will improve your vision.

Check road conditions and weather reports and adjust your journey if necessary.

Be careful at T-intersections.

Moped riding

Mopeds are small, light vehicles that may be two or three wheeled. Mopeds have:

  • a piston engine with a maximum engine capacity of 50ml
  • a maximum speed of 50km/h.

If you hold a current learner driver licence dated before 1 August 2019, you are allowed to ride a moped. However, you are encouraged to get training.