Here’s How to Make Your Dirt Bike Street Legal the Easy Way

Dirt bikes are kind of our thing here at Dirt Legal. In fact, it’s how we got our start! Our first services back in the early days were making OHVs like dirt bikes, ATVs, and the ever-popular yet controversial SXSs street legal. We’ve helped tens of thousands of people get on the road since then, so you could say we know a thing or two about making dirt bikes street legal!

Dirt bikes are a great option for a lot of riders out there who are looking for something more fun than a cruiser to commute on but are more interested in suspension travel than hot, nasty speed. The thing is that there aren’t always a lot of street legal dirt bikes for sale. Sure, you can buy a dual-sport or an Enduro, but a lot of these are bulky and heavy, running heavy 4-stroke engines and prioritizing ride quality over weight and performance. 

But the cool thing is that you can still take just about any dirt bike on the market, and with the help of Dirt Legal, make it a street-legal dirt bike. 

How? Let’s find out.

Are Dirt Bikes Street Legal?

Alright, so the first question that we get a lot, and the one you are probably asking, is, are dirt bikes legal on the street? So here we go.

In the United States, dirt bikes are not street legal unless titled as a street-legal motorcycle. They are not street legal from the factory. There are similar bikes that are already street legal, but those are usually classed as dual-sports or Enduros. When we say “dirt bike” we’re talking about something someone would ride in serious off-road environments like motocross competitions.

OHVs are titled differently – they may even have no title at all, and may only have a Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO). Fortunately for you, we can work with an MCO and get you a street legal dirt bike. This is one of the best ways for our friends in California to circumvent their ridiculous red sticker laws.

Dual Sports and Enduros

Like I said earlier, dual-sports and Enduros are usually loaded up with accessories to make them more palatable to the on-road enthusiast, so they weigh a lot more. This is why we get a lot of customers who want a real, genuine dirt bike for street legal use. They want a motocross-style 2-stroke dirt bike that can absolutely scream, or a four-stroke that doesn’t have all the added stuff on it. And since you can still find some pretty aggressive DOT-approved tires for these bikes, you may not sacrifice much off-road prowess in the change over to pavement.

Can I Get a Dirt Bike Street Legal Kit?

As far as a kit goes, you will have to do some googling for your specific make and model of dirt bike. 

However, you can also piecemeal parts to get your dirt bike street legal (don’t confuse adding on required items with the administrative process of legalizing your dirt bike). 

Here is an infographic that we produced a while back to help you with which parts are required for street-legal operation by any motorcycle.

Again, we don’t source the kits and can’t speak to whether or not they are available to your make and model of bike, or their quality, which is unfortunately often low. What we can do is help you get a street-legal title for your bike, and then get it registered and tagged. 

How To Make a Dirt Bike Street Legal

Alright, so one thing we need to do is make a distinction here. There are two different parts of making an OHV street legal.

First is the legal and administrative aspect, which is what we do. We take a dirt bike or any other qualifying OHV and help you with all of the paperwork to make it a legitimately titled street-legal vehicle. We do this by going through states that allow OHVs to be titled and registered as street-legal vehicles, and then we do the legwork for you on your behalf so there are no unnecessary mistakes and delays, all backed by our 100% Money Back Guarantee.

Montana is our preferred choice because, with a Montana title and registration, you will have an LLC in Montana providing legal proof of residence, so your home state, or your domicile state, has little or no grounds to refute the Montana title and registration and require you to move your plate. In short: A permanent Montana plate for your dirt bike is the last one you’ll ever need.

The other half of the street legalization process is making sure all of the DOT items are installed and working. Now, here’s the deal: our process has nothing to do with that. Our process has no inspections or emissions requirements, so when you get your title and registration in the mail, your bike is technically street-legal by law in the sense that all of the paperwork is in order. But you cannot just slap a tag on it and head to Walmart. Yes, at that point you are legally titled and registered. No, it is not legal if you don’t have lights, horn, turn signals, and whatever else you need installed and operational on the bike. You need to meet Montana’s equipment requirements at minimum and we strongly suggest meeting the requirements of your local area as well.

What Do I Need to Know Before Going Street Legal?

I am a surplus military vehicles guy and RV guy myself, but I would go about getting a dirt bike ready to title and tag just the same.

First off, I’d ask: What paperwork do I have for the bike? Do I already own it, or am I looking at buying one? And if I am buying one, is it new from the factory or I am buying it used from a dealership, or used from an individual? Am I financing the purchase?

We don’t want to give off the impression that you don’t need any paperwork to get your bike tagged; it is certainly easier if you have a signed bill of sale, or an existing title.

Also, you need to figure out if you are able to add on the parts to get it DOT legal. If you can’t do it yourself, make sure you have a shop available that you trust to do the work, because if you don’t have the DOT-required items, you will 100% get pulled over. 

Keep This In Mind

You might want to consider how far you are willing to take this in terms of legality. For example, there are tons of cases of UTV/SXS owners having fully legal Montana registration and tags, running all DOT items and DOT tires, and still getting pulled over. Not only pulled over, but some had to fight hard in court.

A dirt bike is a little different because motorcycles are already allowed in all 50 states, but if you live in downtown NYC or LA and you decide to run a 2-stroke dirt bike all over town, you’re going to get noticed. It might not be the first time you ride it, but it will happen. And they will probably pull you over, and they might write you a ticket because they can’t wrap their head around what you are doing, especially if you had been riding wheelies and hitting sidewalks just moments ago.

If you have your day in court, unless you are confident enough to defend yourself in court, you will have to hire an attorney for representation. I don’t say this to dissuade any of you, but I feel you need to make the most informed decision possible. People do our programs and still get pulled over. Just keep your wits about you and try not to stand out like a sore thumb out there – you’re joining the street legal community now, and that’s something we all want to see stick around for the long term.

How Dirt Legal Can Help

If you own an OHV of any kind – especially a dirt bike – and want to drive it on the roadways legally, then Dirt Legal is your #1 choice. We have helped tens of thousands of customers with all kinds of title and registration issues, and we will get your dirt bike street legal, too, or your money back.

You can get started on the process now, and also make sure to check out or other OHV programs as well!