Speed limits and traffic rules for motorcycles in Türkiye

Türkiye sets lower speed limits for motorcycles than for cars. A new traffic law in February 2026 also replaced the old percentage-based speeding fines with fixed bands in km/h, and raised most fines sharply. Riders on foreign plates are checked and fined like everyone else.

Speed limits for motorcycles

The Highway Traffic Regulation gives each vehicle class its own limits. A normal motorcycle (class L3) is limited to 100 km/h even on the motorway, where cars may do more. Mopeds and other light two-wheelers have much lower limits and may not use motorways at all.

These are the general limits. Signs can set a different limit on a given stretch, and some city arterials have higher posted limits. Follow the signs. Do not assume the speed cars are doing applies to you.

No more 10% tolerance

Many drivers used to count on a 10% margin before a fine. Law No. 7574, published in the Official Gazette on 27 February 2026, ended the percentage system. Fines now start at a fixed number of km/h over the limit:

• Inside settlements: from 6 km/h over the limit.
• Outside settlements: from 11 km/h over the limit.

So 56 km/h in a 50 zone can already cost you money. On an open road with a 90 limit, 101 km/h is enough.

Speeding fines (2026)

These amounts come from Law 7574 and apply from 27 February 2026. Fines in Türkiye are normally revised each year, so check again in 2027.

If you pay within 15 days of being notified, you get a 25% discount. Unpaid fines can cause problems when you leave the country with your bike. See our checklist for riding into Türkiye.

Radar detectors and apps or devices that warn of speed cameras are also covered by the 2026 law. Owning one can bring a fine of 185,000 TL, and the device is confiscated.

Average-speed cameras

Besides fixed and mobile radar, Türkiye uses average-speed sections. Cameras read your plate at the start and end of a stretch. The system divides the distance by your travel time. Braking hard at a camera does not help if you rode too fast in between.

Diyarbakır, Mardin and Şanlıurfa got 10 such routes, 192 km in total, in 2024. In July 2025 the police (EGM) started average-speed checks on highways in nine more provinces: Ağrı, Bingöl, Bitlis, Elazığ, Malatya, Muş, Sakarya, Sivas and Van. The government's 2027 programme plans 44 more systems. If you ride east, expect them.

Helmets and gloves

A helmet is compulsory for the rider and the passenger, and it must be fastened. Since an amendment to the regulation in November 2025, protective gloves are also required for both. The rider must wear goggles unless the helmet has a visor that does the job.

Helmet fines under the 2026 law are 2,500 TL for a first offence, 5,000 TL for a second within a year, and 10,000 TL for the third and later.

Passengers

You may carry only as many passengers as your registration document allows. The passenger needs a proper seat behind the rider. Carrying a passenger without one costs 5,000 TL (2026). If you are stopped with too many people on board, the extras must get off at the nearest settlement.

Lanes and filtering

Turkish rules treat a motorcycle as a vehicle that occupies a full lane. Weaving between lanes and riding between lines of cars count as violations. In practice you will see local riders do it, but you can be fined for it. Riding on pavements or pedestrian areas is fined 5,000 TL (2026).

Stunts such as wheelies or standing on the seat are dealt with severely. In 2026 the fine is 46,000 TL, plus 60 days without your licence and 60 days of the bike being impounded.

Alcohol

The limit for motorcycle riders is 0.20 promil (0.2 g/l). The better-known 0.50 limit applies only to drivers of private cars. In practice, do not drink at all before riding.

Under the 2026 law, a first offence costs 25,000 TL and your licence is taken for six months. A second within five years costs 50,000 TL and two years. Refusing a test costs 150,000 TL and a five-year licence withdrawal, whatever your actual level.

Phones

Using a phone while riding is fined 5,000 TL in 2026. A second offence within a year costs 10,000 TL. From the third, each offence is 20,000 TL and the licence is taken for 30 days.

Papers when stopped

Police and gendarmerie checkpoints are common, especially on intercity roads. Keep your licence, registration and insurance where you can reach them. See our licence and IDP guide and our insurance guide.

Quick checklist

• Limits known: 50 town, 80 two-lane road, 90 divided road, 100 motorway
• No 10% margin: fines start 6 km/h over in towns, 11 km/h over outside
• Average-speed sections expected, especially in the east
• No radar detector or camera-warning device
• Helmet and gloves for rider and passenger; goggles or a visor
• Passenger only if the registration allows and there is a proper seat
• No filtering between lanes
• Alcohol: 0.20 promil for motorcycles, so none at all
• Phone mounted and not handled while riding
• Any fines paid within 15 days for the discount, and before you leave