The FIM traces its origins to the Fédération Internationale des Clubs Motocyclistes (FICM), founded in Paris, France, on 21 December 1904. The British Auto-Cycle Union was among its founding members. The FICM was dissolved in 1906 but reconstituted in 1912 with its headquarters relocated to England. The Six Days Reliability Trial, held the following year, became the first international event staged by the reconstituted organisation.
In 1949 the name was changed to Fédération Internationale Motocycliste, the same year that saw the first race of the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix. The headquarters transferred to Geneva, Switzerland in 1959, and again in 1994 to Mies, Switzerland, where the organisation occupied its own purpose-built premises shaped like a stylised motorcycle wheel — the first time in its history it had done so.
The name was changed once more in 1998 to the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme at the congress in Cape Town, South Africa. That same year the FIM was granted provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee, achieving full IOC status in 2000 at the Sydney Summer Olympics.
The organisation's centenary was marked in 2004 with celebrations at the congress in Paris. Since 2018, Jorge Viegas of Portugal has served as President of the FIM. In 2024, the FIM moved to a new headquarters adjacent to its former building in Mies, while the original premises were converted into the Racing Motorcycle Museum, which opened on 18 February 2026.
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FIM banned all Russian and Belarusian motorcycle riders, teams, officials, and competitions on 6 March 2022.
The FIM sanctions a wide array of championships. In circuit racing these include the MotoGP World Championship, the Superbike World Championship, the Women's Circuit Racing World Championship, and feeder series such as Moto2, Moto3, Supersport, and Sportbike. Endurance disciplines include the FIM Endurance World Championship and the International Six Days Enduro. Speedway is represented by the Speedway Grand Prix and associated national and gender championships. Off-road and rally-raid disciplines are covered by the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship, the Motocross World Championship, the Supercross World Championship, and several national cup series. Sidecar and ATV categories complete the portfolio.
The FIM is also involved in non-racing activities promoting the sport, rider safety, and relevant public policy. It was the first international sporting federation to publish an Environmental Code, doing so in 1994. In 2007, the FIM established a Commission for Women in Motorcycling to promote powered two-wheelers and motorcycle sports among women. Since 2019, the FIM has operated its own helmet testing and homologation regime, requiring manufacturers to submit helmets for laboratory testing to FIM-specified standards before they may be used in sanctioned competition.