California Motorcycle Permit Practice Test

20 sample California motorcycle questions

Every question below comes from the California motorcycle question bank on this page. Open a question to see the correct answer and the explanation. Nothing here is hidden behind a signup.

1. 1. In California, which license class lets you ride any two wheel motorcycle, motor driven cycle or motorized scooter?

   1. Class M1
   2. Class M2
   3. Class C
   4. Class A
   Show answer

   Class M1. California issues two license classes for two wheel vehicles. Class M1 lets you operate any two wheel motorcycle, motor driven cycle or motorized scooter, plus everything listed under Class M2. Class M2 is narrower and covers only motorized bicycles, mopeds and motorized scooters, so it will not let you ride a regular motorcycle. A Class C license does allow a motorcycle with a sidecar attached or a three wheel motorcycle, which is why it is a tempting guess, but it does not cover a two wheel motorcycle.

2. 2. Which set of restrictions comes with a California Class M1 or M2 instruction permit?

   1. No passengers, but freeways and night riding are allowed
   2. No passengers, no freeway riding and no riding at night
   3. No night riding, but one passenger and freeways are allowed
   4. No freeway riding unless a licensed adult rides along
   Show answer

   No passengers, no freeway riding and no riding at night. Every California motorcycle instruction permit, whatever your age, carries three restrictions. You may not carry passengers, you may not ride on the freeway and you may not ride at night. These limits keep a new rider out of the situations that demand the most skill: extra weight that changes handling, high speed traffic and poor visibility. The handbook gives no exception for riding with a licensed companion, so none of the three restrictions can be lifted that way while you hold the permit.

3. 3. For a California applicant aged 18 to 20, how long must the motorcycle instruction permit be held before getting the license?

   1. At least 6 months
   2. At least 30 days
   3. At least 12 months
   4. No holding period applies to this age group
   Show answer

   At least 6 months. The requirements chart in the handbook lists the items each age group must complete. Applicants aged 15 and a half to 17 and applicants aged 18 to 20 must both have an instruction permit for at least 6 months before being licensed, while the chart marks this as not applicable for applicants 21 and over. Many learners assume the waiting period ends at 18, as it does for some car rules, but for a motorcycle license it continues until age 21.

4. 4. When most riders crash at under 30 mph, by how much can a DOT compliant helmet cut the number and severity of head injuries?

   1. By 10 percent
   2. By 25 percent
   3. By 50 percent
   4. By 90 percent
   Show answer

   By 50 percent. The handbook points out that most collisions happen on short trips of less than five miles and that most riders are going slower than 30 mph when a collision occurs. At those speeds, a U.S. DOT compliant motorcycle safety helmet can cut both the number and the severity of head injuries by 50 percent. Riders sometimes skip the helmet on short, slow errands, but these facts show that is exactly when most crashes happen. Head injuries account for most serious and fatal motorcyclist injuries.

5. 5. When should you avoid wearing tinted eye protection or a tinted face shield?

   1. On bright sunny afternoons
   2. At night or when little light is available
   3. Whenever you ride on the freeway
   4. Only when it is raining heavily
   Show answer

   At night or when little light is available. The handbook notes that tinted eye protection or tinted face shields should not be worn at night or when little light is available. The handbook also reminds riders that at night it is harder to see and be seen, and it tells you to get all the light you can. Freeway riding and rain are not the conditions this warning addresses, so the deciding factor is simply how much light is available.

6. 6. More than half of all motorcycle collisions involve riders with how much experience?

   1. Less than one month
   2. Less than two years
   3. More than ten years
   4. Less than six months
   Show answer

   Less than six months. The handbook warns that more than half of all collisions occur by motorcycle riders with less than six months experience, and that riding an unfamiliar motorcycle adds to the problem. For that reason it tells you to get familiar with any motorcycle new to you, preferably in a controlled area, no matter how experienced you are. Find the turn signals, horn, headlight dimmer, fuel valve and engine cut off switch without looking, learn the gear pattern and work the controls a few times before riding.

7. 7. How should you position your right wrist when you start riding?

   1. Rolled down to keep the throttle partly open
   2. Flat, so you will not use too much throttle
   3. Bent upward to rest on the handlebar
   4. Loose, holding the grip with two fingers
   Show answer

   Flat, so you will not use too much throttle. For body position, the handbook says to hold the handlegrips firmly and start with your right wrist flat so you will not accidentally use too much throttle. It also recommends adjusting the handlebars so your hands are even with or below your elbows, which lets you use the proper muscles for precise steering. Sit far enough forward that your arms are slightly bent, keep your knees against the tank and your feet firmly on the footrests.

8. 8. During a tight U turn, which brake technique does the handbook describe for controlling speed?

   1. Squeeze the front brake firmly through the turn
   2. Drag the rear brake and leave the front brake alone
   3. Use neither brake and coast with the clutch in
   4. Apply both brakes hard just before turning
   Show answer

   Drag the rear brake and leave the front brake alone. Dragging the rear brake means using the rear brake to control the bike's speed and keep it stable, such as during a U turn. The handbook says the front brake should not be used during this maneuver because it could cause the bike to tip over. Combine this with looking through the turn, riding in the friction zone of the clutch and keeping your weight centered on the footrests. Practice wide U turns in an empty lot, then tighten them gradually in both directions.

9. 9. In a slow, tight turn, how should your body and the motorcycle lean?

   1. Lean your body further than the motorcycle
   2. Keep your body straight and lean only the motorcycle
   3. Lean together at the same angle
   4. Keep both upright and steer only with the bars
   Show answer

   Keep your body straight and lean only the motorcycle. The handbook distinguishes normal turns from slow, tight ones. In normal turns, the rider and the motorcycle should lean together at the same angle. In slow, tight turns, the rider should keep his or her body straight and only lean the motorcycle. So the answer depends on the type of turn: leaning together suits normal turns, while slow tight turns call for an upright body over a leaned motorcycle. Keeping the bike itself upright is not described for either kind of turn.

10. 10. May motorcyclists use California carpool or HOV lanes?

    1. Only with a passenger on board
    2. Only outside of commute hours
    3. No, carpool lanes are closed to motorcycles
    4. Yes, unless otherwise posted
    Show answer

    Yes, unless otherwise posted. A carpool lane is a special freeway lane used only for carpools, buses, motorcycles or decaled low emission vehicles, and it is marked with a diamond symbol and the words Carpool Lane. The handbook states that motorcyclists are allowed to use carpool or HOV lanes unless otherwise posted. Do not cross double parallel lines to enter or exit the lane except at designated places. The exception is a motorcycle towing a trailer, which is not allowed in carpool lanes.

11. 11. What is the better way to handle a tailgater who is following you too closely?

    1. Let them pass, or slow down and open space ahead
    2. Speed up to pull away from them
    3. Tap your brakes hard to warn them off
    4. Move onto the shoulder and stop at once
    Show answer

    Let them pass, or slow down and open space ahead. The handbook points out that speeding up to lose a tailgater only leaves you with someone tailgating you at a higher speed. A better way is to allow them to pass. If you cannot, slow down and open up extra space ahead of you, which gives both of you more room to stop and encourages the tailgater to pass. If you are being tailgated, it is also a good idea to flash your brake light before you slow down, rather than braking hard without warning.

12. 12. What do the letters in the SEE strategy stand for?

    1. See, Estimate, Escape
    2. Scan, Encounter, Exit
    3. Signal, Enter, Evaluate
    4. Search, Evaluate, Execute
    Show answer

    Search, Evaluate, Execute. SEE is a three step process experienced riders use to make good judgments and apply them in traffic. Search means actively looking ahead, to the sides and behind to spot potential hazards and escape routes. Evaluate means thinking about how those hazards can create risks and planning to reduce them. Execute means carrying out your decision by communicating your presence, adjusting your speed and adjusting your lane position. The handbook says using SEE is especially critical at intersections.

13. 13. A driver waiting to turn appears to make eye contact with you. What should you assume?

    1. The driver has seen you and will wait
    2. You now have the right of way guaranteed
    3. You can safely speed up through the intersection
    4. Eye contact does not mean the driver will yield
    Show answer

    Eye contact does not mean the driver will yield. The handbook warns never to count on eye contact as a sign that a driver will yield to you. Too often a driver can look right at a motorcyclist and still fail to see them, because most drivers are not looking for motorcycles. The only eyes you can count on are your own. If a vehicle can enter your path, assume it will, and be ready with reduced speed, a visible lane position and your hands covering the brakes.

14. 14. How much more likely is a motorcycle to be noticed when its headlight is on?

    1. No more likely in daylight
    2. Ten times as likely
    3. Three times as likely
    4. Twice as likely
    Show answer

    Twice as likely. The handbook calls keeping the headlight, and running lights if equipped, on at all times the best way to help others see your motorcycle. A motorcycle with its light on is twice as likely to be noticed. Using the high beam during the day and at night further increases the chance that oncoming drivers will see you, when it is legal and safe. In fog, use the low beam instead. The figure three times belongs to helmet survival, a different fact.

15. 15. If bright sunlight makes your turn signal lights hard to see, what does the handbook suggest?

    1. Sound the horn before each turn
    2. Use hand signals
    3. Turn on the high beam while turning
    4. Skip signaling and turn quickly
    Show answer

    Use hand signals. Your turn signals tell others what you plan to do and also make you easier to see. The handbook recognizes that bright sunlight can wash out the small signal lights on a motorcycle, and in that case it says to use hand signals. Hand signals make your intention clear when the lights cannot. Skipping the signal or relying on the horn leaves drivers guessing, and the high beam says nothing about which way you plan to go.

16. 16. At night, when should you use your high beam?

    1. Only on freeways, never on city streets
    2. Never, since it blinds other drivers
    3. Only while following another vehicle closely
    4. When not following or approaching another vehicle
    Show answer

    When not following or approaching another vehicle. At night it is harder to see and be seen, and the handbook says to get all the light you can. Use your high beam whenever you are not following or approaching another vehicle. It also suggests reducing speed, opening up a three second or more following distance, using the headlights of the vehicle ahead to see the road, wearing reflective clothing and staying flexible about lane position. When you are following or approaching another vehicle, switch back to the low beam.

17. 17. If you must stop quickly while leaning in a curve, what is the best technique?

    1. Brake hard while staying leaned over
    2. Straighten the motorcycle first, then brake
    3. Use only the front brake while leaned
    4. Lean further and accelerate out of the curve
    Show answer

    Straighten the motorcycle first, then brake. When you lean, some of your traction is used for cornering, leaving less for stopping. The handbook says the best technique for a quick stop in a curve is to straighten the motorcycle first and then brake. If straightening first is not possible, apply the brakes lightly and reduce the throttle, then as you slow, reduce the lean angle and apply more brake pressure until the bike is upright and maximum braking is possible. Straighten the handlebars in the last few feet.

18. 18. With no traffic around, what path through a curve does the handbook describe to increase your line of sight?

    1. Start inside, stay inside the whole curve
    2. Stay on the center line throughout
    3. Outside, then inside, then outside to exit
    4. Start outside and stay outside to the end
    Show answer

    Outside, then inside, then outside to exit. Your best path may not always follow the curve of the road. If there is no traffic, the handbook says to start at the outside of a curve to increase your line of sight and the effective radius of the turn. As you turn, move toward the inside of the curve, and as you pass the center, move to the outside to exit. Another approach is to move to the center of your lane before the curve and stay there, which lets you see approaching traffic as soon as possible.

19. 19. Where do patches of ice tend to develop first?

    1. On sunny hilltops and open straightaways
    2. In the center of busy intersections
    3. Only on unpaved dirt roads in the hills
    4. Low or shaded areas, bridges and overpasses
    Show answer

    Low or shaded areas, bridges and overpasses. The handbook reminds riders that rain dries and snow melts faster on some sections of a road than on others. Patches of ice tend to develop in low or shaded areas, on bridges and on overpasses. Wet leaves are just as slippery as wet road surfaces. Ride on the least slippery portion of the lane and reduce your speed. Cautious riders steer clear of roads covered with ice or snow, and if they cannot avoid them, keep the motorcycle upright and go as slowly as possible.

20. 20. If a tire goes flat and braking is needed, which brake should you use?

    1. Brake hard with the brake on the flat tire
    2. Gradually apply the brake of the tire that is not flat
    3. Use both brakes at full strength
    4. Never brake; coast until the bike falls
    Show answer

    Gradually apply the brake of the tire that is not flat. If either tire goes flat while riding, hold the handlegrips firmly, ease off the throttle and keep a straight course. The handbook says that if braking is required, gradually apply the brake of the tire that is not flat, if you are sure which one it is. When the motorcycle slows, ride to the side of the road, squeeze the clutch and stop. Hard braking, especially on the damaged tire, can cost you the control you are trying to keep.