Free Motorcycle Permit Practice Test 2026 (MSF-Based)
What should a passenger do when you lean the motorcycle into a turn?
What's on the motorcycle knowledge test
Most states write their motorcycle permit test from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Motorcycle Operator Manual: the MSF says it has helped more than half the states adopt it for licensing. The questions here are written from that manual and checked against the page shown with each one.
Your state's licensing agency sets the number of questions and the pass mark for the real test, so check its motorcycle handbook for the exact figures. This practice test uses 25 questions drawn from 30 in our motorcycle bank, with 80% as the practice target.
- Questions and pass mark
- Set by each state's licensing agency; this practice test uses 25 questions and an 80% target
- Car permit needed?
- Rules differ by state. See the motorcycle hub for state-by-state notes
Manual chapters this test is drawn from
- Preparing to Ride: Gear, your motorcycle and your responsibilities - Helmet Use, Helmet Selection, Eye and Face Protection, Clothing, The Right Motorcycle for You, Get Familiar with the Motorcycle Controls, Check your Motorcycle, Know Your Responsibilities
- Ride Within Your Abilities: Basic vehicle control - Body Position, Shifting Gears, Braking, Turning
- Keeping Your Distance: Space around the motorcycle - Lane Positions, Following Another Vehicle, Being Followed, Passing and Being Passed, Lane Sharing, Merging Cars, Cars Alongside
- SEE: Search, Evaluate, Execute - Intersections, Blind Intersections, Passing Parked Cars, Parking at the Roadside
- Increasing Conspicuity: Being seen - Clothing, Headlight, Signals, Brake Light, Using Your Mirrors, Head Checks, Horn, Riding at Night
- Crash Avoidance: Emergency manoeuvres - Quick Stops, Swerving or Turning Quickly, Cornering
- Handling Dangerous Surfaces: Road surface hazards - Uneven Surfaces and Obstacles, Slippery Surfaces, Railroad Tracks, Trolley Tracks, and Pavement Seams
- Mechanical Problems: What to do when something fails - Tire Failure, Stuck Throttle, Wobble, Chain Problems, Engine Seizure
- Other hazards and loads: Animals, objects and passengers - Animals, Flying Objects, Getting Off the Road, Carrying Cargo and Passengers, Group Riding
- Being in Shape to Ride: Alcohol, drugs and fatigue - Alcohol and Other Drugs, Alcohol in the Body, Blood Alcohol Concentration, Alcohol and the Law, Consequences of Conviction, Minimize the Risk, Fatigue
Sample questions from this test, with answers
Want to test yourself first? Take the test above before reading these. Every answer below is checked against the source shown.
1. How should you adjust your riding at night?
- A. Ride a little faster to spend less time in the dark
- B. Slow down and leave a larger following distance (correct)
- C. Wear tinted eye protection to cut glare
- D. Use your high beam even when meeting cars
Why: At night it is harder to see and be seen, and distances are harder to judge. Ride slower than in daylight and keep three seconds or more behind the vehicle ahead. Use the high beam only when not following or meeting a car.
Source: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (Kansas edition, rev. 2020), p.27 (PDF p.27), Riding at Night
2. When riding through a curve, the best technique is to:
- A. Speed up on entry, then brake hard at the apex
- B. Brake steadily all the way through the whole curve
- C. Pull in the clutch and coast through it
- D. Slow first, look through, roll on the throttle (correct)
Why: Use four steps: slow down before the turn, look through it to where you want to go, press the grip to lean, and roll on the throttle through the turn to keep the motorcycle stable.
Source: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (Kansas edition, rev. 2020), p.15 (PDF p.15), Turning
3. Over half of all motorcycle-car crashes are caused by:
- A. Riders speeding on the highway
- B. Motorcycles rear-ending slowing cars
- C. Cars following motorcycles much too closely
- D. Drivers entering the rider's right-of-way (correct)
Why: More than half of motorcycle-car crashes happen when a driver enters the rider's right-of-way. Cars turning left in front of you and cars pulling out of side streets are the biggest dangers, so take extra care at intersections.
Source: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (Kansas edition, rev. 2020), p.22 (PDF p.22), Intersections
4. If you must stop quickly while riding through a curve, the best technique is to:
- A. Brake hard while staying at full lean
- B. Straighten the bike upright, then brake (correct)
- C. Lean further, then use the rear brake only
- D. Use only the front brake while leaning
Why: While leaning, some traction is used for cornering, so less is left for braking. The best method is to bring the motorcycle upright first and then brake. If that is not possible, brake lightly and add pressure as you straighten.
Source: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (Kansas edition, rev. 2020), p.28 (PDF p.28), Quick Stops
5. When approaching an intersection, an experienced rider will:
- A. Cover the clutch and brakes and slow down (correct)
- B. Speed up to clear the intersection sooner
- C. Make eye contact and expect drivers to yield
- D. Keep their speed and assume drivers see them
Why: Intersections have the greatest potential for conflict. Reduce speed and cover the clutch and both brakes to cut your reaction time. Eye contact does not mean a driver will yield.
Source: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (Kansas edition, rev. 2020), p.22 (PDF p.22), Intersections
6. What does the SEE strategy stand for in motorcycle safety?
- A. Speed, Equipment, Environment
- B. See, Escape, Enter
- C. Search, Evaluate, Execute (correct)
- D. Stop, Examine, Exit
Why: SEE is a three-step process: Search around you for hazards, Evaluate how they could create risk, and Execute your decision by adjusting speed, position or communicating.
Source: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (Kansas edition, rev. 2020), p.21 (PDF p.21), SEE