Maine BMV Motorcycle Practice Test 37
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. What is the recommended way to park a motorcycle at a curb?
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Answer C: At an angle, with the rear wheel touching the curb
Backing the rear wheel to the curb at an angle keeps the motorcycle clear of traffic and lets the rider ride out forward instead of backing into the lane.
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2. At an intersection the signal flashes red toward you and flashes yellow toward the cross street. Who must yield?
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Answer D: You must, because the flashing red faces your road
A flashing red means stop and yield like a stop sign, while a flashing yellow lets the other road proceed with caution.
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3. Traffic in your lane is backed up and the paved shoulder looks clear. May you drive along it to get past?
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Answer C: No, the shoulder is not a travel lane
Passing must be done within the roadway; driving on the shoulder to get around traffic is prohibited and surprises anyone entering from the right.
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4. About how far ahead do low beam headlights let you see on a dark road?
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Answer B: About 250 feet
Low beams light roughly 250 feet of road, and high beams roughly 350 to 500 feet, which sets the limit on a safe night speed.
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5. Traffic is backed up just past the exit you want to use at a single-lane roundabout. What should you do?
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Answer D: Wait at the yield line until you can pass through and exit
You must not enter a roundabout unless you can clear it, because stopping inside blocks every other entry.
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6. If Maine waives the motorcycle road test because the applicant completed the Basic Rider Course, what condition applies?
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Answer C: The rider may not carry a passenger for 60 days after the endorsement is issued
Maine allows the road test to be waived on proof of completing the Basic Rider Course, but the endorsement then prohibits carrying a passenger for 60 days.
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7. What is the benefit of looking far down the road rather than just ahead of the hood?
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Answer A: You steer with smaller corrections and you see trouble in plenty of time
A distant view steadies your steering and gives you time to plan, because you meet hazards after you have already seen them.
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8. A Maine driver is summonsed for not having a license in possession but was in fact licensed at the time. What may happen?
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Answer B: The complaint may be dismissed on satisfactory evidence that the license was valid
Maine allows the complaint to be dismissed when the person shows satisfactory evidence of having held a valid license at the time of the alleged violation.
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9. Does wearing properly fitted earplugs stop a rider from hearing important sounds?
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Answer C: No, they lower overall noise while horns and speech still register
Earplugs reduce the wind roar that masks everything else, so riders wearing them often hear traffic more clearly, not less, while their hearing is protected.
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10. You are riding on a multi-lane road with a car traveling beside you in the lane on your right. Which lane position is usually best?
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Answer D: The left portion, so you keep a cushion of space from the car alongside
Lane position is chosen to hold space between the motorcycle and the nearest hazard, and here that hazard is the vehicle on the right.
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11. A bicycle symbol topped by two chevrons is painted in the middle of a travel lane. What does that marking indicate?
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Answer D: Bicyclists share the lane with motor vehicles and may ride away from the curb
A shared lane marking shows drivers where bicyclists are likely to ride in a lane used by both bicycles and motor vehicles.
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12. How can you tell a tire has reached its wear limit without measuring it?
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Answer C: The wear bars across the grooves become level with the tread
Molded bars sit at the bottom of the grooves. Once the surrounding tread has worn down to them, the tire has reached the end of its safe life.
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13. How does weight transfer during braking change what each brake can do?
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Answer A: Weight moves forward, so the front tire grips harder and the rear grips less
Deceleration pitches the machine forward onto the front wheel, which is why the front brake supplies most of the stopping power and the rear locks easily.
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14. Besides liability cover, what amount of medical payments coverage must a Maine policy include?
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Answer C: 2,000 dollars
Maine's financial responsibility minimums include 2,000 dollars of medical payments coverage alongside the liability limits.
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15. You are traveling a long distance on a highway with three lanes in your direction, at about the speed of the surrounding traffic. Which lane is generally the best choice?
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Answer C: The center lane, which keeps you clear of merging traffic and of overtaking traffic
On a three-lane roadway the center lane avoids both the ramp traffic on the right and the overtaking traffic on the left, so it usually has the steadiest flow.
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16. You are passing a line of slow traffic in the lane beside you and you notice a gap in that line ahead. What should you expect?
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Answer A: A vehicle may pull out of that gap into your lane
A gap in a slow line is an invitation to any driver waiting to turn out of a side street or to change lanes, and they are looking at the gap rather than at you.
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17. What does a yield sign require of a driver?
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Answer A: Slow down, and stop when necessary, so conflicting traffic can go first
A yield sign obliges the driver to reduce to a speed suited to conditions and to stop when needed so that conflicting traffic or pedestrians are not interfered with.
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18. How should a passenger swing their leg when getting off the motorcycle?
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Answer D: High and clear of the exhaust and the rear of the machine
A leg dragged low across the back of the motorcycle can catch the seat or the luggage and will find the hot exhaust, so it is lifted well clear.
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19. A minor drop has left the clutch lever bent, although it still works. What should be done?
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Answer B: Have the lever replaced before the motorcycle is ridden again
A bent lever has already been weakened and can break off in use, leaving the rider without that control at the worst possible moment.
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20. A vehicle coming toward you has drifted into your lane. What should you do?
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Answer D: Slow down, sound the horn, flash your lights and steer to the right if possible
Moving right gives the other driver space to recover and keeps you out of the lane they are most likely to return to. Braking reduces the force of any impact.
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21. You are riding along a street lined with parked cars. What is the safest approach?
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Answer D: Move away from the parked cars, slow down, and watch for doors and people
Doors open, drivers pull out and pedestrians step between vehicles, so extra space and a lower speed give the rider time to see and react.
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22. In a work zone the temporary lane lines conflict with the old lines still visible on the pavement. Which do you follow?
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Answer C: The temporary markings, which show the current traffic pattern
Temporary markings define the traffic pattern in force, and the old lines are simply the layout that no longer applies.
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23. Why is a sign reading BRIDGE ICES BEFORE ROAD worth heeding even when the road itself is merely wet?
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Answer C: Cold air passes under a bridge as well as over it
A bridge deck loses heat from below as well as above, so it can be frozen while the road on either side of it is only wet.
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24. You are riding in the right hand lane of a freeway and vehicles ahead are merging on from an entrance ramp. What is the best response?
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Answer C: Change lanes if you safely can, or adjust speed to open a gap for them
Merging drivers are looking over a shoulder for a gap and easily miss a motorcycle, so the rider makes room rather than waiting to be seen.
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25. Why is repeatedly changing lanes to work through heavy traffic a poor idea?
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Answer A: It raises the crash risk and saves almost no time
Each lane change adds a conflict with another vehicle, and in congestion the lanes move at similar average speeds, so the gain is negligible.