Maine BMV Motorcycle Practice Test 53
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. When should a rider add a layer on a ride that is turning cold?
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Answer D: Before you start to feel cold, at the next convenient stop
Once a rider is chilled it takes a long time to warm up again, and cold hands and slowed reactions cost control, so add layers before the cold takes hold.
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2. A driver holds a steady highway speed into the section this sign warns about. What is the most likely result?
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Answer B: The vehicle runs wide toward the outside and can cross into another lane or leave the pavement
Holding speed into a change of alignment asks the tires for more side grip than they can supply, so the vehicle runs wide and the driver is left with less room to correct.
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3. A raised area crosses the roadway and carries a series of white markings on its face. What are those markings for?
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Answer A: To make the hump visible so drivers slow for it
Speed hump markings warn drivers that the pavement rises, which matters most at night or when the hump is in shadow.
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4. You are stopped at a red light ready to turn right when a person pushing a stroller steps into the crosswalk. What should you do?
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Answer A: Stay stopped until they have crossed your path
A turn on red gives way to every pedestrian in the crosswalk, and someone pushing a stroller has even less room to react.
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5. Which rough check suggests that a helmet is a novelty shell rather than a certified helmet?
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Answer C: It weighs about a pound, far less than a certified helmet
A certified helmet weighs roughly three pounds because of its shell and thick liner, while a novelty shell is very light. Weight is only a clue, and the certification label is the real check.
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6. At a freeway exit ramp, this sign normally backs up which other regulatory sign posted nearer to the ramp terminal?
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Answer D: The sign that forbids entering that roadway at all
The two work as a pair at ramp terminals: one keeps drivers from turning in, and this one sits farther along to catch a driver who has already entered.
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7. You are pulling out of a farm entrance onto a rural highway. What is your obligation?
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Answer C: Yield to every vehicle already on the highway before you enter the roadway
A driver entering a highway from a private road or driveway yields to every vehicle already on the highway.
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8. Without a depth gauge, how can a rider tell that a tire has worn out?
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Answer A: The tread has worn down level with the wear bars set into the grooves
Wear bars are molded across the bottom of the tread grooves, and once the tread surface reaches them the tire has no usable depth left.
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9. You are already leaned over in a curve when you see loose gravel spread across the road ahead. What is the best response?
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Answer B: Slow gently, bring the bike more upright, and cross the gravel with steady throttle
A leaned tire has little grip left for braking or for loose stones. Reduce speed smoothly, get the motorcycle as upright as the curve allows, and hold a steady throttle across the gravel.
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10. You cannot avoid an obstacle lying in the road. At what angle should you try to cross it?
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Answer D: As close to 90 degrees as possible
Meeting the obstacle squarely keeps the front wheel from being deflected sideways as it climbs over the edge.
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11. What has to be done with the helmet chin strap on every ride?
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Answer B: Fastened snugly, because an unfastened helmet comes off in a crash
A helmet only protects while it stays on the head, and an unfastened or loose strap lets it leave the head in the first moments of a crash.
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12. How should a group plan its rest stops on a long day?
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Answer A: Around the rider who tires first, with breaks before anyone is worn out
Fatigue destroys judgment long before a rider admits to it, so the break schedule follows the least rested rider rather than the strongest one.
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13. Why should pant legs be secured and bootlaces tucked away?
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Answer A: Loose fabric and laces can tangle in the chain, the controls or a wheel
Anything hanging near the moving parts of a motorcycle can be caught and pulled in, which can trap a foot or lock the rear wheel.
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14. You arrive at an intersection with no signs, no signals and no markings at the same time as a vehicle on the road to your right. What must you do?
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Answer B: Yield to the vehicle on your right
At an uncontrolled intersection you must yield to a vehicle already in the intersection or approaching from your right.
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15. A bicyclist ahead of you extends the left arm out with the forearm bent upward. What does that signal mean?
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Answer A: The bicyclist intends to turn right
Bicyclists use the same hand signals as drivers: left arm straight out means left, left arm bent up means right, and left arm bent down means stop or slow.
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16. Where should a rider in the middle of a group direct their attention?
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Answer A: Well ahead through the group and around it, not just at the rider in front
Watching only the machine ahead hides the traffic and hazards further up the road, and it leaves the rider reacting late to everything the group meets.
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17. Once a driver has joined the route this sign begins, how is the rest of the way marked?
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Answer B: By further markers of the same kind at each turn, until the original road is rejoined
The alternate route is signed continuously, with a marker at every turn, so a driver with no local knowledge can follow it back to the original road.
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18. What limits how much weight a motorcycle can carry?
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Answer A: The load limit given by the manufacturer for that machine
The manufacturer's figure covers the rider, the passenger and everything carried, and going over it overloads the tires, the brakes and the suspension.
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19. How can a rider check the action of the front suspension while the motorcycle is stationary?
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Answer D: Hold the front brake on and push down on the bars to feel the forks move and return
Compressing the forks against the front brake shows whether they move smoothly and return without binding, sticking or making noise.
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20. In a staggered group, where does the leader normally ride?
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Answer B: In the left portion of the lane
The leader takes the left portion of the lane, which gives a wide view of the road ahead and sets up the staggered pattern for everyone behind.
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21. A line beside your lane is painted about twice the normal width. What does the extra width convey?
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Answer B: Greater emphasis on the restriction it carries
Width is part of the marking code: a wide line carries more emphasis than a normal one, which is why it is used at gores and channelizing lines.
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22. How does marijuana affect a driver?
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Answer C: It slows reaction time and impairs judgment of time and distance
Marijuana impairs coordination, attention and the ability to judge speed and distance. Driving while impaired by it is illegal everywhere, even where its use is legal.
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23. You notice a bulge on the sidewall of one of your tires. What should you do?
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Answer D: Have the tire replaced before driving far, because it could blow out
A sidewall bulge means the internal cords have broken and only the rubber is holding the air. The tire can fail suddenly at any speed.
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24. To make a motorcycle lean into a turn at normal riding speed, the rider should:
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Answer C: Press forward on the handgrip on the side of the turn
This is countersteering: press left to lean left and go left, press right to lean right and go right.
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25. The rear tire loses air suddenly while you are riding. Which symptom should you expect and how should you respond?
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Answer D: The rear sways or feels heavy, so ease off and slow with the front brake
A rear flat makes the back of the motorcycle wallow or sway, so hold your line, close the throttle gently and slow mainly with the brake on the wheel that still has air.