California Motorcycle Knowledge Test Cheat Sheet
The fastest way to review before your DMV motorcycle test — the numbers and rules most likely to appear.
🪪 Permit & License
- Class M1 — any two-wheel motorcycle; Class M2 — moped/scooter
- Pass two written tests: driver knowledge + motorcycle knowledge
- Applicants under 21 must complete a CMSP training course first
- DL 389 (course certificate) waives the skills test — valid 12 months
- Permit holders 15½–20 must hold the permit at least 6 months
- Permit restrictions: no passengers, no freeway, no night riding
🔢 Most-Tested Numbers
- Following gap2 seconds minimum
- Slippery / heavy / night3 seconds or more
- Front brakeAbout 3/4 of stopping power
- Scan ahead10 to 15 seconds
- BAC limit 21+0.08%
- BAC limit under 210.01% (zero tolerance)
🪖 Helmet & Gear
- Helmet required — every rider and passenger, every age (CVC §27803)
- Must be U.S. DOT compliant and meet FMVSS 218
- Eye/face protection is highly suggested — not required by CA law
- DOT label must be permanent, not an easily removed sticker
- A face shield protects your whole face; goggles only the eyes
- Never wear tinted eye protection at night
✅ Remember This Answer
- Quick stop? Use both brakes at the same time
- Front brake? Squeeze firmly — never grab it
- Curve? Slow, Look, Press, Roll
- To lean/turn? Press the handgrip toward the turn
- Swerve? Brake before or after — never during
- Stuck throttle? Kill switch + pull in the clutch
✅ Remember This Answer (2)
- Starts to rain? Ride in cars' tire tracks, not the center
- Railroad tracks? Cross straight, within your lane
- Foggy? Use the low beam
- Cut reaction time? Cover the clutch and both brakes
- Be seen by day? Headlight on — 2× as likely to be noticed
- Where do most crashes happen? At intersections
⚠️ Common Test Traps
- "Stop fastest" → Both brakes — not front alone, not rear first
- "No room to stop" → Swerve — don't just brake harder
- "Brake while swerving" → Wrong — brake before or after only
- "Following distance" → 2 sec; 3+ in poor conditions
- "Made eye contact" → Driver still may not see you
- "Eye protection required?" → In CA it's suggested, not law
⚠️ More Test Traps
- "Curve too fast" → Slow before — don't brake hard mid-curve
- "Wobble" → Roll off throttle gradually — never accelerate out
- "Animal in your lane in traffic" → Stay in your lane
- "Carrying a passenger" → Bike responds slower — ride slower
- "Tailgater behind you" → Let them pass; open space ahead
- "Front brake in a U-turn" → Avoid it — it can tip you over
🚨 Emergency Situations
- Tire goes flat → Hold grips, ease off throttle, keep straight
- Stuck throttle → Twist it; if still stuck, kill switch + clutch
- Wobble → Close throttle gradually — don't brake, don't accelerate
- Front wheel locks → Release the front brake, then reapply firmly
- Rear wheel locks (good traction) → Keep it locked until stopped
- Engine seizes → Squeeze the clutch, pull off the road
🌧️ Surfaces, Weather & Night
- Pavement is most slippery in the first minutes of rain
- Slippery surface: slow before it, no sudden moves, both brakes gently
- Cross parallel seams or tracks at 45° or more
- Night: slow down and open a 3-second-plus following gap
- Night: high beam when not following or meeting a car
- Wet leaves are as slippery as wet pavement
🏍️ Motorcycle Control
- Press the grip toward the turn to lean (press left → lean left → go left)
- Use both brakes every stop — the front gives ~3/4 of the power
- Corner in four steps: SLOW · LOOK · PRESS · ROLL
- Slow tight turn: lean the bike only, keep your body straight
- Each lane has 3 paths — pick the one that helps you see and be seen
- Change gears before the turn, not during it
🍺 Alcohol & Impairment
- Legal limit 21+0.08% BAC
- Under 21 — zero tolerance0.01% BAC
- Commercial vehicle0.04% BAC
- Alcohol clears~1 drink per hour
- As little as one drink significantly affects your riding
- Alcohol affects riding more than any other single factor
🎯 Last-Minute Before the Test
- Both brakes to stop — front brake = about 3/4 of the power
- Every curve: SLOW · LOOK · PRESS · ROLL
- Press the grip toward the turn to lean
- Brake OR swerve — never both at once
- Follow at 2 seconds — 3+ when wet, heavy, or at night
- Helmet always; CA does not legally require eye protection
- SEE = Search, Evaluate, Execute · 0.08% BAC = illegal at 21+
Confirm every number against the official California Motorcycle Handbook (DL 665) before test day. Full helmet law →
Source: Some test details are confirmed by the state agency; the rest reflect the consensus of major rider-education sources. The motorcycle knowledge test contains 25 questions; you must answer 20 correctly (80%) to pass.