Delaware 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
- Ride a motorcycle with an 'M' endorsement on your Delaware driver license
- You must already be a Delaware licensed driver to apply
- Age 18+: pass written, eye and road-sign tests
- Under 18: complete the State-approved Motorcycle Rider Education Course
- A parent's signature is required for the 'M' endorsement if under 18
- Apply at Wilmington, Delaware City, Dover or Georgetown DMV
🔢 Most-Tested Numbers
- Knowledge test25 questions, 20 to pass (80%)
- Following gap2 seconds minimum
- Wet / heavy traffic3 seconds or more
- Front brake70%+ of stopping power
- Search ahead12 seconds
- Adult BAC limit0.08%
🪖 Helmet & Gear
- Riders up to 19 years old must wear an approved safety helmet
- Every rider — any age — must carry an approved helmet in their possession
- Approved eye protection is required for every rider, all ages
- A face shield protects your whole face; goggles protect only the eyes
- Keep your headlight on at all times
- Never wear tinted eye protection at night
✅ Remember This Answer
- Quick stop? Use both brakes together
- Front brake? Squeeze firmly — never grab
- Curve? Slow, Look, Press, Roll
- To lean and turn? Press the handgrip toward the turn
- Swerve? Brake before or after — never during
- Stopped in traffic? Stay in first gear
✅ Remember This Answer (2)
- Starts to rain? Ride in cars' tire tracks, not the center
- Railroad tracks? Cross straight, within your lane
- Tailgater behind you? Change lanes and let them pass
- Cut reaction time? Cover the clutch and both brakes
- Daytime visibility? Headlight on — 2× as likely to be seen
- Made eye contact? The driver still may not yield
⚠️ Common Test Traps
- "No room to stop" → Swerve — don't just brake harder
- "Stop fastest" → Both brakes — not front alone, not rear first
- "Brake while swerving" → Wrong — brake before or after only
- "It starts to rain" → Slow down, ride in the tire tracks
- "Following distance" → 2 sec; 3+ in poor conditions
- "Front-wheel locks" → Release immediately, then reapply
⚠️ More Test Traps
- "Curve ahead, too fast" → Slow before — don't brake hard mid-curve
- "Lane sharing" → Usually prohibited — a car needs a full lane
- "Chased by a dog" → Approach slowly, then accelerate away
- "Carrying a passenger" → Bike responds slower — ride slower
- "Small animal in your lane" → Stay in your lane — don't swerve into traffic
- "Waited an hour per drink" → Side effects can still remain
🚨 Emergency Situations
- Tire goes flat → Hold grips, ease off throttle, keep straight, edge off the road
- Stuck throttle → Twist it; if still stuck, kill switch + squeeze clutch
- Wobble → Close throttle gradually — don't brake, don't accelerate
- Rear wheel locks → Keep it locked until stopped if straight and upright
- Obstacle you must cross → Hit it near 90°, slow, straight, rise onto the pegs
- 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 grooves at 45° or more
- Ice forms in shaded areas, on bridges and overpasses
- Night: ride slower and open a 3-second-plus following gap
- Permit holders may not ride between sunset and sunrise
🏍️ Motorcycle Control
- Countersteer: press left grip → lean left → go left
- Use both brakes every stop — the front gives 70%+ of the power
- Corner in four steps: SLOW · LOOK · PRESS · ROLL
- Slow tight turn: lean the bike only, keep your body upright
- Pick the lane third that helps you see and be seen
- Head-check your blind spot before every lane change
🍺 Alcohol & Impairment
- Adult intoxicated0.08% BAC
- Under-21 limit0.00–0.02% BAC
- Alcohol leaves the body~1 drink per hour
- As little as one drink hurts judgment and balance
- Judgment is impaired well below the legal limit
- 7 drinks in 3 hours leaves about 4 drinks still in your system
🎯 Last-Minute Before the Test
- 25 questions — 20 correct (80%) to pass
- Both brakes to stop — front brake = 70%+ of power
- Every curve: SLOW · LOOK · PRESS · ROLL
- Press the grip toward the turn to lean (countersteer)
- Brake OR swerve — never both at once
- Follow at 2 seconds — 3+ when wet or crowded
- SEE = Search, Evaluate, Execute · 0.08% BAC = intoxicated
Confirm every number against the official Delaware Motorcycle Operator Manual before test day. Full helmet law →
Source: Test details are confirmed on the official agency page. Both the 25-question count and the 80% passing score (20 correct) are confirmed on the official Delaware DMV page. The knowledge test contains questions from all sections of the Delaware Motorcycle Operator Manual, and applicants 18 and older also take an eye test and a road-sign test. Delaware uses the Sixteenth Edition of the MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual.