Massachusetts Motorcycle Knowledge Test Cheat Sheet
The fastest way to review before your RMV motorcycle test — the numbers and rules most likely to appear.
🪪 Permit & License
- Class M (Motorcycle Only) license, or add an endorsement
- Permit at 16 — daylight only, no passengers
- Class M license at 16½
- No Class D? Pass BOTH a Class D and a Class M knowledge test
- Under 18 must complete the MREP basic rider course
- Fail the road test twice → an approved rider course is required
🔢 Most-Tested Numbers
- To pass18 of 25 (72%)
- Time limit25 minutes
- Following gap2 seconds (4+ when poor)
- Front brake3/4+ of stopping power
- Scan ahead10 to 15 seconds
- BAC limit.08% (.02% under 21)
🪖 Helmet & Gear
- Helmet required — every rider and passenger, every age
- Must meet US DOT FMVSS No. 218
- Eye protection required unless the bike has a windshield
- A face shield protects the whole face; goggles only the eyes
- Never wear tinted eye protection at night
- Headlight on day and night to be seen
✅ Remember This Answer
- Quick stop? Use both brakes together
- Front brake? Squeeze firmly — never grab
- Curve? Slow, Look, Lean, Roll
- To lean/turn? Press the handgrip toward the turn
- Swerve? Brake before or after — never during
- Spot hazards? SPIDER — scan, predict, identify, decide, execute, rely
✅ Remember This Answer (2)
- Starts to rain? Ride in cars' wheel tracks, not the center
- Railroad tracks? Cross at an angle as sharp as 45°
- Cross an obstacle? Hit it square at 90°, rise on the pegs
- Being passed? Ride in the center of the lane
- Tailgater behind you? Flash your brake light, let them pass
- Daytime visibility? Headlight on — 2× as noticeable
⚠️ Common Test Traps
- "Stop fastest" → Both brakes — not rear first, not front alone
- "No room to stop" → Swerve, then brake — never together
- "Front brake power" → About 3/4 of total, not a quarter
- "Following distance" → 2 sec; 4+ when wet or unfamiliar
- "Made eye contact" → The driver still may not yield
- "Lane sharing" → Never beside a car; max two motorcycles abreast
⚠️ More Test Traps
- "Curve too fast" → Slow before — don't brake hard mid-curve
- "Wobble" → Ease off the throttle — don't brake or accelerate
- "Chased by a dog" → Downshift, approach slow, then accelerate away
- "Small animal in your lane" → Stay in your lane, don't swerve into traffic
- "Carrying a passenger" → Larger space cushion, slow earlier
- "Sober up fast" → Only time works — not coffee or a shower
🚨 Emergency Situations
- Tire goes flat → Hold grips, keep straight, ease to the edge
- Front tire fails → Shift your weight to the rear
- Stuck throttle → Twist it; if stuck, kill switch + pull in clutch
- Wobble → Grip firmly, gradually close the throttle
- Rear wheel locks (straight) → Keep it locked until stopped
- Engine seizes → Squeeze the clutch, pull off the road
🌧️ Surfaces, Weather & Night
- Pavement is most slippery right after rain starts
- Slippery surface: slow before it, no sudden moves, both brakes gently
- Small slippery patch: hold in the clutch until past it
- Snow or ice you can't avoid: keep straight up, go very slowly
- Night: slow down and open your following distance
- Headlight required 1/2 hr after sunset to 1/2 hr before sunrise
🏍️ Motorcycle Control
- Countersteer: press left grip → lean left → go left
- Use both brakes every stop — the front gives 3/4+ of the power
- Corner in four steps: SLOW · LOOK · LEAN · ROLL
- Slow tight turn: lean the bike only, keep your body upright
- Stay in first gear while stopped; shift before a turn
- Head-check your blind spot before every lane change
🍺 Alcohol & Impairment
- Legal limit (21+).08% BAC
- Under 21 — zero tolerance.02% BAC
- One drink raises BAC~.02%
- Sober upOnly with time
- Even one drink slows reflexes and distorts judgment
- Implied Consent: refusing a test means losing your license
🎯 Last-Minute Before the Test
- You need 18 of 25 correct (72%) in 25 minutes
- Both brakes to stop — front brake = 3/4+ of power
- Every curve: SLOW · LOOK · LEAN · ROLL
- Press the grip toward the turn to lean (countersteer)
- Brake OR swerve — never both at once
- Helmet + eye protection; headlight always on
- SPIDER spots hazards · .08% BAC = over the limit
Confirm every number against the official Massachusetts RMV Motorcycle Manual (2015) 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. 18 of 25 (72%) to pass, with a 25-minute time limit. Massachusetts has one of the lowest passing thresholds in the country.