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New Hampshire 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

  • Motorcycle privilege is an endorsement on your NH license
  • Minimum age 16; under 18 needs a Basic Rider Class + parental OK
  • Learner permit valid 45 days; knowledge test for an original permit
  • Prove skills by a Basic Rider Class — or the DMV on-cycle skills test
  • Endorsement $30; permit $30 (credited if within a year)
  • Annual motorcycle safety inspection required

🔢 Most-Tested Numbers

  • Following gap2 seconds minimum
  • Poor conditions / night3 seconds or more
  • Front brake70%+ of stopping power
  • Scan ahead12 seconds
  • Intoxicated (adult)0.08% BAC
  • Under 210.02% BAC

🪖 Helmet & Gear

  • Helmet required only for riders under 18 (RSA 265:122)
  • Riders 18+ may legally ride without a helmet
  • Eye protection required unless the bike has a windshield (RSA 265:123)
  • A face shield protects your whole face; goggles protect only the eyes
  • Choose a DOT-compliant helmet that fits snugly, no cracks or frayed straps
  • Never wear tinted eye protection in low light

✅ Remember This Answer

  • Quick stop? Use both brakes together
  • Front brake? Squeeze firmly — never grab
  • Curve? Slow, Look, Press, Roll
  • To lean/turn? Press the handgrip toward the turn
  • Swerve? Brake before or after — never during
  • Hazard strategy? SEE — Search, Evaluate, Execute

✅ 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? Let them pass
  • Cut reaction time? Cover the clutch and both brakes
  • Daytime visibility? Headlight on — 2× as likely to be seen
  • Where do crashes happen? Intersections most of all

⚠️ 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
  • "Made eye contact" → Driver still may not yield

⚠️ More Test Traps

  • "Curve ahead, too fast" → Slow before — don't brake hard mid-curve
  • "Lane sharing" → Cars and motorcycles each need a full lane
  • "Chased by a dog" → Approach slowly, then accelerate away
  • "Carrying a passenger" → Bike responds slower — ride slower
  • "Waited an hour per drink" → Side effects can still remain
  • "Small animal in your lane" → Stay in your lane — don't swerve into traffic

🚨 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 + pull in 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 at 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
  • Night: ride slower and open a 3-second-plus following gap
  • Night: high beam when not following or meeting a car
  • Running wide in a curve is a top single-vehicle crash cause

🏍️ 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

  • Intoxicated (adult)0.08% BAC
  • Under 210.02% BAC
  • Leaves the body~1 drink per hour
  • NH testingImplied consent
  • As little as one drink hurts judgment and balance
  • Impaired riding is far deadlier than impaired driving

🎯 Last-Minute Before the Test

  • 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
  • Helmet required under 18; eye protection unless you have a windshield
  • SEE = Search, Evaluate, Execute · 0.08% BAC = intoxicated

Confirm every number against the official New Hampshire Motorcycle Operator Manual before test day. Full helmet law →

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Full Study Guide Practice Test Helmet Law FAQ

Source: Some test details are confirmed by the state agency; the rest reflect the consensus of major rider-education sources. The NH DMV states all knowledge exams require 80%; the 25-question count is third-party consensus. The supplied manual is the generic MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (17th Edition) with NH covers, so riding content is from the manual and NH-specific legal facts (helmet/eye law, under-21 BAC, endorsement/permit, fees) are from NH RSA 265:120-123 / 265-A:2 and the NH DMV.