New York 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 M license — or Class MJ if under 18
- Get a Class M/MJ learner permit first, then pass the road test
- Supervisor: 21+, motorcycle-licensed, stays within ¼ mile
- On a permit, only your supervising driver may ride with you
- An approved Basic RiderCourse waives the road test — not the written test
- NY advises 30 hrs of practice, 10 in moderate/heavy traffic
🔢 Most-Tested Numbers
- Following gap2 seconds minimum
- Wet / heavy traffic3 seconds or more
- Front brake70%+ of stopping power
- Scan ahead12 seconds
- Legally intoxicated.08% BAC
- Alcohol clears~1 drink per hour
🪖 Helmet & Gear
- Helmet required — every rider and passenger, every age
- Must meet USDOT FMVSS 218
- Approved eye protection required — even with a windshield
- A face shield protects your whole face; goggles protect only the eyes
- Headlight and rear light 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, Lean, Roll
- To lean/turn? Press the handgrip toward the turn
- Swerve? Brake before or after — never during
- Helmet & eyewear? Always — a windshield is no substitute
✅ 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, and the first few miles
⚠️ 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" → Only two motorcycles — never with a car
- "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 · LEAN · 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
- Legally intoxicated.08% BAC
- DWAI.05% BAC
- Under 21 — Zero Tolerance.02–.07% BAC
- Leaves the body~1 drink per hour
- 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 · LEAN · 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 + eye protection always; headlight always on
- SEE = Search, Evaluate, Execute · .08% BAC = intoxicated
Confirm every number against the official New York State Motorcycle Operator's Manual (MV-21MC) before test day. Full helmet law →
Source: Test details are confirmed on the official agency page. Confirmed on the official page. Special rule: you must answer at least 2 of the 4 road-sign questions correctly to pass.