Colorado Motorcycle Permit Practice Test

Correct answer: Slightly bent, so you can use your arms to steer

Sit far enough forward that your arms are slightly bent when you hold the grips. Bent arms let you steer with your arms rather than using them to hold yourself up.

Correct answer: It protects you

When you ride, your gear is right if it protects you. In any crash, you have a far better chance of avoiding serious injury if you wear an approved helmet, face or eye protection, and protective clothing.

Correct answer: Just after it starts to rain, before the surface oil washes to the side

Oil on the road floats up when rain first begins and before it washes away. Those opening minutes give the poorest traction, so slow down and be especially careful entering wet curves.

Correct answer: The general motorcycle endorsement "M"

Colorado does not issue a "Class M" license. It adds a general motorcycle endorsement "M" to your regular or CDL license, and that "M" qualifies you to ride a 2- or 3-wheel motorcycle.

Correct answer: Ride more slowly, especially on roads you do not know well

At night it is harder to see and be seen, and your headlight reaches only so far. Reducing your speed keeps your stopping distance within the range of what your light shows you.

Correct answer: Never saw the motorcycle

A motorcycle's outline is much smaller than a car's, so it is easy to overlook in traffic. Because drivers so often simply don't see riders, your first safety job is making yourself easy to recognize.

Correct answer: It lets you turn the handlebars without having to stretch

Bending your arms lets you turn the handlebars without having to stretch, so you can use your arms to steer instead of holding yourself up.

Correct answer: Meets U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) standards

Whichever style you choose, you get the most protection when the helmet meets DOT standards. Labels from ANSI or the Snell Memorial Foundation give added assurance of quality.

Correct answer: Lane markings, steel plates, and manhole covers

Smooth painted lines and metal surfaces give far less grip than pavement and turn slick in the rain. Cross them while the bike is straight up, and avoid braking or turning on top of them.

Correct answer: Operating 3-wheel motorcycles only

The "3" endorsement authorizes 3-wheel motorcycles only. You earn it by passing the skills test on a three-wheel motorcycle. The general "M" endorsement covers both 2- and 3-wheel machines.

Correct answer: Opened up to at least three seconds

Distances are harder to judge in the dark because your eyes lose the shadows and contrasts they rely on. Open up a three-second following distance and allow more room to pass.

Correct answer: Keep the headlight on at all times

A headlight makes you far easier to pick out of traffic, so keep it on day and night. Most motorcycles turn it on automatically once the engine starts.

Correct answer: Against the gas tank to help keep your balance in turns

Keep your knees against the gas tank. This helps you keep your balance as the motorcycle turns. (This is not necessary on a 3-wheel motorcycle.)

Correct answer: Three-quarter and full face

There are two primary types of helmets providing different levels of coverage: three-quarter and full face.

Correct answer: Slow down before you reach it and avoid sudden moves

Reduce your speed before you get to the slippery patch to lessen the chance of skidding. Any sudden change in speed or direction can break traction, so be as smooth as possible on it.

Correct answer: As an endorsement added to a regular or CDL license

Colorado no longer issues new "Motorcycle Only" licenses. The motorcycle credential is now an endorsement added to a regular or CDL license only.

Correct answer: Give you a better view of the road ahead and warn you of bumps

The headlights of the car ahead can light the road better than even your high beam, and its taillights bouncing up and down can warn you of bumps or rough pavement before you reach them.

Correct answer: Increases the chance that oncoming drivers will see you

Colorado's handbook advises running the high beam in daylight because the brighter light makes you stand out to drivers coming toward you — one of the simplest ways to be seen.

Correct answer: Firmly on the foot pegs, near the controls, without dragging them

Keep your feet firmly on the foot pegs to maintain balance. Do not drag them, keep them near the controls, and do not let your toes point down where they could catch.

Correct answer: Otherwise it can fly off your head before it protects you in a crash

Keep the helmet securely fastened. Otherwise, in a crash it is likely to fly off your head before it has a chance to protect you.