Oregon DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 37
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. You are about to pass a bicyclist on a narrow two-lane road. What is the correct way to do it?
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Answer A: Wait for a clear gap and move well left, giving the rider wide space
Pass a cyclist as you would a car: wait for clear road, change lane position to leave generous clearance, and return only when the rider is well behind you.
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2. Before making a right turn at an intersection, what should you check besides oncoming traffic?
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Answer B: Your right blind spot and the crosswalk, for cyclists and pedestrians
Right turns often catch a cyclist or a pedestrian coming up on the right, so check the blind spot and the crosswalk before you turn.
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3. Why is hearing protection recommended even under a full face helmet?
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Answer D: Long term exposure to wind and road noise can cause permanent hearing damage
Airflow around a helmet produces high noise levels, and good hearing protection lowers that noise while still letting the rider hear horns and sirens.
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4. A group in formation needs to change lanes. What is the safest way to do it?
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Answer A: The leader starts the change early enough for the whole group to complete it
Beginning the change early gives the entire formation the road and the time it needs to move over together instead of scattering across two lanes.
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5. How much of a traffic lane is a motorcycle entitled to use?
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Answer D: The full width of the lane
A motorcycle is entitled to the full lane, and riders move within it to stay visible and to avoid surface hazards, so drivers should never try to share a lane with one.
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6. Cannabis is legal for adults in some states. What does that mean for driving?
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Answer C: Driving while impaired by it is still an offense
Legal possession has nothing to do with driving law, and every state treats driving while impaired by cannabis as an offense.
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7. The gates at a railroad crossing are down, and you can see that the road beyond them is clear. What is the correct action?
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Answer A: Wait until the gates rise completely and the lights go out
Lowered gates mean rail traffic is expected, and driving around them removes the only protection the crossing provides.
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8. You are waiting to pull out of a driveway when a bicyclist comes along the bike lane in front of you. What must you do?
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Answer D: Wait until the bicyclist has gone past
A driver leaving a driveway yields to everything already on the road, and a bike lane is part of the roadway.
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9. After an hour on a hot highway your tire pressure reads higher than it did in the morning. What should you do?
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Answer D: Nothing, because pressure rises when tires heat up
Air expands as the tire warms, so a hot reading is normally above the cold setting. Bleeding air off would leave the tire underinflated once it cooled.
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10. A rider signals that they need to stop, although nobody else in the group wants a break. What should happen?
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Answer A: The group stops, because a rider who needs a break should get one
A rider who is tired, cold or uncomfortable is a hazard to the whole group, and stopping costs far less than the mistake that follows.
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11. Why do bridges and overpasses deserve extra caution when temperatures are near freezing?
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Answer A: They lose heat from above and below, so they ice over before the surrounding road
A bridge deck is exposed to cold air on both surfaces and has no ground beneath it to hold heat, so ice can form there while the connecting road is still only wet.
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12. The overhead signal above your lane changes to a steady yellow X. What should you do?
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Answer B: Prepare to move out of that lane
A steady yellow X warns that the lane is about to close, so drivers should get ready to vacate it in favor of an open lane.
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13. In a staggered formation, where does the second rider belong?
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Answer C: In the right portion of the lane, about one second behind the leader
The second rider uses the opposite side of the lane roughly one second behind the leader, which staggers the group without stretching it out or putting the two riders alongside each other.
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14. You are in the open lane where another lane is merging into yours. What is your part in the merge?
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Answer A: Keep a steady speed and leave a gap for one vehicle to come in
A merge works when each driver in the through lane lets one vehicle in, which keeps both lines moving instead of stopping them both.
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15. A separate right-turn lane leads onto the cross street and carries a yield sign. What does it require?
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Answer D: Slowing and giving way to traffic and people, stopping if needed
A yield requires you to slow, give way to traffic in the lane you are joining and to pedestrians, and stop only if that is what safety demands.
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16. Why must a rider pay attention to the turn signal after completing a turn or lane change?
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Answer A: Many motorcycle signals do not cancel themselves and can mislead other drivers
A signal left flashing tells other drivers the rider is about to turn again, and a driver may pull out in front of the motorcycle because of it.
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17. What does a swerve actually consist of?
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Answer B: Two quick presses on the grips, one to go around and one to come back
A swerve is two separate countersteering inputs made back to back, so the machine leaves the original path and then returns to it.
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18. You want to pass on a two-lane road where several people are walking on the narrow shoulder ahead. What should you consider?
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Answer D: There is no escape room if the pass goes wrong, so wait for a better place
A pass depends on having somewhere to go if it goes wrong, and a shoulder occupied by pedestrians removes that option for both vehicles.
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19. You are behind a slow vehicle on a two-lane road and a marked passing lane begins a mile ahead. What is the sensible choice?
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Answer D: Wait for the passing lane rather than using the opposing lane
A passing lane lets you overtake without ever entering the lane used by oncoming traffic, which is far safer than a pass a minute earlier.
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20. Besides the three-major-conviction path, Oregon's habitual offender law also revokes driving privileges after a large number of lesser driving convictions within five years. How many such convictions normally trigger this second path?
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Answer A: 20 or more convictions within a five-year period
ORS 809.600 also revokes driving privileges as a habitual offender after 20 or more qualifying convictions within a five-year period, extended to a 21st conviction if a two-year gap occurs before it.
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21. When downshifting as the motorcycle slows, what keeps the rear tire from skidding?
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Answer A: Easing the clutch lever out smoothly instead of releasing it abruptly
Letting the clutch out gradually lets engine speed and road speed match, so the rear wheel is not forced to slow suddenly.
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22. What should a group agree on before the ride begins?
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Answer A: The route, the fuel and rest stops, and the hand signals to be used
Settling the route, the stops and the signals before departure keeps the group together and avoids sudden, confusing decisions once it is moving.
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23. What effect does low tire pressure have on a motorcycle?
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Answer C: It makes steering, braking and general handling worse
An underinflated tire changes shape under load, which makes the motorcycle steer heavily and respond unpredictably.
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24. You are stopped at a steady red arrow pointing right, and no sign or state rule permits turning on a red arrow. May you turn right?
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Answer A: No, you must wait until the red arrow goes out and a green signal appears
A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points to until a signal permitting it appears. Only a posted sign or a specific state rule allows a turn on a red arrow after a complete stop, so without one you must wait.
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25. You are about to carry a passenger for the first time. Where should you begin?
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Answer C: In a quiet area away from traffic, at low speed
A passenger changes balance, braking and steering feel, and those differences are best learned somewhere there is nothing else to deal with.