When starting on a hill, you should use ________ to hold the motorcycle while you start the engine and shift into first gear.
- the clutch
- the front brake ✓
- your feet
- the rear brake
Answer: B. the front brake
Use the front brake to hold the motorcycle steady while you start the engine and shift into first gear.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's hill-start steps begin with the front brake holding the bike while you start the engine and shift into first gear. Only after that do you switch to the foot brake so your right hand is free to work the throttle. The clutch is released gradually to get moving, and releasing it too fast can lift the front wheel or stall the engine, so it is not what holds you on the slope.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. the clutch — The clutch is what you ease out gradually to set the bike moving, not what holds it still on the slope while you start up and select first.
- C. your feet — Your feet are not the handbook's way to hold the bike on a hill; the steps call for a brake while you start the engine and shift into first.
- D. the rear brake — The foot brake comes into the sequence later, once you are in first gear and need your right hand free for the throttle.
Remember it
Think right hand first, right foot second: front brake to start and shift, then foot brake for the throttle and clutch release.