Sharing the Road — Colorado

Colorado motorcycle permit practice test: 345 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Sharing the Road: 10 questions. Updated

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Topic / MetricValue
TopicSharing the Road
License testColorado Motorcycle permit test
Topic questions10 (3% of 345 total)
Review statusThis topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.

Official handbook

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Questions (10)

1. If you are using an unfamiliar motorcycle, what should you do before riding?
  1. Ride like you would on your bike, since all bikes are about the same.
  2. Check the controls and shift pattern. ✓
  3. Take the owner’s word that everything is in working order.
  4. Assume you know where all the controls are located.

Answer: B. Check the controls and shift pattern.

Before riding an unfamiliar motorcycle, check the controls and the shift pattern. The manual tells you to operate all the controls before you start riding, and to know the gearshift pattern by working the throttle, clutch and brakes a few times. It explains that controls react differently on different motorcycles and their exact locations can vary slightly, so a borrowed bike needs the same checks you would give your own. You should also find the turn signals, horn, headlight switch, fuel valve and cut-off switch and operate them without hunting for them.
Official handbook: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th ed.), p. 7
2. When approaching railroad tracks that cross your lane at an angle, it is usually:
  1. Safest to ride straight within your lane to cross the tracks. ✓
  2. Dangerous to ride straight within your lane to cross the tracks.
  3. Not safe to cross tracks on a motorcycle.
  4. Safest to cross the tracks by riding on the shoulder of the road.

Answer: A. Safest to ride straight within your lane to cross the tracks.

It is usually safest to ride straight within your lane to cross railroad tracks that cross your lane at an angle. The manual says that when railroad tracks cross your lane at an angle, it is usually safer to ride straight within your lane. It warns that turning to take the tracks at a 90-degree angle can be more dangerous because that direction may put you into another lane of traffic. A related passage adds that a steady, straight crossing is better than zigzagging to stay in the lane. So the straight-line approach is the recommended default for angled tracks.
Official handbook: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th ed.), p. 8
3. When riding near stopped or slow-moving cars, a motorcyclist should:
  1. Pull over and wait until traffic begins to move.
  2. Ride on the shoulder to get through the area as quickly as possible.
  3. Weave between the cars to get through the area as quickly as possible.
  4. Not weave between the cars. ✓

Answer: D. Not weave between the cars.

Do not weave between the cars; stay in your lane rather than riding through the gaps between stopped or slow-moving vehicles. The manual warns that riding between two rows of cars that are stopped or creeping in one lane exposes you to surprises you cannot predict: a hand coming out of a window, a door opening, or a car turning suddenly. It says riders should discourage lane sharing rather than do it themselves. Because those dangers come from the cars around you, the handbook points to avoiding weaving between them near stopped or slow traffic. It does not recommend pulling over to wait, using the shoulder, or squeezing through.
Official handbook: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th ed.), p. 4
4. When carrying a passenger on a motorcycle, you must:
  1. Have a seat that is large enough for two riders. ✓
  2. Only have one set of footrests.
  3. Not encourage the passenger to wear protective clothing.
  4. Put a sticker on the brake light to warn other motorists that a passenger is on the motorcycle.

Answer: A. Have a seat that is large enough for two riders.

You must have a seat on the motorcycle that is large enough to hold both you and your passenger without crowding. The manual's passenger section lists what the bike needs before you ride two-up. It says the motorcycle should have a proper seat, one big enough for you and your passenger without crowding, and it adds that you should not sit more forward than you normally do. The same passage also calls for passenger footrests and a strap or solid handholds. The seat size matters because the passenger needs room to sit properly behind you rather than squeezed against you.
Official handbook: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th ed.), p. 35
5. When riding with a passenger, you should:
  1. Assume the passenger has traveled by motorcycle before.
  2. Not assume the passenger has traveled by motorcycle before and explain the process. ✓
  3. Not let them ask questions.
  4. Not bother with explaining anything since they are only a passenger and not in control of the motorcycle.

Answer: B. Not assume the passenger has traveled by motorcycle before and explain the process.

You should not assume the passenger has ridden before; explain the basics with them before you start. The manual says not to assume a passenger knows motorcycle handling, control, or balance. It says to always instruct the passenger on the basics before starting the trip, even if the passenger is a motorcycle rider. That leads directly to the answer: treat the passenger as someone who may be new and walk them through what to do.
Official handbook: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th ed.), p. 35
6. When crossing railroad tracks that are parallel to the road, you should:
  1. Cross the tracks at a 90-degree angle.
  2. Avoid crossing the tracks for any reason.
  3. Try to cross the tracks at a 45-degree angle. ✓
  4. Slowly inch across the tracks.

Answer: C. Try to cross the tracks at a 45-degree angle.

Cross railroad tracks that run parallel to your path by moving away from them and crossing at an angle of at least 45 degrees. The manual addresses tracks, ruts, and pavement seams that run parallel to your path directly: get far enough away from them to cross at an angle of at least 45 degrees, then make a deliberate turn so you are not thrown off balance. The same section notes that when you cross, you should hold a steady speed and go straight across. The manual also warns that swinging out to hit tracks at a full 90 degrees can be more dangerous because that direction may carry you into another lane of traffic.
Official handbook: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th ed.), p. 8
7. You should use a larger cushion of space:
  1. When roads are slippery. ✓
  2. When it is sunny outside.
  3. When it is colder than usual.
  4. When you are following other motorcycles.

Answer: A. When roads are slippery.

Use a larger space cushion when roads are slippery. The manual tells riders to count off seconds to check following distance, and it says a two-second gap is the minimum. It then lists situations that call for opening up to three seconds or more, and slippery pavement is one of them. The reason given is that your motorcycle may need more room to stop than usual. So when traction is poor, increase the gap rather than staying at the normal minimum. This directly supports the slippery-road choice.
Official handbook: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th ed.), p. 15
8. As you slow or stop, you should:
  1. Shift up through the gears.
  2. Shift down through the gears. ✓
  3. Take the bike out of gear.
  4. Stay in the same gear.

Answer: B. Shift down through the gears.

Shift down through the gears as you slow or stop. The manual says to shift down through the gears with the clutch as you slow or stop. Downshifting one gear at a time and easing out the clutch through the friction zone lets engine braking help slow the motorcycle. When you come to a stop, stay in first gear so you can move out quickly if needed.
Official handbook: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th ed.), p. 11
9. On which of the following surfaces does a motorcycle have the best traction?
  1. Dry pavement ✓
  2. Gravel
  3. Snow
  4. Leaves

Answer: A. Dry pavement

Dry pavement gives you the best traction of the choices listed. The manual explains that a motorcycle handles better on surfaces that allow good traction, and it lists the surfaces that give poor traction. Wet pavement, gravel roads, and places where sand and gravel collect are named as poor-traction surfaces. Gravel is called out directly as a surface with bad grip, and dry pavement is the opposite of the wet pavement the manual warns about. So of the four choices, dry pavement is the one that lets the tires grip best.
Official handbook: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th ed.), p. 29
10. Passengers should:
  1. Lean as the operator leans. ✓
  2. Hold onto their seat.
  3. Sit as far back on the bike as possible.
  4. Never hold onto the operator.

Answer: A. Lean as the operator leans.

Passengers should lean as the operator leans through turns and curves. The manual tells passengers to stay directly behind the rider and lean with the rider through turns and curves. It also says looking over the rider's shoulder in the direction of the turn can help. The point is that the passenger moves with the motorcycle and does not fight the rider's lean. The bank answer matches this instruction.
Official handbook: MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th ed.), p. 35
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source

Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook