Bad Weather & Night Driving — Montana
Montana motorcycle permit practice test: 346 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Bad Weather & Night Driving: 22 questions.
Rain, snow, ice, fog and night driving: visibility, traction and headlight use.
This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.
| Topic / Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | Bad Weather & Night Driving |
| License test | Montana Motorcycle permit test |
| Topic questions | 22 (6% of 346 total) |
| Review status | This 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 (22)
1. Rain suits:
- Should not be used.
- Should not balloon when riding. ✓
- Are not needed since motorcycles shouldn't be operated in the rain.
- Should tear easily.
Answer: B. Should not balloon when riding.
Rain suits should not balloon when riding — good-quality rain suits made for motorcycling resist ballooning up and tearing apart at high speeds. The manual's riding gear section says cold or wet weather calls for clothing that keeps you warm and dry, and it describes good-quality rain suits built for motorcycle riding as ones that resist tearing apart or ballooning up at high speeds. A suit that balloons is not doing that job, so the standard the manual sets is a suit that stays in place while you ride.
2. When it starts raining, it is usually best to:
- Ride in the center of the lane.
- Pull off to the side of the road until the rain stops.
- Ride in the tire tracks left by cars. ✓
- Increase your speed.
Answer: C. Ride in the tire tracks left by cars.
When it starts raining, it is usually best to ride in the tire tracks left by cars. The manual explains that the center of a lane can be hazardous when wet, so when rain begins you should ride in the tire tracks left by vehicles, and it notes the left tire track is often the best spot depending on traffic and road conditions. Those tracks are where car tires have pushed water aside, so the surface is less slippery than the lane center. The manual also says to slow down on wet surfaces and to ride on the least slippery part of the lane.
3. If you are riding when it starts to rain, it is a good idea to:
- Ride down the center of the lane.
- Increase your speed.
- Ride in the tire tracks left by cars. ✓
- Pull onto the shoulder of the road.
Answer: C. Ride in the tire tracks left by cars.
When rain starts while you are riding, move to the tire tracks left by cars and ride there. The manual explains that the center of a lane can be hazardous when it is wet, and it gives a direct instruction for the moment rain begins: ride in the tire tracks left by vehicles. It adds that the left tire track is often the best position, depending on traffic and road conditions. The same section tells you to slow down on slippery surfaces, avoid sudden moves, and use both brakes gently, so the tire-track position is meant to be combined with a lower speed and smooth inputs.
4. When riding on a slippery surface, you should:
- Increase your speed.
- Make sudden moves.
- Move to the edge of the road.
- Ride in the tire tracks left by cars. ✓
Answer: D. Ride in the tire tracks left by cars.
Ride in the tire tracks left by cars, since the center of a wet lane can be hazardous and the tire tracks give you a better surface. The manual says the center of a lane can be dangerous when it is wet, so once rain starts you should ride where vehicles have already cleared a path — in their tire tracks. It adds that the left tire track is often the best spot, depending on traffic and road conditions. The same section tells you to slow down before a slippery surface and to stay smooth, so the tire-track position fits with a lower, steadier approach rather than a faster one.
5. When riding at night, you should do all of the following, except:
- Use your high beam.
- Use the headlights of vehicles ahead to help you see.
- Be visible.
- Ride only in the left portion of your lane. ✓
Answer: D. Ride only in the left portion of your lane.
The exception is riding only in the left portion of your lane — at night you should change lane position as conditions warrant, not lock yourself into one spot. The manual tells night riders to be flexible about lane position and to move to whichever portion of the lane helps them see, be seen, and keep a space cushion. It also says no part of the lane needs to be avoided, including the center, and that you should vary your position as traffic changes. Using your high beam when you are not following or meeting a car, steering by the taillights of vehicles ahead, and wearing reflective material are all recommended for night riding. Staying put in the left portion is the one item that goes against the manual's advice.
6. When being passed, all of the following are potential hazards, except:
- Extended mirrors.
- Objects being thrown from other vehicles.
- Blasts of wind.
- Headlights. ✓
Answer: D. Headlights.
7. Of the following, which should you not do to improve your safety when riding at night?
- Increase your speed. ✓
- Reduce your speed.
- Use your high beam headlight whenever possible.
- Increase your following distance.
Answer: A. Increase your speed.
When riding at night, you should not increase your speed — slowing down is what the manual tells you to do. The manual's night-riding section starts from the fact that seeing and being seen are both harder after dark. Its advice is to ride slower than you would in daylight, especially on roads you don't know well, because that gives you a better chance of avoiding a hazard. Opening up a following distance of three seconds or more is listed alongside that. Speeding up works against all of this, so it is the one action on the list that doesn't belong.
8. Motorcycle headlights are:
- Usually more powerful than a car’s headlights.
- Usually just as powerful as a car’s headlights.
- Usually not as powerful as a car’s headlights. ✓
- Usually larger than a car’s headlights.
Answer: C. Usually not as powerful as a car’s headlights.
9. When it is raining, it is usually best to:
- Ride in the center of the lane.
- Pull off to the side of the road until the rain stops.
- Ride in the tire tracks left by cars. ✓
- Increase your speed.
Answer: C. Ride in the tire tracks left by cars.
When it is raining, the best choice is to ride in the tire tracks left by cars. The manual explains that the middle of a lane can be a bad place to be once rain starts, so you should put your wheels where other vehicles have already driven. Those tracks give you a better surface than the slick center. It adds that the left track is often the best spot, depending on traffic and road conditions, and reminds you to slow down and stay smooth on any wet surface. So following car tracks is the riding position the manual recommends, not stopping or speeding up.
10. Which of the following surfaces does not provide poor traction?
- Wet pavement
- Dry pavement ✓
- Lane markings
- Snow
Answer: B. Dry pavement
Dry pavement is the surface that does not provide poor traction. The manual says a motorcycle handles better on surfaces that allow good traction. It then names surfaces with poor traction: wet pavement, especially just after rain starts and before oil washes to the side, plus gravel roads and places where sand and gravel collect. Dry pavement is not among those poor-traction surfaces. That makes it the choice that does not provide poor traction, since the passage treats wet and loose-material surfaces as the problem and dry pavement as the contrast.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Not yet verified
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook