Review only numbers, traps, and your misses

Motorcycle number bank

2 sec

Normal motorcycle following distance

3+ sec

Slippery pavement, heavy traffic, blocked view — and at night. Add more when towing

3/4

Share of total stopping power from the front brake

10–15 sec

How far ahead to scan your path (SEE)

100 ft

Signal before a turn

5 sec

Signal before a highway-speed lane change

2×

How much more noticeable a motorcycle is with its headlight on

3× / 50%

DOT-helmet survival odds for a head injury / cut in head injuries under 30 mph

<5 mi · <30 mph

Most collisions: short trips, low speeds — and in broad daylight

>1/2

Collisions involving riders with under 6 months on that motorcycle — and car-vs-bike crashes from drivers entering the rider’s right-of-way

~2 ft

Width of the oily strip in the center of a lane

~90°

Angle to square up to an unavoidable obstacle

45+ deg

Minimum angle across parallel tracks, ruts, or seams

45–90 deg

Roadside parking angle — wheel or fender touching the curb

55 mph

Max while towing a trailer (right lane; never carpool)

5 spots

Toll transponder: pocket, tank net, plate device, storage, windshield — not the helmet

4–5

Max group size before splitting

1 s / 2 s

Staggered spacing: next rider / same-side rider

<150 cc

Motor-driven cycle engine limit

30 mph / <4 hp

Moped limits (automatic transmission only)

15 mph

Motorized scooter maximum; not valid for the skills test

750 W · 20/20/28

E-bike motor cap · Class 1 / 2 / 3 speed limits (C3: 16+, helmet, no passengers)

12 months

DL 389 validity — and your DMV application + fee

6 months

Permit hold required before licensing — under 21 only

6 hr / 2 hr

Daily riding limit / rest-stop interval for fatigue

1 drink/hr

Alcohol elimination (1 drink = 1.5 oz liquor = 5 oz wine = 12 oz beer) — not a sobriety calculator

.08 / .01 / .04

BAC: 21+ / under 21 zero tolerance / commercial

$1,000 / 10 days

SR-1 damage trigger (or any injury) / your filing deadline

1 yr · 3-5-7 · 4-6-10

Evading: misdemeanor max / years if serious injury (+ $2k–$10k) / years if a death

80% · 3

Published DMV pass score · knowledge attempts per application

90%

Your closed-book readiness target

FMVSS 218

Federal standard behind “DOT compliant” — lettering factory-applied on the back

Driver’s Handbook crossover

Name the vehicle in the stem. Motorcycle gap is 2 seconds; car guidance is often 3.

65 / 55 mph

Max on most highways / on two-lane undivided highways and while towing (unless posted)

15 mph

Blind intersections and alleys

15-100-400

15 mph within 100 ft of an uncontrolled rail crossing when you cannot see 400 ft each way

25 mph / 500 ft

School zones while children are outside (obey lower posted 15/20)

500 / 300 ft

Dim high beams: oncoming / following

200 ft

Max travel in a center left-turn lane — and to enter a bike lane before a right turn

200 ft

Minimum sight distance each way for a legal U-turn

5 vehicles

Slow traffic must use a turnout when 5+ are following on a two-lane road

3 ft

Minimum clearance when passing a bicyclist

15 ft

Minimum stop from a rail crossing when devices or a flagger warn of a train

2 ft

Two sets of double yellow 2+ ft apart = a barrier; never drive over

3 sec

Driver’s Handbook following gap for cars — do not confuse with the motorcycle 2-second answer

300 ft

Never follow within this distance of an emergency vehicle running lights and siren

30 min

Headlights required from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise — “night” for the permit

Curb colors

Red no stopping · white passenger · green limited time · yellow loading · blue disabled

Trap pairs

• Locked frontRelease immediately, reapply firmly.

  Locked rearMay stay locked only upright, straight, good traction.

  A locked front kills steering. A locked rear on a straight, grippy path can be ridden to a stop because the front still steers.

• Quick stopBoth brakes, every time.

  SwerveBrake before or after — never during.

  Braking spends the traction the swerve needs. Sequence them; do not combine them.

• Normal turnRider and bike lean together.

  Slow tight turnBody upright; only the bike leans.

  Counterweighting at walking speed keeps the bike from falling in. At normal speed you lean with it.

• Ordinary tracksRide straight across in your lane.

  Parallel tracksMove away; cross at 45°+.

  Never memorize “always 90°.” Forcing a square hit on ordinary tracks can put you in the next lane.

• Bridge gratingRelax, steady speed, straight across.

  True wobbleRoll off gradually; no brakes, no throttle.

  Grating wander is a surface feel, not a mechanical shake. Fighting it, or braking a wobble, both make things worse.

• High beamDay or night when legal, not near others.

  FogLow beam.

  High beam in fog reflects back into your eyes. Use all the light you can have without blinding anyone.

• Best lane pathChanges with traffic and hazards.

  Center pathOften best when flanked, or to protect the lane.

  There is no universal best third. Center is the default only when both sides are occupied.

• Eye contactProves nothing.

  Being seenPosition + light + bright gear + space + readiness.

  A driver can look at a motorcycle and never register it. Visibility is something you do, not something you hope for.

• Blind intersectionStop at the sign or line first.

  Second stopEdge forward; front wheel out of the cross lane.

  The second stop buys the view. Putting the wheel into the cross lane is how you get hit while peeking.

• StaggeredOpen, straight roads.

  Single fileCurves, turns, highway entry and exit.

  Stagger keeps a cushion while staying close. Curves need the whole lane to maneuver, so the stagger comes apart.

• M1 permitNo passengers, freeways, or night.

  DL 389Waives skills only; valid 12 months.

  PFN is a permit restriction. DL 389 is a skills-test waiver. They are not interchangeable, and neither skips the written test.

• SR-1You / insurer / rep file it in 10 days.

  Police reportNever replaces your DMV filing.

  CHP will not file the SR-1 for you. Injury however slight, or more than $1,000 to one person, starts the clock.

• Good loadLow, even, over or ahead of the rear axle.

  Bad loadHigh or behind the axle — invites wobble.

  Weight behind the axle lightens the front and can start a tank-slapper. Ropes stretch; use elastic cords on multiple points.

• Passenger, stoppedFeet stay on the footrests.

  Passenger, turningLeans with the rider, looks over the shoulder.

  Feet on the ground at a light is a common wrong instinct. In a turn, a passenger who leans the opposite way fights the bike.

• Motorcycle gap2 seconds is the handbook’s normal answer.

  Car-question gapDriver’s Handbook teaches 3 seconds — answer the book asked.

  This is the highest-yield number mix-up on a retake. Name the vehicle in the stem before you pick a number.

• Best jacketLeather or armored synthetic, snug fit.

  Best long pantsThe handbook’s stated answer: denim jeans.

  Restored v3 oddball. Do not import the jacket rule onto the pants question, or invent “tactical pants.”

• Helmet stickersDon’t affect DOT compliance.

  Stick-on “DOT” labelRed flag — real lettering is factory-applied.

  Decals and Mohawks on a real helmet are cosmetic. A peel-off DOT sticker is how novelty helmets fake the standard.

• Solid redRight turn after a full stop, if allowed, after yielding.

  Red arrowNo turn until a green signal or arrow.

  California never lets you turn against a red arrow. A circular red is different — stop, check the sign, yield, then maybe right.

• Flashing redStop, then proceed when safe — like a stop sign.

  Flashing yellowSlow and proceed cautiously; no mandatory stop.

  A dark or broken signal is a four-way stop — not flashing yellow. Name the color before you pick the action.

• School bus yellowSlow and prepare to stop.

  School bus redStop from either direction until the lights stop — except across a qualifying divided or multilane highway.

  Yellow is a warning, not a free pass. Red is a stop both ways unless the bus is on the other side of a divided/multilane road with 2+ lanes each way.

Your open misses

None queued. Recite the pairs above and go in.