Montana motorcycle permit test numbers to know
Distances, speeds, limits, fines and deadlines are the questions people miss most, because they have to be memorized. Here are 24 Montana numbers, grouped and cited, with a free quiz and flashcards to lock them in.
Numbers quiz
12 questions a round from the 13 number questions in our Montana bank. Questions you miss come back more often in later rounds.
Free and unlimited. Your answers count toward your readiness and mistake review.
Numbers flashcards
13 cards: the question on the front, the number and its source on the back. Swipe right if you knew it.
Each deck starts with 20 free cards. Swipe right if you knew it, left to see it again.
See 3 of the cards
Alcohol & drugs
On a long ride, how often should you stop and get off the motorcycle to fight fatigue?
At least every two hours
Riding a motorcycle is more tiring than driving a car. Take frequent rest breaks, stopping and getting off the motorcycle at least every two hours, and limit your distance; experienced riders seldom ride more than about six hours a day.
Speed limits
In Montana, you are on a two-wheeled motorcycle in a lane wide enough to pass safely, behind cars that are stopped in your lane. If you lane filter past them, what is the fastest you may ride?
20 mph
Since 2021, Montana law (MCA 61-8-392) lets the rider of a two-wheeled motorcycle lane filter: pass a vehicle in the same lane that is stopped or moving no faster than 10 mph.
Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division website
Distances & following gaps
Under normal conditions, what is the minimum following distance behind the vehicle ahead?
Two seconds
Normally keep at least two seconds behind the vehicle ahead. Pick a marker, and when the vehicle ahead passes it, count 'one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two'.
Every Montana motorcycle number, by topic
Official Montana laws come first in each group, then the numbers from our handbook questions. Tap a source to read the exact words it comes from.
Alcohol & drugs
6 numbers
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 0.08% | Legal BAC limit for adult drivers | mca.legmt.govQuotea noncommercial vehicle upon the ways of this state open to the public while the person's alcohol concentration, as shown by analysis of the person's blood, breath, oral fluid, or other bodily substance, is 0.08 or more |
| 0.02% | BAC limit for drivers under 21 | mca.legmt.govQuotea vehicle within this state when the person is under 21 years of age at the time of the offense while the person's alcohol concentration, as shown by analysis of the person's blood, breath, oral fluid, or other bodily substance, is 0.02 or more |
| 0.04% | BAC limit in a commercial vehicle | mca.legmt.govQuotea commercial motor vehicle within this state while the person's alcohol concentration, as shown by analysis of the person's blood, breath, oral fluid, or other bodily substance, is 0.04 or more |
| 6 months | Drunk driving (DUI)Refusing a test suspends your license for 6 months on a first refusal | mca.legmt.govQuotefor a first violation, by imprisonment for not less than 24 consecutive hours or more than 6 months and by a fine of not less than $600 or more than $1,000 |
| two hours | On a long ride, how often should you stop and get off the motorcycle to fight fatigue?Answer: At least every two hours | Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 24Quoteand get off the motorcycle at least every two hours. |
| 0.08% | You are 25 and riding in Montana. At what blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can you be arrested for drunk riding?Answer: 0.08% or more | Montana Driver Manual (Form 25-0100), page 82QuoteYou can be arrested for driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or more, or while driving under the influence. |
Speed limits
3 numbers
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 10 mph | Lane splittingVehicles being passed must be stopped or going 10 mph or less in the same direction and lane | mca.legmt.govQuote"Lane filtering" means the act of overtaking and passing another vehicle that is stopped or traveling at a speed not in excess of 10 miles an hour in the same direction of travel and in the same lane. |
| 20 mph | Lane splittingThe motorcycle may not exceed 20 mph | mca.legmt.govQuotethe overtaking motorcycle is not operated at a speed in excess of 20 miles an hour when overtaking the stopped or slow-moving vehicle |
| 20 mph | In Montana, you are on a two-wheeled motorcycle in a lane wide enough to pass safely, behind cars that are stopped in your lane. If you lane filter past them, what is the fastest you may ride?Answer: 20 mph | Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division websiteQuotethe overtaking motorcycle is not operated at a speed in excess of 20 miles an hour when overtaking the stopped or slow-moving vehicle |
Distances & following gaps
3 numbers
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Two seconds | Under normal conditions, what is the minimum following distance behind the vehicle ahead?Answer: Two seconds | Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 10QuoteNormally, a minimum of two seconds distance should be maintained behind the vehicle ahead. |
| Three seconds | The pavement is slippery and you cannot see through the vehicle ahead. What following distance should you use?Answer: Three seconds or more | Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 10Quoteopen up a three-second or more following distance. |
| two seconds | In a staggered group formation, where does the third rider ride?Answer: In the left side of the lane, at least two seconds behind the first rider | Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 21QuoteThe third maintains the left position of the lane, at least two seconds behind the first rider. |
Ages, permits & the test
7 numbers
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 75% | Passing score | rules.mt.govQuote23.3.154 MOTORCYCLE ENDORSEMENT WRITTEN EXAMINATION ... The maximum score for motorcycle endorsement examination is 100%. For each incorrectly marked answer, five points will be deducted. The minimum passing score is 75%. |
| $3.09 | Fee | mvdmt.govQuote15 $3.09 16 $2.58 |
| under 18 | Motorcycle permitMust be under immediate and proximate visual supervision of a motorcycle-endorsed licensed driver on a separate motorcycle or vehicle (18+ if the learner is under 18) | mca.legmt.govQuoteFor the first 6 months of the 1-year restriction period, a restricted licensee may not operate a motorcycle with a passenger who is under 18 years of age. |
| one year | Motorcycle permitCompleting the Montana Motorcycle Basic Rider Course waives the skills test if the endorsement is obtained within one year | mca.legmt.govQuoteA person holding a learner license for a motorcycle may drive a motorcycle upon a public highway if the person is not carrying a passenger, has immediate possession of the license, and is under the immediate and proximate visual supervision of one of the following persons |
| One year | How long is a Montana motorcycle learner license valid?Answer: One year from the date you pass the knowledge test | Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 2QuoteIt is valid for one year from the date you pass the knowledge test. |
| one year | You complete the Montana Motorcycle Basic Rider Course. What benefit does it give you at the Motor Vehicle Division?Answer: A skills test waiver, if you get the endorsement within one year | Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 3QuoteSuccessful completion of the MT Motorcycle Basic Rider Course earns you a skills test waiver from the Motor Vehicle Division, provided the motorcycle endorsement on your driver license is obtained within one year of course completion. |
| at least 45 | You need to cross a pavement seam that runs parallel to your path. How should you do it?Answer: Move away from it, then cross at an angle of at least 45 degrees | Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 18Quotemove far enough away from tracks, ruts, or pavement seams to cross at an angle of at least 45˚. |
Seat belts, lights & equipment
4 numbers
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| under 18 | HelmetsOperators and passengers under 18 | mca.legmt.govQuotean operator and passenger under 18 years of age of a motorcycle, moped, motorized scooter, or quadricycle operated on the streets or highways of this state shall wear protective headgear on the head |
| 500 feet | What does Montana require of a motorcycle's headlamp?Answer: One or two headlamps reaching 500 feet, on at all times | Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 2QuoteYour motorcycle must have at least 1 headlamp (but not more than two) that illuminates at least 500 feet, which must be illuminated at all times. |
| 100 feet | Under Montana's equipment rules, how far away must your motorcycle's stoplight be visible in normal sunlight?Answer: 100 feet | Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 2QuoteThe stoplight must be visible for 100 feet in normal sunlight. |
| 200 feet | According to the Montana supplement, your rearview mirror must give you a clear view of the road for at least how far behind you?Answer: 200 feet | Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 2QuoteThe rearview mirror must be located so that you have a clear view of the road for at least 200 feet to the rear. |
Other numbers
1 number
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 70% | About how much of your total stopping power can the front brake provide?Answer: At least 70% | Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 8QuoteThe front brake is more powerful and can provide at least 70% of your total stopping power. |
Memory tips
How to study them (our advice, not official rules):
- Learn the number with its unit and its place. “15 feet from a hydrant” sticks; “15” on its own gets mixed up with 15 mph.
- Say the answer before you look. Recalling the number yourself is harder than spotting it among four options, and it is what makes it stick.
- Come back to the ones you miss. The quiz above brings missed questions back more often. Short rounds over several days beat one long session.
Questions about the numbers
What numbers do I need to know for the Montana motorcycle permit test?
Mostly distances (how close you may park to a hydrant or crosswalk, when to signal, when to dim your high beams), speed limits, blood-alcohol limits, and the ages, hours and deadlines for your permit and license. This page lists 24 of them for Montana, each with its source.
Why focus on numbers?
A California DMV study of its own knowledge test found that many of the hardest questions “are numerical and have correct answers that must be learned by rote memorization.” Numbers are easy to mix up under pressure, so they are worth drilling on their own.
Where do these numbers come from?
Each one is quoted from the Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), Montana statutes or MVD pages. Our build checks that every number on this page appears word for word in the quote it cites.
Is the numbers drill free?
Yes. The table and the numbers quiz are free and unlimited, and so are the first 20 flashcards.