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.

    Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 24

  • 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'.

    Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 10

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
NumberWhat it’s aboutSource
0.08%Legal BAC limit for adult driversmca.legmt.gov
Quote
a 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 21mca.legmt.gov
Quote
a 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 vehiclemca.legmt.gov
Quote
a 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 monthsDrunk driving (DUI)Refusing a test suspends your license for 6 months on a first refusalmca.legmt.gov
Quote
for 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 hoursOn a long ride, how often should you stop and get off the motorcycle to fight fatigue?Answer: At least every two hoursMontana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 24
Quote
and 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 moreMontana Driver Manual (Form 25-0100), page 82
Quote
You 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
NumberWhat it’s aboutSource
10 mphLane splittingVehicles being passed must be stopped or going 10 mph or less in the same direction and lanemca.legmt.gov
Quote
"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 mphLane splittingThe motorcycle may not exceed 20 mphmca.legmt.gov
Quote
the overtaking motorcycle is not operated at a speed in excess of 20 miles an hour when overtaking the stopped or slow-moving vehicle
20 mphIn 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 mphMontana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division website
Quote
the 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
NumberWhat it’s aboutSource
Two secondsUnder normal conditions, what is the minimum following distance behind the vehicle ahead?Answer: Two secondsMontana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 10
Quote
Normally, a minimum of two seconds distance should be maintained behind the vehicle ahead.
Three secondsThe pavement is slippery and you cannot see through the vehicle ahead. What following distance should you use?Answer: Three seconds or moreMontana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 10
Quote
open up a three-second or more following distance.
two secondsIn 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 riderMontana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 21
Quote
The third maintains the left position of the lane, at least two seconds behind the first rider.

Ages, permits & the test

7 numbers
NumberWhat it’s aboutSource
75%Passing scorerules.mt.gov
Quote
23.3.154 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%.
$3.09Feemvdmt.gov
Quote
15 $3.09 16 $2.58
under 18Motorcycle 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.gov
Quote
For 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 yearMotorcycle permitCompleting the Montana Motorcycle Basic Rider Course waives the skills test if the endorsement is obtained within one yearmca.legmt.gov
Quote
A 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 yearHow long is a Montana motorcycle learner license valid?Answer: One year from the date you pass the knowledge testMontana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 2
Quote
It is valid for one year from the date you pass the knowledge test.
one yearYou 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 yearMontana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 3
Quote
Successful 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 45You 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 degreesMontana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 18
Quote
move far enough away from tracks, ruts, or pavement seams to cross at an angle of at least 45˚.

Seat belts, lights & equipment

4 numbers
NumberWhat it’s aboutSource
under 18HelmetsOperators and passengers under 18mca.legmt.gov
Quote
an 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 feetWhat does Montana require of a motorcycle's headlamp?Answer: One or two headlamps reaching 500 feet, on at all timesMontana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 2
Quote
Your 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 feetUnder Montana's equipment rules, how far away must your motorcycle's stoplight be visible in normal sunlight?Answer: 100 feetMontana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 2
Quote
The stoplight must be visible for 100 feet in normal sunlight.
200 feetAccording 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 feetMontana Motorcycle Supplement (Form 25-1500), page 2
Quote
The 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
NumberWhat it’s aboutSource
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 8
Quote
The 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.

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