Washington Motorcycle Permit Practice Test 1
20 questions written from the Washington Motorcycle Operator Manual, with an explanation and page citation for every answer.
What is the minimum age to get a motorcycle instruction permit in Washington?
Keyboard: press 1–4 or A–D to answer, Enter for the next question, S to save, R to read aloud, P to pause reading, L to listen and answer.
Sample questions
What is the minimum age to get a motorcycle instruction permit in Washington?
- A 16, and you must already hold a current Washington driver license
- B 15, as long as you are enrolled in a rider training course
- C 18, unless a parent rides with you
- D 16, and no driver license is needed before you apply for the permit
Show answer
A. 16, and you must already hold a current Washington driver license
Washington requires motorcycle instruction-permit riders to be at least 16 and to hold a current Washington driver license. A motorcycle permit is added to an existing driver license, so it cannot be your first license.
What minimum following distance does the Washington manual recommend for motorcycles in ideal conditions?
- A 2 seconds
- B 3 seconds
- C 12 seconds
- D 1 second
Show answer
B. 3 seconds
Washington recommends at least a three-second following distance for both two- and three-wheeled motorcycles, and three seconds is the absolute minimum for ideal conditions. Increase it for bad weather, fatigue, poor surfaces or heavy traffic.
The manual's pre-ride inspection checklist lists items by letter. What does the letter O stand for?
- A Operator's license
- B Owner's manual
- C Oil and other fluids
- D Odometer
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C. Oil and other fluids
The checklist is T for tires and wheels, L for levers and controls, L for lights, O for oil and other fluids, S for suspension and drivetrain, and S for stands. Under O, check fluid levels and look for leaks before you ride.
The sidecar wheel of your rig suddenly lifts off the ground ("flying" the sidecar). Which action can help bring it back down?
- A Accelerate hard to push the wheel down
- B Lean into the lift, lightly apply the front brake, or roll off the throttle slightly
- C Turn the handlebars sharply toward the sidecar
- D Lean away from the lifting wheel
Show answer
B. Lean into the lift, lightly apply the front brake, or roll off the throttle slightly
To bring a flying wheel to the ground, lean into the lift, lightly apply the front brake, or roll off the throttle slightly. While the wheel is up, steering reverts to countersteering, so practice this in a safe area or a training course.