Motorcycle Test - webBikeWorld

There you are standing in the blazing sunlight among a dozen other riders as you stare at a group of orange cones positioned at crazy angles.

Three months ago you got your learner's permit and bought your bike which you’ve been riding every weekend. Slowly a knot grows in your stomach just as the guy with the clipboard welcomes you to the Alternate Motorcycle Operator Skill Test.

Now sitting on your bike third in a line of ten student, the task is to ride forward make a left hand turn and then park the front tire in a box.

“Piece of cake” you think as the first rider heads downrange on a new expensive looking Deuce. The rider enters the turn and begins to wobble, then BLAM! -- down goes the bike.

Next up is a munchkin of a woman riding a huge-looking VTX. She sails through the turn and parks the front tire dead center in the box. OK -- now it’s your turn and you know every eye on the course is looking right at you.

Taking tests is no fun but at some point if you want a motorcycle endorsement on your license it will be a rite of passage you must face.

Twenty-nine states in the U.S. have elected to use the Alternate MOST, or Alternate Motorcycle Operator Skill Test, which was developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) in cooperation with the National Public Services Research Institute.

The MSF are the same folks who developed the Basic Rider Course which, as many riders know, allows you to receive a motorcycle endorsement on your license without taking the Alternate MOST or other skills test.

According to the MSF, forty-four state jurisdictions have adopted or modified the MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation and MSF have cooperatively developed many of the motorcycle licensing schemes in use in the United States.

Sixteen jurisdictions use locally designed off-street tests, while others in use include a motorcycle knowledge test, the Alternate Motorcycle Operator Skills Test (Alternate MOST, described here), the Motorcycle Licensing Skills Test and the Motorcyclist in Traffic Test.

According to Ray Ochs, Director of Training Systems for MSF, the Alternate MOST is the third iteration of the Motorcycle Operators Test. The original MOST which is still used by several states requires a larger testing area and involves higher speeds. With each revamping of the MOST, the required testing area grew smaller allowing states to offer more testing sites.

There is really no inside secret to passing the Alternate MOST other than having control of the motorcycle. So the key to passing is knowing how to ride your bike.

The best way to make sure you will pass the Alternate Motorcycle Operator Skill Test is to practice the maneuvers in advance. Most of the maneuvers in the test are performed at slow speeds, which means that the rider must know know how to control the throttle, clutch and rear brake as well as how to countersteer. All of these are basic motorcycle riding skills.

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The diagrams below (download the .zip file of full size graphics) show the various tests and boundaries which are easy to set up using a tape measure, some small cones or tennis balls cut in half and chalk. I’ll walk you through the various runs and the criteria used for the test. Note though that the sequence may vary from state to state and between exam sites.

The first six are usually combined so that you will make four separate runs composed of a left turn then a controlled stop, followed by a second run composed of the offset weave to a right hand U-turn. The quick stop and obstacle swerve are done separately.

Stalling is listed as one of the seven exercises but the only thing examiners consider is the ability to operate the bike without stalling during the course of the test.

The test is graded on deductions. Every state can set up their own deduction schedule as well as the maximum number of allowable points so the following information is typical but may be different in your state.

The majority of states appear to use 10 points as the maximum allowed for passing. Deductions are earned for riding outside boundary lines, putting a foot down and missing or hitting cones. Stalling the motorcycle will also earn deductions as will skidding during the normal stop segment.

The point deductions for putting a foot down are usually 3 points for the first time during a specific exercise and 5 points maximum for the second and subsequent faults. Stalling once is a 1-point deduction, 3 points for second time and a maximum of 5 points for three or more stalls.

Skipping or hitting cones in the offset weave have deductions of 3 points for the first cone and 5 for two or more. Other deductions will be covered in the individual descriptions of the exercises.

The test will be terminated if the motorcycle is dropped or if it is operated in an unsafe manner, such as running over the examiner! The test will also be terminated if the rider has accumulated enough points to fail or has repeatedly failed to understand or follow instructions. The rider also has the option of quitting at any time.

Run #1: Left Turn and Normal Stop
Begin this test approximately 30 feet away from the left hand turn diagramed below. You must complete the turn inside the boundary lines and without putting a foot down. Once you exit the turn, you will make a sweeping 180 degree turn to a 5’x3”’ box painted on the ground. You need to be able to stop with your front tire inside the box and not touching the line and without skidding. You will approach the box on the 5’ side.

Skidding during the stop is a 3 point deduction and not stopping in the box is a 5 point deduction.

Run #2: Cone Weave and Right Hand U-Turn
The offset cone weave (below) and U-turn are the cause of more test failures than all of the other exercises combined. The run begins with the rider approximately 10 feet away from and in line with the first cone.

The rider must pass the first cone on the left and the second on the right and so on. Three points are deducted for the first cone missed and 5 points if you miss more than one. In addition, 3 points are deducted for putting a foot down once and 5 points for the second and subsequent occurrences.

Once the offset cone segment is completed, the rider must perform a sweeping 180-degree turn and perform a right hand U-Turn in the box shown. 500cc bikes and above use the 24’ line while those under 500cc’s use the 20’ line. Five point deductions are earned for touching the boundary lines and/or putting a foot down.

Due to the point weighting on this run it is possible to earn 10 points on the offset weave and another 10 on the right hand U-Turn, so this is a good place to focus your practice.

Run #3: Quick Stop
The quick stop (below) is one of two timed maneuvers. The rider begins on a start line and accelerates for 35 feet, stabilizing the motorcycle's speed between 12 and 20 MPH. A 20’ long timing box is then entered; the box is usually defined by two sets of cones.

When the front tire reaches the end of the timing box (second set of cones) the brakes are applied and the motorcycle is stopped as quickly and as safely as possible. Unlike the controlled stop you do not earn deductions for skidding, although it isn’t encouraged.

There is a standard distance based on your speed and you earn a 1-point deduction for every foot over that standard. In practice if you use both brakes properly you will be within the standard with room to spare.

There are several portions of this test that cause trouble for many riders. Points will most likely be deducted if the rider uses only the rear brake. An automatic failure will be charged to riders who end up skidding and dropping the motorcycle, so don’t get carried away.

The last potential trouble spot is either going too fast or too slow or anticipating the stop. Examiners will be looking for any attempt to brake before the stop line, but if you do you will get one more chance at it in this portion of the test. You also get a second run if you are riding too fast or too slow, so take a glance at your speed. Remember the 12 to 20 MPH speed limit; 14 to 15 MPH is ideal.

Run #4: Obstacle Swerve
The Obstacle Swerve (below) is the second timed test with the same target speed of 12 to 20 MPH. The rider will begin a swerve either to the left or right as directed at the second set of cones.

Ten feet from the serve line is a second line which is 7’ wide representing a car and 6’6’ to the outside of that is a vertical line. The rider must swerve through the 6’6” opening without touching the 7 foot horizontal line or the vertical boundary line to the outside. It is a 5 point deduction for touching the boundary. If you are too slow you get one more chance.

Trikes, Sidecars and under 50cc’s
The Alternate MOST is also used to test Trike operators and operators using bikes with sidecars. The only changes in the test are with the left hand turn where the inside boundary line is not used and on the offset weave were every other cone after the first is removed. Other than that the criteria is identical.

It is worth noting that many states will provide a restricted endorsement if the test is performed on a Trike or a motorcycle with a sidecar your motorcycle endorsement. The endorsement will license the rider to whichever of the two were used for the test. In some states the same applies to riders who test on bikes under 50cc’s.

A Few Final Thoughts
With practice any rider can approach the Alternate MOST with confidence, but unfortunately that isn’t the case for many. The Alternate MOST only tests the minimal skills needed to safely operate a motorcycle and although passing with 8 to 10 points will gain an endorsement, it certainly indicates a marginal rider.

The majority of new riders, and for that matter most experienced riders, would be well served by attending a program such as the MSF Basic Rider Course. This particularly makes sense when a rider is able to meet endorsement requirements by successfully completing the course rather than just taking the skills test. Check the Motorcycle Safety Foundation website for a class near you.

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From "S.C.": "I just read your article about the motorcycle skills exam and I wish I had done that before taking the test. Just to give a bit of background, I grew up riding motorcycles and had my license in CA back in the mid 1980's. When I moved to VA, I didn't transfer the endorsement (big mistake) and I didn't ride for more than 20 years. High gas prices, combined with a mild mid-life crisis got me interested in riding again.

I took my written test for the permit and passed without missing a question on the first attempt. I waited the requisite 30 days and went back for the road test. I figured it couldn't be so bad for a guy like me who is pretty comfortable with his bike (Suzuki Bandit 1200). Unfortunately, things didn't work out as I thought.

The problem was that the woman administrating the test had some pretty poor communication skills and I had no idea what to expect. Her explanation for the left turn and controlled brake were clear enough, but the weave and u-turn were not. In a low voice, with my engine running she said to weave through the cones, come back and make a u-turn "within the course".

I missed the third cone and thought I was done. I didn't realize that one could fail one section and still get a license. I drove off the course and circled back to her to see if I could have another chance. That meant that I not only got the 5 points for the weave, but also an additional 5 for not performing the u-turn. Until I came here and read the description, I wouldn't have known what "within the course" meant anyway and likely would have failed that as well.

The next two tests were each performed twice. She never said if I had done anything incorrect the first time and I have no idea what she was looking at. It was exceptionally frustrating. I asked if I had done something incorrect and the response I got was "you are allowed to take this section twice." That was all I was able to get out of her.

Just before I started the Obstacle Swerve, I was parked next to her, straining to figure out what she was telling me. I put the bike into gear and began to head toward the starting point and I stalled the bike. Guess what? That was one more point, putting me at 11 and failing me. For the record, she never indicated where the bike needed to be after swerving from the line and I only know now as a result of reading this excellent article. Again, I took that test twice with no indication if it was right or wrong the first time.

There are obviously some lessons learned here. The first is that if you don't understand something, shut the bike off and make the examiner explain it until you get it. I'm still a bit unclear about the u-turn and where it starts and stops (the marks on the pavement don't seem to correlate to anything I've seen). I also don't know if I am expected to stop at the end of the u-turn. These are things I plan on asking before making a second attempt. Another lesson learned is to do more research. Its a shame that a person needs to learn a test, but until the test actually tests realistic skills, I guess that's how it needs to be.

I am happy that I stumbled across this site. I feel much better prepared for my next and hopefully, final attempt. I'll do some practice and try to figure out exactly what is being graded on the u-turn. I'm also going to re-take the test at another DMV in hopes of finding an examiner who isn't a low-talking bureaucrat with no sense of humor."