Congratulations Kyna!!!!

[ro-monster]

I think A is the correct answer to the first question because your normal lane position is in the left wheel track. That would put you too far from the curb for car doors to be a hazard.

You can use your front brake while turning; I do it all the time. You just can't use too much front brake. MSF tries to make things really simple because beginners have enough to handle without trying to master a subtlety such as "How much front brake is too much?" So they tell you not to use it at all. But if you are trying to make an emergency stop, it's far better to overuse the front brake and go down at a lower speed than it is to crash into an object at a higher speed. Even a small reduction of speed means a big reduction in impact forces.

[Grio]

3. If you need to perform an emergency stop while in a curve, but do not have time to straighten the bike what should you do?
a. Apply both the front and rear break ....more words


I remember over and over in the MSF course being told to NEVER use the front brake while in a lean or your sure to go down.

If anyone can explain why I got that last one wrong I'd appreciate it.  Any additional knowledge I can get is appreciated.

You can apply front brake while in a corner, but it is a more advanced technique caller "trailbraking".  You definitely don't want to grab the front brake or do any heavy braking...that will cause the front to "wash-out" or "tuck" and down you will go.  Trailbraking is more of a technique to stablize the bike and allow it to turn in than to scrub off speed.  You very lightly apply brakes prior to turning in and half way through the turn.   Many people use one finger to trailbrake.

Anyway, I don't think the MSF or the DMV test is really geared to sport riding techniques, so take some inconsistancies with a grain of salt.  That one is kind of a trick questions too...The most important thing to remember (and do) if you are in an emergency situation is "don't panic" and don't "grab" that brake.  Apply a little then you can squeeze harder...

For what it's worth, if I was in the situation the test described and did start braking while leaned over, I would not give up on straightening the bike up as soon as possible and then braking hard

[duqette]

Hm...I remember 3 of them.

1. When riding next to a row of parked cars which poses the greatest hazard?
a. Parked cars pulling away from the curb
b. A car door opening in your path
c. A pedestrian walking out from between two parked cars

I debated between A & B and picked the wrong one. (A was deemed correct)

2. When the front tire goes flat which of the following should you do?
a. Apply the front and back brake and move to the right.
b. Apply the back brake and move to the closest shoulder.
c. Apply the front brake and move to the closest shoulder.

I picked B but A was correct.

3. If you need to perform an emergency stop while in a curve, but do not have time to straighten the bike what should you do?
a. Apply both the front and rear break ....more words
b. Apply the rear brake
c. apply the front brake and lean the bike to the lower side.

I picked B, again A was correct.

hm...looking at this I'm noticing a trend with my answers.

I say the first one was a toss up, but tell me if you know why A is more correct than B.  I guessed on the second one.  But the third; man I remember over and over in the MSF course being told to NEVER use the front brake while in a lean or your sure to go down.

If anyone can explain why I got that last one wrong I'd appreciate it.  Any additional knowledge I can get is appreciated.

I got three questions wrong when I took my test, too! Can't remember which three.... 

Here's some explanations:

On the first one,  it does say "greatest" hazard. An entire car moving into your path is easily the worst of the three.... 

Second:

Breaking with the tire that is flat is in general a bad idea, and best to be avoided. That's the one you have no control with. For an excellent explanation of flat tires and what to do, see here:
http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185853

Third:
An emergency stop means stop as fast as possible, which means both breaks. As stated above, it is possible to feather the front in a curve (I do it all the time, something I learned in road biking). If you really need to stop, however, and the bike is leaned, applying more or less equal pressure to front and back will give you the best chance of making it through. The bike will stand up, but you'll be scrubbing speed at the same time, and, as stated previously, less speed is always better if there's a tree in your path. Also, you might just be able to recover enough to lean the bike back over (at your reduced speed) and make it through your turn.

The test is tricky. Some of the questions have answers where there's no "right" answer, just a "best" answer.

But, you passed! Congratulations!! [moto]

[lauramonster]

Congrats on passing your test - and thanks for sharing the questions.  It's interesting to look at again, and I guess it's been a while since I read the booklet, so it's back to the study of theory!!

(I've been having so much fun riding, I forgot about keeping up with the info!)

[Shortie]

Thanks ladies! Hopefully these little tidbits help me with my test in a couple of weeks!

[Kyna]

I'm going on my first ride on the open road this weekend!  I'm so excited.   [moto]  I live out in a farming community, so at least I won't have much traffic to contend with.

[somegirl]

Cool, have fun and let us know how it goes! [moto]

[TiNi]

I'm going on my first ride on the open road this weekend!  I'm so excited.   [moto]  I live out in a farming community, so at least I won't have much traffic to contend with.

you won't have as much traffic, but you will have to deal with wildlife... just as unpredictable...
have fun!