Parking & Stopping

Study questions with answers

12 sample Parking & Stopping questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.

1. 1. The best way to stop quickly is to:

   Correct answer: Apply both brakes firmly at the same time

   A quick stop uses both brakes together, squeezing the front smoothly and pressing the rear without locking either wheel.

   Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Crash Avoidance: Quick Stops

2. 2. If you must brake while still leaned over in a curve, you should:

   Correct answer: Brake smoothly and gradually with less force than when upright

   A leaned tire has less traction, so brake gently and gradually, reducing lean as you slow so you can apply more brake.

   Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Basic Vehicle Control: Braking in a Corner

3. 3. If your front wheel locks during a stop, you should:

   Correct answer: Release the front brake at once, then reapply it

   A locked front wheel means immediate loss of steering, so release the front lever instantly and reapply smoothly.

   Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Crash Avoidance: Front-Wheel Skids

4. 4. The manual suggests flashing your brake light while stopped at an intersection when traffic is:

   Correct answer: Approaching from behind

   Flashing the brake light while stopped warns drivers coming up behind you that you are already halted.

   Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Increasing Conspicuity: Brake Light

5. 5. If you accidentally lock the rear wheel on a good-traction surface, the manual says you can:

   Correct answer: Keep it locked until you have stopped, if the bike is upright and straight

   On good traction, a locked rear wheel can stay locked to a stop as long as the motorcycle is upright and traveling straight.

   Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Crash Avoidance: Quick Stops

6. 6. For a two-wheel motorcycle at a curb, the manual generally recommends parking:

   Correct answer: At an angle with the rear wheel to the curb

   The usual method is to angle the motorcycle with the rear wheel to the curb, though some cities require parallel parking.

   Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Intersections: Parking at the Roadside

7. 7. During maximum braking, pressure on the rear brake should be:

   Correct answer: Light, and eased further as weight shifts forward

   Apply light-to-lighter pressure on the rear because weight transfers forward, leaving the rear with less traction.

   Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Basic Vehicle Control: Braking

8. 8. The manual advises staying in first gear while stopped so that you can:

   Correct answer: Move out quickly if you need to

   Remaining in first gear when stopped lets you pull away fast if you must move suddenly.

   Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Basic Vehicle Control: Shifting Gears

9. 9. Even when stopped behind another vehicle in traffic, the manual says to:

   Correct answer: Keep well back so you can move away if needed

   Staying well behind a stopped vehicle lets you escape if someone bears down from behind or the vehicle rolls back.

   Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Following Another Vehicle

10. 10. When applying the front brake for a quick stop, you should:

    Correct answer: Squeeze it smoothly and progressively

    Squeeze the front brake firmly and progressively; grabbing it can lock the wheel and cause a fall.

    Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Crash Avoidance: Quick Stops

11. 11. Before turning onto a soft or unfamiliar roadside surface, you should:

    Correct answer: Slow way down first

    If the shoulder is soft grass, loose sand, or uncertain, slow way down before steering onto it.

    Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Getting Off the Road

12. 12. To stop as quickly and safely as possible in a curve, you should first try to:

    Correct answer: Straighten the bike and square the handlebars

    Get the motorcycle as upright and perpendicular as conditions allow, then brake; a leaned tire has less traction for stopping.

    Source: Indiana Motorcycle Operator Manual — Crash Avoidance: Stopping Quickly in a Curve