Montana Motorcycle practice
Montana Motorcycle: Lane Position & Sharing the Road practice test
Where to position yourself in the lane to be seen, managing blind spots, and sharing the road safely with cars and trucks.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
14 questions · pass with 11 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
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Study questions with answers
12 sample Lane Position & Sharing the Road questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.
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1. During a group ride, a rider falls behind. What should happen?
Correct answer: Everyone slows down to keep the group together
Use your mirrors to keep track of the rider behind you. If someone drops back, everyone slows down so the group stays together.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Group Riding
2. Where does the manual say you'll usually find large buildups of oil and grease that you should avoid riding on?
Correct answer: At busy intersections and tollbooths
Heavy oil and grease buildups are usually found at busy intersections and tollbooths, and the manual advises staying off them.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Lane Positions
3. Why should group riders never ride directly alongside each other in the same lane?
Correct answer: Neither rider has room to maneuver around a car or hazard
Pairing up leaves no room to maneuver if you need to avoid a car or a hazard in the road. The manual says to wait until you've both stopped to talk.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Group Riding
4. You find yourself riding right next to cars in the lanes beside you. What does the manual suggest?
Correct answer: Change speed, faster or slower, until neither side has traffic beside you
A car in the next lane may not see you and can block your escape route, so speed up or drop back until you have a spot with no traffic on either side.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Cars Alongside
5. In group riding, who should be chosen as the lead and sweep riders?
Correct answer: The most experienced riders in the group
The lead and sweep riders should be the group's most experienced riders. The leader watches ahead and signals early, and the sweep rides last and sets the pace.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Group Riding
6. When gauging your following distance, at what moment do you start counting seconds?
Correct answer: When the back of the vehicle in front goes past the marker
Pick a fixed point such as a lamppost. Begin counting once the back of the vehicle in front goes past it; if you reach the point before you get to two, you're too close.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Following Another Vehicle
7. On a two-lane highway, why shouldn't a group's lead rider shift over to the lane's right side after passing a vehicle?
Correct answer: It might encourage the next rider to pass and cut in too soon
The leader belongs back in the left position, keeping up speed so the next rider has space to follow. Drifting right could tempt the rider behind to overtake and slip back in before there's enough room ahead of the passed vehicle.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Group Riding
8. Besides room to stop or swerve, what else does a two-second following distance give you?
Correct answer: A better view of potholes and other road hazards
Two seconds is the minimum room to stop or swerve should the vehicle ahead stop suddenly, and it also gives you a better look at potholes and other road hazards.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Following Another Vehicle
9. After passing a car, what should you do before moving back into your original lane?
Correct answer: Signal again and complete mirror and head checks
The passing steps end with signaling and finishing mirror and head checks before you return to your lane, then canceling the signal.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Passing
10. What does the manual say about which parts of the lane a rider must avoid?
Correct answer: No part of the lane has to be avoided, including the center
Many riders default to the left tire track, but the manual says to vary your position as conditions change, since no part of the lane, including the center, has to be avoided.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Lane Positions
11. The manual lists several things a good lane position should help you do. Which is NOT one of them?
Correct answer: Ride as close to the center line as possible
Lane position should help you see and be seen, avoid blind spots and surface hazards, protect your lane, communicate intentions, avoid wind blast, provide an escape route and set up for turns. Hugging the center line is not a goal.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Lane Positions
12. A rider insists on going faster than the rest of the group. What does the manual recommend?
Correct answer: Let them go ahead to an agreed meeting point
No competition, no passing within the group and no tailgating are the key group rules. A rider who wants more speed should be allowed ahead to an agreed meeting point.
Source: Montana Motorcycle Supplement — Group Riding
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Every Montana question is written from the official Montana driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free