Modern Vespa

i know you do you need to read the california motorcycle handbook. are you also responsible for the information in the california driver handbook too? It's not that i'm lazy - i am studying for a medical exam at the same time and do not want to saturate my brain with anything more than i need at this point. thank you in advance!

You'd better. There will be general questions that are not bike-specific, and therefore not covered in the rider handbook.

Hint: it may not be encouraged, but it was not enforced to not use the handbook while you did your exam in front of a PC monitor. So, you might want to have a driver handbook and sort of know where an answer might be found.

That said, it is for your own safety to know about traffic rules and laws, so you may come to the conclusion that the time investment is a good one.

Good luck, and the thumbs-up button is at the bottom right hand corner

Because I didn't take a test in over a year the DMV made me take all the tests. I'm not sure if it was because I have a commercial license or not but you should call and check.

Yes, I would study both as if it has been longer than 1 year since you got your regular license then depending on the clerk and what mood they are in, they may make you take both the regular test and motorcycle test. Best of luck!

Also of note, I believe they cut down the written driver test by half, and you have half as few opportunities to miss questions. At least, that's what I recall. The woman administering the test literally ripped the bottom half of the test off and gave me the top.

Of course, this was practically half a decade ago... so mayhap things are different.

I took the motorcycle permit test that also had driver questions on it. For my license, I took the MSF course.

As with an earlier comment, I also had to do half a standard driver test. Which was completely unexpected by me since I only studied for the motorcycle one. And there are definitely a few tricky questions in there about default speed limits and what not. I missed 3 out of the allowed 3. Just made it! read both so you are prepared!

it's probably a good idea to review everything. it makes all us motorists and motorcyclists knowing you will. who knows you might learn something new! it may even help you out of a jam when you ride in the future.

i have a feeling that if you are studying for a med exam, you will do just fine with a few glances at the handbooks. i don't think i'm the greatest test taker and i passed it on my first try. it's mostly common sense in my book. good luck on all your exams!

There were a few comments that said otherwise than my experience: my car DL is over ten years old. When I did the MC test less than three years ago, I was only given one sheet of questions, but they included general car questions.

The CA DMV has test samples here:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/interactive/tdrive/exam.htm

And here are some samples with answers:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/interactive/tdrive/clm1answer.htm

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/interactive/tdrive/clm2answer.htm

Be very careful looking at any drawings in the tests, as I recall one that had an almost imperceptible indication that the oncoming car in the illustration had its turn signal on...and that was the key to choosing the correct answer.

There are also whacky questions on both the automobile and the motorcycle test about the legal penalties (fines and jail time) for fleeing the scene of an accident. Since that was nothing I'd ever contemplated doing, I had to guess how long I'd spend in jail on those and how much it would cost.

On the retake of the auto test when taking the motorcycle test, I haven't looked this up again but when I took the test about two years ago it was not discretionary...you had to retake the auto test if it was over a certain amount of time since your DL was last issued.

On a positive note, if you are a good and attentive driver, many of the questions will be common sense and they're all multiple choice. Nobody should miss a question like this, even without studying:

8. When riding at night you should:
Reduce your speed because it is harder to see something lying in the road.

Best of luck!

I just took my test last June and i had to take both tests when going for my M1, if i remember correctly. If they catch you with a handbook while you are taking your written it could cause a lot of problems for you that you don't want.

When i was there they caught some lady and they made her come behind the counter where they are. I don't know what happened to her but, i'm sure it wasn't good

Fortunately, should you fail the written exam you can go out, flip through the handbook and waltz back in and retake the test.

my M1 permit expired recently when I went to retake it, because my class C license was now tied to the M1, I had to take the written test for both the car and scooter. on the bright side though, only had to do side one of the car test...

My advice to you is..... Study both. You'll only benefit yourself with knowledge that you may not had before. Oh, and take the Safety Course too! You'll become a much better driver and make it just that much safer for you and others with whom you share the road.

Good Luck and happy riding.

My sister-in-law and I took the test on the same day. She only had to do the motorcycle questions, I had to do both the motorcycle and general vehicle questions. I'm not sure why, but you would be wise to be ready for both.

I had to take the written motorcycle test twice, the first time, there were two questions that had misleading pictures. They tend to use the same drawings for different questions.

One question was about group riding and passing a car. The answer was to fall into formation behind the leader who already passed the car. But the drawing shows no room to do this. The same drawing was used on my second test for a different question.

Sometimes the answer to a question is somewhere else on the test. I wasn't sure on the number of days a vehicle seller has to notify CA-DMV of a sale, and right there in the notes at the bottom of the test, it said to remember that you must notify within 5 days.

Here's why, based on the info printed in the 2009 Californmia Motorcycle Handbook put out by the CA DMV: That means, if it's been over a year since you last took a written test for your driver's license, you must take both tests.

(And if you should have taken both tests and didn't have to it was probably an oversight on the part of the clerk.)

They made me take both test on same day.

I didn't have to take the general test, but my wife did. Neither of us had taken an exam in the previous 12 months. I think there's a bit of randomness to it, based on which clerk you get and what kind of mood they're in that day.

I also make a point of being nice to the DMV personnel. Not because I like the DMV, but because I believe in greasing the wheels.

I studied the motorcycle handbook after taking the MSF course. I took the test and passed 100% the first time. The DMV said why don't you just take your vehicle drivers test while you are at it, since it is up in 6 months. I've been driving for 20 plus years and with feeling cocky for passing the motorcyle test on the first round sure, I don't need to study.

I whizzed through the test only to find I got 6 wrong! Embarrassed they gave me another one with the book and had me answer 6 random test questions, whew! I passed. That little voice came back...
"Always study!"

You didn't need a permit to take the MSF?

I don't think it's required, is it? My memory is getting hazy at this point, and I'm tired, and I've just sat down at home with a glass of wine, so maybe I'm off. I seem to remember that I never had a permit myself, just went straight to MSF and then took the written test for my endorsement.

Huh, apparently you don;t have to have your permit. Here's some confusing language from a CA-MSP doc on how to get a motorcycle license in CA: But then... So they would prefer that you take the MSF before getting a permit!

The national MSF site says a permit may be required in some states. Okay!

I read it correctly in all that stuff above... If you are over 21, have a regular DL, and want to take the MSF you can go directly to the class. No permit ia required as you are not driving a m/c on the highway, you are on private property or are in a controlled area.

You do need a permit to practice on the highway, with or without the class.