Kentucky Motorcycle Permit Practice Test

To apply for a Kentucky motorcycle instruction permit you must hold a valid operator's license or be at least 18.

Kentucky law defines a motorcycle as a motor-driven vehicle with a seat or saddle for the rider, built to travel on no more than three wheels touching the ground; tractors, vehicles whose riders sit in an enclosed cab, and mopeds are not motorcycles.

Kentucky lets a rider skip the helmet only if they are over 21 and have held a motorcycle license for a year or more; passengers must be 21 or older to ride without one. Riders under 21 or licensed less than a year must wear protective headgear.

In Kentucky it is illegal to carry or ride as a passenger on a motorcycle without a passenger seat and footrests that are permanently attached and designed to carry passengers safely.

A motorcycle has a front and a rear brake; use both at the same time every time you slow or stop.

Kentucky's manual calls for a minimum four-second following distance: when the rear bumper of the vehicle ahead passes a marker such as a lamppost, count off four seconds.

Even if your passenger rides motorcycles, give complete instructions before you start, including to get on only after you have started the engine and to stay directly behind you, leaning as you lean, and to avoid unnecessary talk or motion.

To carry a passenger, the motorcycle needs a proper seat big enough for both without crowding (you shouldn't sit farther forward than usual) and passenger footrests, and the passenger needs the same protective gear as the rider.

Never carry passengers or bundles in front of the handlebars.

Keep riding groups small: small groups are easier for drivers to get around and aren't split as easily by traffic or red lights; a group larger than four or five riders should split into two or more smaller groups.

Alcohol is a major contributor to motorcycle crashes, especially fatal ones: 40% to 45% of riders killed in motorcycle crashes had been drinking, and only a third of them were above the legal limit; the rest had only a few drinks, enough to impair riding skills.

In every state an adult with a BAC of 0.08% or more is considered intoxicated, while lower limits (0.00 to 0.02%) apply to riders under 21; how sober you look doesn't matter, as a breath or urine test usually decides.