WA motorcycle test road surface hazards practice questions

Question 1

You come around a bend on a coastal road and find sand blown across the bitumen. What should you do?

• Brake hard once you are in the sand
• Slow before you reach it, keep the bike upright, hold a steady throttle and a relaxed gripCorrect answer
• Accelerate to get across it faster
• Lean the bike over to steer around it at the last moment

Sand on bitumen gives almost no grip and the front wheel will move around. Do the slowing on the clean surface, stay loose on the bars and let the motorcycle wander a little as it crosses.

Rule cited: Ride Safe handbook (Western Australia), topic: road surface hazards

Question 2

A road train is coming towards you on a narrow country road and you need to move left. What should you watch for?

• Nothing, the shoulder is the same as the road
• The unsealed shoulder is soft and loose, so slow down first and avoid dropping a wheel off the edge suddenlyCorrect answer
• The shoulder will be smoother than the road
• The road train will move over for you

A sudden drop off the bitumen edge onto loose gravel is a common way to lose the front wheel. Slow early, choose your position within the sealed surface if you can, and be ready for the wind blast as the road train passes.

Rule cited: Ride Safe handbook (Western Australia), topic: rural roads

Question 3

Why should a rider avoid braking or turning on painted road markings when it is wet?

• Paint has far less grip than the road surface beside itCorrect answer
• The paint melts and sticks to the tyres
• It wears the paint out, which is an offence
• Paint is only slippery in the dry

Wet line marking, turn arrows and crossing stripes are close to ice for a tyre. Plan to be upright and off the brakes whenever you cross them.

Rule cited: Ride Safe handbook (Western Australia), topic: road surface hazards

Question 4

How should you ride across a cattle grid on a rural road?

• Square to the bars, upright, at a steady reduced speed with no braking or turning on itCorrect answer
• At an angle so the tyres run along the bars
• Braking firmly as you cross
• Leaned over so the bumps are absorbed

The steel bars are slippery and can grab a leaned tyre. Slow before it, line the bike up straight and roll across with a light grip on the handlebars.

Rule cited: Ride Safe handbook (Western Australia), topic: rural roads

Question 5

You are riding on a corrugated unsealed road. What is the best technique?

• Brake hard on the corrugations to settle the bike
• Hold a steady speed, keep a relaxed grip, and take some weight on the footrests so the suspension can workCorrect answer
• Ride as slowly as possible in a high gear
• Lean the bike over to smooth out the bumps

Corrugations shake the front wheel and a tight grip transmits that into your steering. Standing lightly on the pegs lowers the effective weight and lets the bike move under you. Brake and turn only on the smoother patches.

Rule cited: Ride Safe handbook (Western Australia), topic: unsealed roads

Question 6

Roadworks have left steel plates and loose stones across your lane. How should you deal with them?

• Slow down before them, cross upright with a steady throttle, and increase your gap so stones are not flicked at youCorrect answer
• Keep your speed and cross at an angle
• Brake hard while on the steel plate
• Overtake the vehicle in front to get clear sooner

Steel plates give very little grip and loose stone acts like ball bearings. Do all your slowing before the works section, keep the bike upright and hang back from the vehicle ahead.

Rule cited: Ride Safe handbook (Western Australia), topic: road surface hazards

Question 7

You are stopping at a set of traffic lights on a hot day. Where should your tyres and your foot go?

• On the shiny strip in the centre of the lane
• In a wheel track, away from the oil and fuel that collects in the middle of the laneCorrect answer
• On the painted stop line
• It makes no difference

Idling vehicles drip oil, fuel and coolant into the centre of the lane, and heat makes it worse. Stop with your tyres and your boot in a wheel track instead of on the greasy strip.

Rule cited: Ride Safe handbook (Western Australia), topic: road surface hazards