Why are motorcycles often missed by other drivers in early summer?
Québec Class 6 Motorcycle overview
Québec Class 6 Motorcycle: Balance, visibility and the laws of physics
Why riding differs from driving: balance, visibility and vulnerability, plus gravity, the gyroscopic effect, inertia, centrifugal force, kinetic energy and traction.
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Study reference: Operating a Motorcycle (SAAQ, 4th ed., 2025), Ch. 1 Handling a Motorcycle — Special context, Laws of physics, pp. 27–32
All 13 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
Why are motorcycles often missed by other drivers in early summer?
- They are small and only on the road part of the year
- Their headlights are dimmer than car headlights
- They are not allowed on main roads in spring
- Their brake lights don't work in daylight
About how much of the information you need to make riding decisions comes through your eyes?
- About 30%
- About 90%
- About 70%
- About 50%
What can worn tires do to a motorcycle's braking distance?
- Lengthen it a great deal
- Have no effect on stopping
- Shorten it slightly on wet roads
- Leave it completely unchanged
Apart from protective gear, what does the guide say protects a rider?
- The other drivers' legal duty to yield to you
- The motorcycle's size and its weight
- The engine block, frame and fuel tank around you
- Riding skills, anticipation of risks and judgment
Why is it harder to balance a motorcycle at low speed?
- Traction is lower at low speed
- Centrifugal force is at its strongest
- The gyroscopic effect is almost non-existent
- The brakes are too powerful at low speed
Compared with ice, how much friction does dry concrete offer?
- About twice as much
- About ten times more
- About fifty times more
- About the same
What is a motorcycle's power-to-weight ratio?
- Rider weight compared with passenger weight
- Fuel use compared with the tank size
- Top speed compared with the braking distance
- Engine power compared with the motorcycle's weight
How much more kinetic energy does a motorcycle have at 90 km/h than at 45 km/h?
- Four times more
- Three times more
- The same amount
- Twice as much
In a collision, what absorbs most of the motorcycle's kinetic energy?
- The helmet and gloves of the rider alone
- The motorcycle, the obstacle and the rider's body
- The air around the rider and the motorcycle
- The tires and brake pads, before anything else
How does carrying a passenger or baggage affect the motorcycle?
- It shifts the centre of gravity
- It reduces the bike's kinetic energy
- It removes the effect of inertia
- It strengthens the gyroscopic effect
Above about 25 km/h, which force pushes a motorcycle toward the outside of a curve?
- Centrifugal force
- The gyroscopic effect
- Engine compression
- Gravity
What can increase your risk of a crash, according to the guide?
- Overconfidence and overestimating your abilities
- Practising manoeuvres on a closed track
- Wearing light-coloured riding gear
- Taking extra time to learn the controls
What does inertia mean for a motorcycle moving straight ahead?
- It slows down on its own over a short distance
- It keeps going straight unless a force changes that
- It drifts slowly toward the centre line
- It leans toward the inside of curves
Balance, visibility and the laws of physics: key rules to remember
Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗
Special context of riding, pp. 14–29
- About 90% of the information you use to make driving decisions comes through your eyes, so good vision and observation strategies are essential.
- Habits from driving a car (speeding, impaired driving, poor communication) tend to carry over to riding.
- Overconfidence and overestimating your abilities raise your risk of a crash.
- You must keep your balance at every moment, especially at low speed and when stopping; bike size and weight, sand, water, gusts and rain all affect stability.
- Motorcycles are small and are on the road only part of the year, so drivers must get used to seeing them again each summer; many crashes happen because the other driver didn't see the rider.
- A rider is vulnerable: apart from protective gear, your protection is your riding skill, your ability to anticipate risks and your judgment.
- Wear a good helmet and riding clothes from your very first lesson.
- The power-to-weight ratio (engine power compared with weight) affects your safety.
Laws of physics, pp. 29–32
- Gravity slows you uphill and speeds you up downhill; adding a passenger or baggage changes the centre of gravity.
- Gyroscopic effect: the faster the wheels spin, the more stable the motorcycle; at low speed it is almost nil, which is why balancing is harder.
- Inertia keeps a moving motorcycle going straight unless a force slows it or changes its path; you overcome it to change direction (countersteering).
- Centrifugal force pushes the motorcycle toward the outside of a curve above about 25 km/h; it grows with speed, weight and the radius of the curve; you lean toward the inside to offset it.
- The guide uses about 25 km/h as the dividing line between low speed (counterbalancing) and higher speed (countersteering).
- Kinetic energy depends on weight and speed: at 90 km/h a motorcycle stores four times the energy it has at 45 km/h.
- Kinetic energy is shed as heat in the brakes, friction of tires on the road or, in a crash, by deforming the motorcycle, the obstacle and the rider's body.
- Tires are the only contact with the road; traction (the coefficient of friction) depends on the surface and on tire quality, wear and pressure.
- Dry concrete has roughly ten times the friction coefficient of ice; worn tires can greatly lengthen braking distance.
Study the Balance, visibility and the laws of physics rules as flashcards →
Other topics
- Class 6R, 6A and the knowledge testThe steps from the Class 6R learner's licence to a Class 6 licence, the knowledge test sections and pass marks, retake waits, the driving course, the 6A curfew and passenger rules.
- Dashboard, controls and componentsDashboard lights and gauges, handlebar and foot controls, the kill switch, choke, ignition positions and the fuel tap.
- Basic operations and riding positionMoving, mounting, lifting and starting the motorcycle, scanning the right areas, the safe riding position, clutch friction point, gearshift and throttle control.
- Brakes, counterbalancing and countersteeringHow to share braking between front and rear, slowing from 50 km/h, counterbalancing below 25 km/h and countersteering above 25 km/h.
- Starting, shifting, stopping and curvesSetting off, upshifting and downshifting, braking, coming to a stop, emergency braking, turns below 25 km/h, curves above 25 km/h and avoiding obstacles.
- Breakdowns, skids and special situationsPulling onto the shoulder, oil and temperature warnings, shimmy and wobble, flat tires, broken clutch cable, jammed throttle, broken chain, skids, hydroplaning and riding over obstacles.
- Vision, visual checks, speed and safety marginsField of vision and speed, scanning ahead, mirrors and blind spots, adapting speed, stopping distance, and front, rear and side safety margins.
- Being seen and choosing a third of the laneSignalling your presence and intentions, eye contact, brake lights and horn, and when to use the left, middle or right third of the lane.
- Group ridingGroup size, the zigzag formation required by the Highway Safety Code, two-second gaps, and the roles of the lead, less experienced and sweep riders.
- Intersections, highways, passing and parkingTurning at intersections, curves on the road, merging onto and exiting highways, passing, parking at 45 degrees, and manoeuvres prohibited for motorcycles.
- Heavy vehicles, emergency vehicles, pedestrians and pitfallsHeavy vehicles, emergency vehicles and the Move Over Law, pedestrians, cyclists, and the road pitfalls: blocked views, left-turners, misleading signals, parked cars, animals and railway crossings.
- Rider risks: age, emotions, fatigue and impairmentAge, motivations, emotions, peer influence and overconfidence, distraction, fatigue, alcohol, drugs and medication, and risky departures.
- Weather, road conditions, extra weight and trip planningHeat, rain, fog, night and wind, heavy traffic, gravel, rough and slippery roads, the motorcycle's condition, passengers and baggage, and planning trips.
- Helmets and protective gearQuébec helmet law and recognized standards, helmet fit and lifespan, eye protection, jackets, pants, gloves and boots.