Class A theory course · chapter 2 of 19
The motorcycle — construction and systems
Engine, transmission, frame and suspension, and why the front brake and two small contact patches decide most of it.
The chapter in numbers
- Lessons
- 4about 14 minutes of reading
- Drawings
- 9diagrams and photographs made for the lessons they sit in
- Exam tips
- 2passages that say what the test tends to ask here
- Terms
- 2words explained where they are first used
Why this chapter
You do not need to be a mechanic, but you must understand what makes a motorcycle go, stop and turn – and why it behaves so differently from anything on four wheels. Engine and transmission, frame and suspension, brakes and tyres, the controls – and the sidecar outfits and multi-wheeled machines your licence also covers: this chapter gives you what you need to answer correctly and ride safely.
Written against
The lessons are written against these sources, and the explanations cite them.
- Læreplan klasse A2 (V850a2) pkt. 2.1.4 og 2.2.1
- forskrift om bruk av kjøretøy
- forskrift om bruk av kjøretøy § 1-4
- Læreplan klasse A2 (V850a2) pkt. 2.2.1 og 2.2.4
- instruksjonsboka for kjøretøyet
- Læreplan klasse A2 (V850a2) pkt. 2.2.1
- trafikkreglene § 5 nr. 2
- forskrift om bruk av personlig verneutstyr under kjøring med motorvogn § 2
What the test asks
The practice questions for this chapter belong to one of the seven official themes of the theory test.
The mock-exam split is our own – Statens vegvesen publishes none.
The lessons, in order
- 1 The motorcycle's main systemsEngine, transmission, frame, forks, swingarm and suspension — and why a two-wheeler behaves the way it does. 3 min
- 2 Brakes, wheels and tyresWhy the front brake does most of the work, what ABS does and does not do, and what the rules require of your tyres. 4 min
- 3 Controls, the cut-off switch and the fuel tapThe controls you work the machine with — including the two a car driver has never touched. 4 min
- 4 Sidecars and three- and four-wheeled motorcyclesVehicles your licence covers that do not behave like a two-wheeler at all. 3 min
The lessons are part of full access – 149 kr for a week, 299 kr for a month. Chapter 1 is free, so you can see how the course is written first.
All 19 chapters
- 01The motorcycle and the licence
- 02The motorcycle — construction and systems
- 03Clothing and compulsory safety equipment
- 04The motorcycle safety check
- 05Forces, balance and braking
- 06Manoeuvring — low speed, starting and stopping
- 07Positioning and cornering
- 08Observation, where you look, and being seen
- 09Grip, weather and road conditions
- 10Signs, markings and signals
- 11At a traffic accident
- 12The traffic rules and the rider's duties
- 13Motorway, tunnel and level crossing
- 14The rider's and owner's responsibility
- 15Risk, attitudes and riding strategy
- 16Giving way
- 17Speed, distance and overtaking
- 18Environment and consideration
- 19Passenger and load
Read the whole chapter
Full access opens all 19 chapters, mock exams with new questions every time and the sign drill – 149 kr for a week, 299 kr for a month, no automatic renewal.