Class A theory course · chapter 5 of 19
Forces, balance and braking
Self-balance, countersteering and throttle control, how weight shifts under braking, the choice between braking and steering around, and what load and a passenger do.
The chapter in numbers
- Lessons
- 3about 15 minutes of reading
- Drawings
- 8diagrams and photographs made for the lessons they sit in
- Terms
- 5words explained where they are first used
Why this chapter
What keeps a motorcycle upright, makes it turn and brings it to a stop is physics you have to understand – not just feel. This chapter explains balance, how you actually get the machine to turn, what happens to the weight when you brake, and how a passenger and load change the picture – and the hardest choice in an emergency: brake or steer around.
Written against
The lessons are written against these sources, and the explanations cite them.
- Læreplan klasse A2 (V850a2) pkt. 2.1.4, 2.2.4 og definisjonene (styrekommando, svingpunkt, gasskontroll, forankringspunkter)
- Læreplan klasse A2 (V850a2) pkt. 2.1.4, 2.2.2, 2.2.5 og 3.3 (sikkerhetskurs i presis kjøreteknikk)
- kjøretøyforskriften § 2-6
- Læreplan klasse A2 (V850a2) pkt. 2.1.4 og 3.1.5
- definisjonen av handlingsberedskap
- læreplan V850a2 pkt. 3.3.5 (bremsing i sving)
What the test asks
The practice questions for this chapter belong to 2 of the seven official themes of the theory test.
- Speed & positioning277 practice questions · 7 of 40 in our mock exam
- Driver & owner responsibility154 practice questions · 4 of 40 in our mock exam
The mock-exam split is our own – Statens vegvesen publishes none.
The lessons, in order
- 1 Balance and cornering forcesWhy the machine stays up by itself, why it must lean to turn, and what happens when you lay it over. 5 min
- 2 Braking, load and passengerKinetic energy and stopping distance, how weight shifts, and what a passenger or luggage does to the machine. 5 min
- 3 Brake or steer around itThe choice between braking and steering around, why the two cannot be done at once, and how the swerve is ridden. 5 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.