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Motorcycle · Turning and Cornering

When approaching a tight curve that you are going too fast to complete safely, what is the BEST MSF-recommended action?

Reviewed by Jordan Morley, Editorial Lead at 247SimpleTests. Written by the 247SimpleTests Editorial Team from the official source material cited on every question.

Correct answer

Slow as much as safely possible before committing, look through the turn, and try to complete it — running wide or stopping in the middle of a turn is more dangerous than completing it

  1. A Slow as much as safely possible before committing, look through the turn, and try to complete it — running wide or stopping in the middle of a turn is more dangerous than completing it
  2. B Brake hard in the middle of the curve
  3. C Straighten up and run off the road to avoid the curve
  4. D Look where you want to go, lean more aggressively, and trust the motorcycle's cornering ability — motorcycles can lean much further than riders expect

Why this is the answer

The MSF teaches: SLOW BEFORE (not during) turns. In a turn-entry-too-fast scenario: BEST OUTCOME if you still have options: get your eyes up and looking at the exit, push the handlebars (countersteering) to increase lean angle, trust the bike's capability (most riders reach pavement well before the bike reaches its lean limit), and smooth throttle/brake inputs.

What not to do: brake hard in mid-turn — this reduces lean angle and can cause a low-side crash; straighten up to run off the road — typically causes a higher-speed impact with obstacles off-road than completing the turn.

Prevention: slow enough BEFORE the turn that you can complete it with margin — the cure is always pre-turn speed management, not heroics after entry.

Source: MSF BRC, Curve Escape Options

Practice more questions

This question is from our Motorcycle Permit Practice Tests practice test. Take the full practice test to test your knowledge across all Turning and Cornering and other topics.

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About this topic: Turning and Cornering

Turning and cornering questions cover slowing before the turn, looking through it, pressing the handgrip (countersteering) and rolling on the throttle through the curve — the technique behind most single-vehicle crashes. This is one of 8 Motorcycle questions on turning and cornering, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

New to this exam? Our Motorcycle exam guide explains the format, scoring, and how to prepare.

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