South Dakota Motorcycle Manual 2026

How to use the South Dakota Motorcycle Manual

The DPS draws its 25-question knowledge test from the South Dakota Motorcycle Manual, and you need 80% to pass, which is 20 correct answers. Read the 47 pages once for coverage, then answer practice questions to find the rules that did not stick. Practice tells you what you do not know yet; the Motorcycle Manual is where the rule is actually stated, in the words the state chose.

It is also the only source that settles an argument. When a practice answer and your instinct disagree, the South Dakota Motorcycle Manual decides it, and every explanation we write points back into it.

What is inside the South Dakota Motorcycle Manual

The South Dakota Motorcycle Manual runs to 47 pages. These are the areas it covers that the knowledge test can ask about.

• Choosing and fitting a helmet and protective gear
• Motorcycle controls and the pre-ride inspection
• Basic skills: starting, stopping, turning and shifting
• Lane position, visibility and being seen in traffic
• Following distance, escape routes and scanning for hazards
• Cornering, braking and swerving
• Riding over surface hazards and in bad weather
• Carrying passengers and cargo
• Group riding
• Alcohol, drugs and impairment on a motorcycle
• Licensing, endorsement steps and the skills test

The South Dakota knowledge test at a glance

Everything below comes from the DPS directly. It is what the South Dakota Motorcycle Manual is preparing you for.

Questions

25

Passing score

80%

Correct answers needed

20 of 25

Time limit

Time limit not published

Test fee

$28

Minimum age

14

Can you take it online?

No, in person only

Verified against the DPS in 2026-07.