Clause 12.6

Outside populated areas on all roads and on roads passing through populated areas marked with sign 5.51 "Beginning of a populated area", it is permitted to drive at the following speeds: a) buses (minibuses) carrying organized groups of children, passenger cars with trailers, and motorcycles — no more than 80 km/h; b) vehicles driven by drivers with less than 2 years of experience — no more than 70 km/h; c) trucks carrying people in the cargo bed, and mopeds — no more than 60 km/h; d) buses (except minibuses) — no more than 90 km/h; e) other vehicles: on a motorway marked with road sign 5.1 "Motorway" — no more than 130 km/h, on a road with separate carriageways divided by a median strip — no more than 110 km/h, on other roads — no more than 90 km/h.

Application: this clause directly establishes that for motorcycles on roads passing through populated areas marked with sign 5.51, the maximum speed is 80 km/h.

Clause 33.5.51 — 33 "Road Signs", 5 "Informational and Directional Signs", sign 5.51 "Beginning of a Populated Area"

Sign 5.51 "Beginning of a Populated Area" is used to indicate the start of a populated area where, on the road where this sign is installed, the requirements of these Rules that determine the procedure for movement in populated areas do not apply. The sign is installed at the actual boundary of the development adjacent to the road.

Application: this sign means that on the relevant road within such a populated area, "urban" restrictions do not apply, and the regime defined, in particular, by clause 12.6 is in effect.

Clause 1.10 (term "Motorcycle")

Motorcycle — a two-wheeled motor vehicle with or without a sidecar, equipped with an engine with a working volume of 50 cc or more. Scooters, motorized wheelchairs, tricycles, and other motor vehicles with a maximum permitted weight not exceeding 400 kg are equated to motorcycles.

Application: the question concerns specifically the vehicle category "motorcycle", for which clause 12.6 establishes a separate speed limit.

Thus, the correct answer is "80 km/h", given that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, on roads passing through populated areas marked with sign 5.51, clause 12.6 directly establishes a speed limit for motorcycles of no more than 80 km/h.

The key to this question is to understand what is meant by a populated area indicated by sign 5.51 “Beginning of a populated area” on a blue background. This sign informs that the road passes through the territory of a populated area, but the usual “urban” speed limits that apply within populated areas do not apply on this section.

That is, the driver formally sees the name of the populated area, but according to the rules, the driving mode here is equated to driving outside a populated area in terms of establishing the maximum speed. That is why the answer should be sought not in the general restriction for populated areas, but in the special provision of the Traffic Rules for such sections.

Clause 12.6 of the Traffic Rules directly establishes: outside populated areas, as well as on roads passing through populated areas and marked with sign 5.51, the maximum permitted speed for motorcycles is no more than 80 km/h. A motorcycle, according to the Traffic Rules, is a two-wheeled motor vehicle (with or without a sidecar) with the appropriate technical parameters, so it falls under this rule without additional conditions.

Practical example: you are riding a motorcycle on a highway that enters the boundaries of a populated area, and at the entrance there is a sign 5.51 on a blue background. Despite the fact that you are “in a populated area,” the maximum speed for a motorcycle on this section remains 80 km/h, unless there are other signs setting a different limit.

Therefore, the correct answer is “80 km/h,” since for motorcycles on roads passing through populated areas with sign 5.51, according to clause 12.6 of the Traffic Rules, the speed limit as outside a populated area applies — no more than 80 km/h.