You may notice that some ATV riders can make certain
obstacles and jumps look like child’s play while others make them look
dangerous and impassable. Although
superior equipment may be partially responsible, experience and familiarity
with your quad is what separates the men from the boys. Riding time is the best way to get better,
but there are a few techniques, like making you quad pivot around a corner or
taking a jump, that can make riding a lot more fun.
If you want to take a corner quickly without losing much
speed, depending on your ATV’s setup and capabilities, you may be able to
conquer the turn by making your quad pivot around it. Although this technique works best with
light, powerful sport quads, it can be used with utility ATV’s as well. Enter the corner wide and fast instead of
slowing down or coasting through. When
you get to a point in the corner that you hit a spot where you can turn your
quad in the direction you want to go, turn your wheels in that direction, hit
the front brake hard, and open the throttle.
When done properly, this will momentarily cause your rear tires to lose
traction and spin your back end around.
When you have turned your quad far enough, simply release the brake and
keep on the gas. You may fishtail as you
finish this maneuver, but steering into the skid will keep you going where you
want to go. The result is your quad
turning quickly around an obstacle without losing much speed. Making your back wheels lose traction and
spin you sideways is the key to this maneuver, so you may get better results if
you lean forward and take some weight off the back wheels. This technique is easier accomplished on
quads with stiff suspension, low center of gravity, and lots of power on
demand. The lack of these
characteristics will make this maneuver more dangerous and difficult to do
properly, but it can be done if your front brakes can slow you down and you can
get your back wheels to break loose.
The key to doing jumps on an ATV is technique and respect
for your ride. When done properly, most
jumps are relatively safe, but if you bite off more than you can chew, you will
get hurt. With this said, easy does it
when it comes to learning to get your wheels off the ground. No two jumps are exactly the same, but there
is a simple technique for getting air without kissing the handlebars when you
land. The length and steepness of the
jump will play a large role in how fast you want to be going when you hit a
jump, but be conservative on the first couple passes and that will tell you
what kind of jump you’re dealing with.
Sometimes a jump will have a lip on it that will do unexpected things to
your quad, so be prepared. On your first
pass, you will want to approach the end of your ramp(whatever it may be) with enough speed
that you feel you would get a little bit of lift if you just held the throttle
steady all the way through. However,
just before you reach the end of the ramp, let off the gas momentarily, but
then quickly give it as much gas as possible.
This accomplishes two things: first, the burst of power right before you
leave the ground launches you into the air; second, it causes your front end to
shoot up into the air, much like doing a wheelie. By entering a jump with this posture, your
back tires should hit the ground first, ensuring that you and your quad don’t
do a swan dive into the ground. When you
are airborne, let off of the throttle so that your quad doesn’t over rev while
to wheels can spin freely. After your
first successful pass, you will know a lot about that particular ramp and what
your ATV is likely to do when you jump it.
Using this information, you can get an idea of the best speed to hit the
ramp at and how much throttle to give it before you leave the ground. For many ramps, especially those that are
short and have a sharp angle (like the edges of dried out ponds), first gear
may be plenty of speed and power, and if the ramp is too steep, trying your
approach in second gear could be painful.
Anytime you ride an ATV you should exercise caution,
especially when riding in a new area or trying new techniques. Modern ATVs are extremely powerful and can
get out of control quickly if you do not respect their power. When trying any new techniques, take it easy
and master it at low speeds. Although
something may look simple, every quad handles differently and will react to
obstacles and maneuvers differently.
Trying to do things that are beyond your skills or your ATV’s handling
capabilities can be disastrous and keep you from riding again for a very long
time.
