Riding Better – Top Skills & Tips for Mastering Your Quad Bike

So, you’ve purchased a quad bike and you can’t wait to jump on and ride.  However, prepping your ride is just as important as riding. Follow our top tips which will enable you to get the most out of your quad bike. 

Prepping your vehicle. 

Follow this checklist before you jump on your quad bike: 

1.      Check your tyre pressure. 

2.      Check your vehicle is fully charged (if electric) or fully fuelled if it uses petrol. 

3.      Check your oil level is sufficient. 

4.      Check your brakes are in good working order. 

5.      Check your accelerator is working properly to save any unpredictable stoppages.   

6.      Check your break lights are working. 

Prepping Yourself 

Safety equipment is essential such as a helmet and gloves. Ensure you are wearing the correct footwear (no slip-ons or sandals as these can get stuck or in the way). If the weather has been particularly wet, all- weather clothing would be ideal (even if it’s not raining). 

If you are thinking of a long journey, ensure you have sufficient fluids/snacks, especially if it’s hot.   

Know where you are going to ride. If the location isn’t specifically designed for ATV’s then permission may have to be given to ride there. If permission is given, make sure there aren’t any drops, cliffs, bogs or areas where livestock frequent.   

Basic Riding 

Posture 

A good posture will offer you a good riding experience. Keep your eyes forward and head up, look at the ground ahead of you and try and anticipate where the position of your vehicle would be ahead of being there (just like you would when you are driving a car or skiing/snowboarding) - scan ahead. 

Keep your feet on the footrests with your toes ahead and relax your shoulders. Keep your arms slightly bent so they don’t lock your elbows if you suddenly brake. 

Slopes 

When attacking the upward slopes, carefully stand and pull your body forward. This will transfer the weight away from the rear axle. When descending down slopes, the opposite would apply. Transfer your weight onto the rear axle. If you need to slow down, utilise the rear and front brake carefully. Don’t suddenly slam your brakes on. 

If you find you have lost momentum going uphill, don’t reverse back down. Either turn (if it is safe to do so) and drive back down, or engage your brakes and dismount from your quad bike. 

Buried Tyres 

If you find your tyres are buried, move your quad bike from one side to the other using the body as momentum, until your quad bike is released. 

Power 

If you aren’t used to the power of a quad bike it would be advisable to slowly build up your speed over time.   

We’ve covered most of the basics, now it’s up to you to go and have fun, grab yourself some open space and keep practicing!  www.quad-warehouse.com