Mastering ATV Riding: Safety Tips & Techniques

1. Unit #6 BasicRidingSkills ATV Safety

2. Mounting your ATV • Set the parking brake • Grasp the handlebar with you hand • Place your foot on the footrest (don’t step on the shift lever • Lean over, grasp the handlebar with your other hand ATV Safety

3. Braking • Release throttle • Shift to lower gear • Apply both brakes equally • Keep eye and head up ATV Safety

4. Hints for braking • Release the throttle • Shift to lower gear to slow vehicle • Apply both brakes equally (rear brake first) • Do most of your braking before a turn • Apply brakes lightly on slippery surfaces • Apply brakes lightly after driving through water or wet areas • Keep head and eyes up ATV Safety

5. Parking • Shift into neutral and set parking brake • Avoid parking on incline ATV Safety

6. Getting Familiar with your ATV • Before you ride your ATV,read the owner’s manual carefully. • Take a Certified Safe Rider’s Course 4-H ATV Safety Class is NOT a certified course • Study your manual and look at your ATV to memorize the location of the controls. ATV Safety

7. Turning • When turning, outside wheels must travel farther that inside wheels • Most ATV’s solid rear axle • Avoid snow plowing by shifting weight to inside wheel • Practice by doing figure 8s ATV Safety

8. Around the CurveLeaning – 4-Wheelers • Lean toward inside of turn • Throttle control is a must • Feet on foot rest • Both hands on handle bars (At all times) ATV Safety

9. Exercise (practice) • Starting, shifting and stopping • Quick Stops (Page 23 in manual) ATV Safety

10. Turning exercise • Figure eights ATV Safety

11. Right Turn – 4-Wheeler • Shift weight to inside of turn • Feet on footrest • Proper riding position • Throttle control • Proper gear ATV Safety

12. Turning Right Hand placement ATV Safety

13. Left Turn – 4-Wheeler • Shift weight to inside of turn • Feet on footrest • Proper riding position • Throttle control • Proper gear ATV Safety

14. Turning Left ATV Safety

15. TURNS • Sharp Turns • Proper throttle use • Assume proper riding position • Braking • Adjust speed / Lower gear • Quick Turns • Proper throttle use • Assume proper riding position • Braking • Adjust speed / Lower gear ATV Safety

16. Tight turns • Turn handle bars and use weighting and leaning to turn. • Use short burst of throttle • Keep head up • Do not look down ATV Safety

17. Slalom • Cones 25 feet apart • Push off with inside weight shift ATV Safety

18. Climbing Hills • Assume proper riding position • Never sit on the seatwhile riding up a hill • Choose proper gear before starting up the hill • Keep weight to upper part of hill at all times ATV Safety

19. Descending Hills • Stop before descending a hill to assure no other riders are coming up • Assume proper riding position • Place body to upper part of hill • Lower gear • Apply rear brake slowly ATV Safety

20. Riding across slope • Also called traversing • Ride across slop with wheels pointed slightly uphill • In case of emergency get off on uphill side ATV Safety

21. Traversing a Hill • Assume proper riding position • Lean body uphill • If your ATV begins to tip – Turn the front wheels downhill, then descend hill ATV Safety

22. Coming down • Move weight over rear wheels by sliding way back on seat • Apply throttle smoothly, and use a lower gear • If brakes are required, use only the rear brake ATV Safety

23. Going Up & Down Hill • UP • Position ATV 30 feet from base • Use running start • Point tires straight up hill • As soon as tires reach base of hill Shift weight forward Steep hills require a person to nearly stand ATV Safety