35
Divis
ion
II
- Opera
tion
/
Ma
inte
nance
ATV Operation
Active riding involves moving your body.
You must learn to lean and shift your
weight into your turns to maintain control.
Your safety depends on using safe riding
techniques. Statistics from the U.S. Con-
sumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) say that inexperienced riders
who don’t use safe riding techniques are
13 times more likely to have an
ATV accident
than riders who have
over 1 month of experience.
Safe riding techniques include:
• Riding
• Leaning, Weight Shift, and Balance
• Wide Turns
• Sharp Turns
• Quick Turns
• K-Turns
• Riding Uphill
• Riding Downhill
• Sidehilling/Traversing
• Swerving
• Crossing Obstacles
Riding
Once the engine is warm, the ATV is
ready to go.
ATV-0012
1. Keep your feet on the footrests and
both hands on the handlebar.
2. Compress the brake lever releasing
the brake lever lock.
3. Move the shift lever from N and
select a desired gear; then slowly
compress the throttle lever while
releasing the hand brake.
Leaning, Weight Shift,
and Balance
When you turn, the trick is to move for-
ward and slide over to the side of the seat
that’s on the inside of the turn. Support
your body weight on the outside footrest.
At the same time, lean your body to the
inside of the turn. Pay attention to the
handling—if you feel the tires coming off
the ground, reduce speed, shift more of
your body weight to the side that’s lift-
ing, and make the turn wider if possible.
ATV-0013
ATV-0024
ATV-0025
Wide Turns
About 20% of ATV accidents happen
during turns. If you don’t understand
turning techniques, it’s easy for the ATV
to get away from you by losing traction,
plowing, or tipping. Use this method for
wide turns:
Handling the ATV
(Active Riding
Techniques)