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Tips for Taking Jumps and Sharp Turns on Your ATV

You may notice that some ATV riders can make sure obstacles and jumps seem like child's play while others make them look dangerous and impassable. Although the equipment may be responsible, experience, and familiarity with your quad are what separates the men from the boys. Riding time is the best way, but there are a few techniques, like making you quad pivot or taking a jump, that can make riding fun.

If you wish to take a corner immediately without losing speed, based upon your ATV's setup and capabilities, you might be able to conquer the turn by earning your pivot around it. Although this technique works best with light, powerful sport quads, it can be used with utility ATV's as well. Input the corner wide and fast instead of slowing down or coasting through. When you get that, you hit on a place where you are able to turn your quad in the direction you want to go, turn your wheels hit the front brake hard, and open the throttle. When done properly, this will cause your rear tires to lose traction and twist your back end around. When you have turned your quad far enough, release the brake and keep on the gas. Steering into the skid will keep you going where you want to go, although as you complete this maneuver, you may fishtail. The result is your quad without losing speed, turning quickly around a barrier. Creating your back wheels lose traction and spin you is the key to this particular maneuverso you could get better results if you lean forward and take some weight off the back wheels. This technique is simpler accomplished on quads with stiff suspension, low center of gravity, and a great deal of power on demand. The lack of those characteristics will make this move dangerous and difficult to perform properly, but it can be done if your front wheels can slow you down, and you can get your brakes to break loose.

The best technique for doing jumps on an ATV is technique and respect for your ride. When done properly, most jumps are relatively secure, but if you bite, you'll get hurt. When it comes to learning to get your wheels off the 19, with this said, easy does it. No two jumps are exactly the same, but there's a technique for getting air without kissing the handlebars when you land. The length and steepness of the jump will play a huge part in how fast you need to be going when you hit a jump, but be conservative about the first couple passes, and that will tell you what kind of jump you're handling.

Sometimes a jump will have a lip on it that will do unexpected things, so be ready. On your first move, you'll want to approach the end of your ramp(whatever it might be) with enough speed that you feel you'd get a small amount of lift in the event 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 immediately give it as much gasoline as possible.

This accomplishes two things: first, the burst of power right before you leave the ground launches you second, it causes your front end to take up into the atmosphere, much like doing a wheelie. By entering a leap, your back tires should hit the ground, ensuring that you and your quad do not do a swan dive into the floor. When you're airborne, let off of the throttle so that your quad doesn't go over-rev while to wheels can spin freely. After your first pass, you may know a lot about that specific ramp and what your ATV is likely to do when you jump it. Using this information, you can find an idea of the speed that is best to hit the ramp at and throttle to give it before you leave the floor. For many ramps, especially the ones that are brief and have a sharp angle (such as the edges of dried out ponds), the first equipment might be lots of speed and power, and if the ramp is too steep, trying your strategy in second gear could be painful.

You ride an ATV you should exercise caution, especially when riding in a brand new place or trying new techniques. Modern ATVs are extremely powerful and will get out of control should you not respect their power. When trying any new techniques, take it easy and master it. Although something may look simple, every quad handles differently and will respond to obstacles and maneuvers differently. Trying to do things that are beyond your skills or your ATV’s handling capabilities could be devastating and save you from riding again for a long time.