Your student's safety depends on your commitment to take the time necessary to fully educate him/her on the proper operation of the ATV. Remember that proper instruction before your student begins to ride is just as important as proper instruction and supervision while riding. Please go through this manual with your student page by page. Fully explain all of the instructions, requirements and warnings it contains. Be sure to put as much emphasis on safety precautions as on proper operational techniques. Question your student as you go through the manual to ensure s/he understands what you are saying. Following is a step-by-step guide to help make your student's first use of the ATV safe and enjoyable. Before you begin to use this guide, however, be sure you have reviewed the vehicle features and riding techniques described in the earlier parts of the manual. We strongly urge that you use this guide to teach each student whom you let ride the ATV. Be sure to take breaks as the student becomes tired or his/her attention starts to wander. Full Attention at all times is needed to safely operate any motorized vehicle, including this ATV.
The first step to safe riding is proper protection of the rider. Your student should always wear a helmet, eye protection, gloves, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt or jacket, and boots. Make sure your student is not wearing any loose-fitting clothes. Loose belts, scarves, etc., can get caught in moving parts and cause personal injury. Even in hot weather, make sure the student wears long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. These not only protect against abrasive injuries but also help reduce fatigue which comes from the loss of body heat caused by exposure to the wind.
Your student should become completely familiar with the names and functions of all controls. Demonstrate operation of the controls if necessary. Ask the student to do such things as "Apply the brakes. Turn off the engine," etc. Practice this exercise until the student can operate all of the controls without hesitation and without looking at the controls. Review the instructions with your student until she/he knows all the items that should be checked. Give specific examples of things to look for.
To help your student develop confidence, she/he should PRACTICE FIRST WITH THE ENGINE OFF, as follows:
Next start the ATV's engine and have the student practice starting off, riding in a straight line and stopping with the vehicle under power. Walk alongside the ATV and hold the engine cutout switch cord or have the student ride back and forth between you and another supervising adult. Make sure your student:
After your student has learned to ride the ATV in a straight line and can stop it at will, you should teach the student how to turn the vehicle. Explain the proper body movements for turning and let the student PRACTICE FIRST WITH THE ENGINE OFF as you push the vehicle from behind. When turning, watch to make sure your student:
When your student has mastered the basic riding maneuvers in the previously listed steps, she/he should practice them all together. Instruct the student to perform various maneuvers such as turning right, turning left, stopping, etc. Vary the order of these maneuvers so the student will not anticipate what s/he will be asked to do next. Practice this exercise until you are confident that the rider has mastered all the basic maneuvers. Using this procedure will help the first-time rider learn the most basic riding techniques. To become a skilled rider, your student will need a great deal of practice and continuing instruction in addition to completing these introductory steps. After all the riding techniques have been mastered, you can adjust the throttle limiter to provide higher speed capabilities in keeping with the rider's skill and experience.
ATV Racing Oil You may hear mechanics and wannabes alike claiming that oil changes are less important then ever thanks to tighter tolerances and advances in oil lubricants. While these claims may be true to a certain extent, break in is certainly not the time to experiment. Proper break-in of a new ATV engine is an essential aspect to the vehicle's longevity. The key to successful break-in is to ride the quad easy but not so mellow that the rings can’t seat within the cylinder. The best way to do this is to combine a high load with low RPM. In other words lug the engine a bit by riding smoothly in a higher gear then necessary as opposed to popping it into one gear and revving it out. The oil that comes inside your engine will be adequate for the first few hours of break in but conduct a thorough oil change immediately after. It’s not a bad idea to consider a synthetic blend even over a full synthetic. Make certain to run motorcycle or ATV specific oil blends as they are designed to lubricate the clutch (this is known as a wet clutch) as well as the engine’s internals. Automotive oil and full synthetics may be adequate at lubing up the engine but usually lead to clutch slippage.
ATV Chain LubeSure your ATV was greased at all of the pivots before leaving the factory but this grease is designed to withstand overseas shipping and initial break-in operation. Asking it to endure for the life of the machine is simply looking for trouble. Not to mention that all it takes is a little contact with the water from a pressure washer to blast this lubrication away. It's always a good idea to check any and all exposed bearings and pivots (swing arm linkage for example) and to apply a thick slosh of quality waterproof grease on these areas BEFORE they show signs of compromised performance. The common mistake is to wait until bearings begin to squeal or drag before paying attention to them and by then it’s almost always too late.
ATV ChainIt's quite normal for the quad's chain (shaft and belt drive units need not apply) to stretch a bit during those first few rides. However, just because a bit of additional slack is normal, it’s critical to check to make sure it hasn't become too loose. It's a good practice to get in the habit of keeping a small ruler in your toolbox for this specific purpose. This way, whenever you lube the chain, you can measure and jot down the amount of slack present. Your vehicle's owner’s manual will provide the proper range of movement expected before the chain will require tightening or replacement (depending on how many times you’ve tightened it before). If you find yourself in a situation where you can't access a ruler to measure the amount of slack, the rule of thumb is typically no more than two to three finger widths of vertical movement.
Post Delivery Inspection sheet for ATVs
After vehicle assembly, do the following: