Learn To Ride Motorcycles

How To Ride An ATV With A Clutch

First off, never ride an ATV with which you are not familiar without a helmet, safety gear , and the supervision of an experienced rider. Secondly, ATV insurance is always a good idea, and may be legally required if you are riding on state-maintained land or trails.

Inspect the ATV before you ride. Make sure the tire pressures are within an acceptable range, and make sure that no parts are loose or anything. Begin riding on flat ground. Hills can be dangerous for beginner riders. For instance, if you are on a steep upward grade, panic, and use the rear brake, the ATV could tip over on top of you. So start on level ground.

Sit on the ATV. Depress the rear brake with your right foot. Find the clutch lever. It should be on the left side of the handlebars. Pull the clutch lever in. You want to start the ATV in neutral. Make sure your right foot is still on the brake. Find the gear shifter. It should be near your left foot. Most ATV transmissions work like the ones no motorcycles. First gear is all the way at the bottom, neutral is one "click" up from there, and the rest of the gears are up from there. Shift down through the gears with your foot until you find the bottom. This is first. "Click" the shifter up gently from there, not too hard. This is neutral.

Start your ATV's ignition, and let the machine idle sufficiently to warm up. Once you are read to go, pull in the clutch and click down into first gear with your left foot. You are now in first gear. Having the clutch depressed decouples the engine from the transmission. Now you want to slowly engage the transmission and engine. This is how you move forward. To do so, slowly release the clutch while giving the engine a small amount of throttle with your right hand or thumb. Don't be discouraged if the ATV bucks, jumps, or stalls. Learning to work the clutch and throttle together takes time. You must develop the proper amount of feel.

Once you learn to start and stop in first gear, you can begin experimenting with the other gears. To shift up or down, pull in the clutch and work the shifter with your left foot. Typically, to upshift you will pull in the clutch, let off the throttle a short moment, and shift.

Please remember to wear a helmet at all times, and ride under the supervision of a professional or highly experienced rider until you have progressed out of the beginner stages. Remember: nearly anyone can learn to right an automatic 4-wheeler, ATV, or UTV. An ATV with a manual clutch, however, takes much more time to master and learn to ride safely. If you think insuring your ATV will be too expensive, think again. You can compare ATV insurance rates online.