How to Ride an ATV: ATVing 101 for Beginners
- on May 04, 2023
- Categories: Articles
Riding an ATV is not hard to start and takes a long time to do well. The one idea that separates a beginner from a competent rider is that you steer a quad with your body weight, not just the handlebars. Sit still and a quad will fight you; move with it and it does what you ask. Everything below applies that principle.
The sixty seconds before you move
Gear first, every ride: a helmet that fits snugly, goggles, gloves, over-the-ankle boots, long sleeves and long pants. Hands, ankles and eyes are where beginners get hurt, and all three are cheap to protect.
Then the machine. Quad tire pressures are low, often single digits, so use a low-pressure gauge rather than a car one — a few pounds either way changes handling more than beginners expect. Squeeze both brake levers and the foot brake. Find the kill switch with your thumb without looking. Set up before you touch the throttle: balls of your feet on the pegs, heels down, elbows up and out, one finger covering the brake, head up and eyes where you want to go.
Body position is most of the skill
A quad is heavy with a high center of gravity relative to its track width. You manage that with where you put your weight. There are four positions, and you move between them constantly.
| Position | How it looks | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Seated neutral | Sitting mid-seat, weight balanced, arms relaxed | Flat, predictable ground |
| Ready | Standing slightly, knees bent, hips over the seat | Rough ground, ruts, anything unfamiliar |
| Forward | Standing, chest over the bars, weight on the front | Climbing, keeping the front planted |
| Back | Perched at the rear of the seat, arms extended | Descending, or dropping off a ledge |
Standing is not showing off. Your legs absorb what the suspension cannot, and your weight stays low through the pegs. Still sitting when the ground turns rough means you are a passenger.
Throttle and brakes
Use the throttle in small, rolling movements. The most common beginner error is grabbing a handful, getting surprised, then chopping it shut — which unloads the rear and causes the very slide the rider was afraid of. Smooth on, smooth off.
Front brakes do most of the stopping on hard ground; the rear does more on loose surfaces and is what settles the machine mid-corner. Until you have real seat time, brake in a straight line before you turn rather than while turning.
Cornering
This is where quads feel strange to anyone coming from a bike or a car. You do not lean the machine into the turn. You lean your body in while the quad stays slightly upright underneath you.
- •Slow down before the corner, not in it.
- •Weight forward and to the inside, inside knee out, outside leg loaded hard into the peg.
- •Turn your head and look through the exit, not at the apex.
- •Roll the throttle back on as the machine straightens, not before.
On gravel or sand, same technique with a wider, slower entry. If the front pushes wide you entered too fast — ease off rather than adding steering angle.
Hills
Going up: approach straight, pick your line early, get into the right gear before the climb, and shift your weight forward with your chest toward the bars. Steady throttle. If you stall partway up, hold the brakes, do not try to turn around on the face of the hill, and back straight down on engine braking with your weight to the rear.
Coming down: approach straight, weight back, let engine braking do most of the work with light even pressure on the levers. Never coast down in neutral. Avoid descending at an angle to the slope, because a quad rolls sideways far more easily than it goes end over end. If you must cross a slope, lean your body uphill and be ready to turn downhill the moment the uphill wheels start to lift.
Obstacles and reading terrain
Look further ahead than feels natural. A beginner watches the ground three feet in front of the wheels; a competent rider is reading twenty or thirty feet out and has already chosen a line. Where you look is where you go.
For logs and rocks, approach square, stand ready, blip the throttle to lighten the front as the wheels meet the obstacle, then close it so the rear does not kick. For ruts, pick one side and commit. For mud and water, walk it first if you cannot see the bottom and keep a steady pace — momentum, not speed.
The mistakes beginners actually make
- •Riding seated on rough ground. Stand earlier than you think you need to.
- •Target fixation. Staring at the rock you want to miss is how you hit it. Look at the gap.
- •Turning while braking hard. Get your slowing done in a straight line.
- •Too much machine, too early. A quad you can handle at low speed teaches you more in a season than one you are afraid of.
- •Riding alone out of range. Go with someone, or tell a person where you are and when you will be back.
Beginner-friendly machines
Setting up a child instead? Size is the first decision — our youth ATV sizing guide covers it. Still weighing a quad against a side-by-side? Our UTV vs ATV comparison shows where each wins.
Frequently asked questions
How hard is it to ride an ATV?
Basic operation takes minutes on flat open ground. Riding well on terrain takes a season, because it depends on body position and reading the ground rather than on the controls.
How do you steer an ATV properly?
With your body as much as the bars. Lean your weight into the turn while the machine stays slightly upright beneath you, load the outside peg, and look through the exit.
Should you stand or sit on an ATV?
Sit on smooth, predictable ground. Stand in a ready position with knees bent whenever the ground is rough, unfamiliar, or on hills.
What do you do if an ATV stalls on a hill?
Hold both brakes, keep your weight forward, do not attempt to turn around on the slope, and back straight down using engine braking with your weight shifted to the rear.
What gear do beginners need?
A properly fitted helmet, goggles, gloves, over-the-ankle boots, long sleeves and long pants at minimum. Hands, ankles and eyes account for a large share of beginner injuries.
