EMERGENCY Contact Numbers Please submit your details to help fellow riders in distress.

Physical Address:
PLOT 28, GRAHAM RD,
TYGER VALLEY,
Pretoria-EAST.
SOUTH AFRICA
078-6083850         Email A-MX
        

First things first, never cross a river if you don't know how deep it is or what is lying below the surface.  Water has tremendous resistance at high speed and it is not always the best to cross it with high speed.  What is important is that you maintain a constant speed and you have enough power to push your way through the water.  River sand is sometimes very tricky as the bottom sand can be very loose especially where the river is deep.  So the best is to have a look at your entry and decide on your exit.   Once you have made your decision then carry it out.  Make sure you are in the correct gear, preferrably 1st or 2nd, and keep the power constant.  River crossings can get very complicated especially when you have other obstacles at your entry or exit.   I have also noticed that tyre choice plays an important part.

Many ATV riders hate riding rocks or similar terrain.  This doesn't have to be the case.   When moving up or down paths that are very rocky one tends to want to move between the rocks.  This is not entirely wrong, obviously if the rock is to big then you ride around it.  Otherwise the general rule is to ride over them.  Riding over the rocks will set your mind at ease that you have cleared it.  If you are trying to miss them thats when you actually start to hit them and then you start tearing off bash plates or denting/bending your frame. Rule of thumb is if you can ride over it with your wheels then you do it.  This will also give you better ground clearance as you are moving.

You must approach the embankment at 90 degrees.  Slowly proceed till your quads weight takes you forward, by this time you should be on the front brakes.  Hopefully by now you have also shifted your weight as far back as possible.  You will also need to lock up your rear brakes for maximum control.  Your forward motion is controlled by slightly releasing your front brakes, still locking your rear brakes, and letting the weight of the quad edge you forward progressively.  You do this till your quad returns to an angle that is appropriate for you to release the brakes.  Do not attempt this procedure if you have assessed the situation to be to dangerous.  Ropes & tow straps can be used to ease the quad down aswell.

Trail riding has many obstacles, of which two are never the same.  Always remember that when you are jumping off ledges or small banks that you always pop the front wheels up just as you are riding off the ledge and shift your weight back.  Make sure that when you pop the wheels up that you are in the right gear and you have power band.  If these ledges get higher than usual do not go over if you are not sure about it.  Once you have committed you must carry out your action.  Whatever you do, don't deviate from your original plan.  Once you have taken the jump you either want to land on your back wheels first or on all 4 wheels at the same time.  If you feel that you are loosing control shift your weight even more back ( as far as possible) this will hopefully ease or lessen the effects of a bad landing.

Here anything from riding on two wheels and getting stuck on your sprocket plate is part of the fun.  Everything comes down to choice.   I've seen it many times before, one or two people make it and the other riders don't. 9 out of 10 times it's not the bike but the rider who made the wrong choice.   Choose your path carefully and do not force your bike over or through an obstacle. Standing usually helps because you are able to manuvoure your quad in such a way so that you can help it to the next step.  Remember to keep your weight distributed in such a way that you always have grip on your rear wheels.  As with river crossings a constant speed in negotiating these obstacles will always be to your advantage.

This is always alot of fun.  Most of the time high speeds can be attained and one should be extemely careful that you are not caught off guard.  The riverbed profile can change suddenly depending on how it last flowed, so the same river can change from season to season.  Most important to remember is that you keep your weight on the back wheels for maximum traction.  The idea is to get your front wheels on top of the sand so that they give as little resistance as possible.  Steering at this time is not as sharp as it should be.

This is very similar to powersliding however this is done in soft sand.  Very often riders will look for the opportunity to try and ride the crest.  What this means is that the rider will attempt to get his back wheels right on top of the crest and powerslide the quad as far as possible before exiting again.  The characteristics of soft sand is that the rear wheels have a tendency to dig in and throw you over sideways before you know it.  Here you need to have your weight shifted forward in order to keep the back wheels on top of the surface.  Again you need to shift your weight to the inside of the slide so that you counter the roll over tendency.

Taking a jump is one of the more exciting aspects of quad riding as much as it is dangerous.  Do not proceed with any jump unless you know what is on the other side.  As there are many types of jumps it is important to assess the situation before your proceed.  A jump should only be taken with enough speed so that you reach your down side correctly.  Jumping to far or to short can have severe consequences.  Jumps that do not have a down side must be landed either with all 4 wheels or with the back wheels landing slightly before the front wheels.   When you take your jump make sure you are in the correct gear.  Approach the jump with constant speed as you enter the ramp accelerate so that you are catapulted from the ramp and ensuring that your nose stays up.  If you find that your nose is dipping then throttle in the air to force your back wheels down.  If your nose is to high then apply rear brakes to bring your quads rear up again.

Being able to corner your quad effectively can gain you valuble seconds when you are riding at high speed.  As you approach a bend decelerate and change down a gear if necessary.  If you are taking a right hand bend you should be as far left as possible just before the corner.As you enter the bend you will cut in towards the right.  By this time you will have shifted your weight slightly to the centre and as you are moving out of the bend you will shift your weight slightly back and to the right side of the quad.  By shifting your weight to the same side as the turn you are taking you are countering the roll over that the quad might want to take.  As you you are exiting the turn you will obviously accelerate to carry on with your ride.

At times this can be trickier than it looks.  So many riders have been caught off guard and flipped their quads unexpectedly.  Most important thing to remember is that you shift your weight forward to keep the nose of the quad down.  Constant speed is another important factor as this will give you control over your quad.  Jerking the quad forward with the throttle will lead you to lift the front wheels and inevitably cause you to flip over.   Very often inclines or ledges have lips which could easily lead to the front wheels lifting off the surface.  Here one would only ever so slightly leave the throttle so your front wheels can drop again.  Once they are on the surface you throttle up again to where you where in order to maintain a constant speed.  Only once you have cleared the incline/ledge do you release the throttle.

To be able to powerslide, should be in any quad riders nature.  There is nothing better then doing a fast ride through the bush and being able to powerslide in the twist and turns.  Please remember that powerslides can be done in every gear, so it is not necessary to do it at full speed.  Once you reach a bend make sure you are already in powerband.  As you enter the bend open the throttle fully and shift your weight as far back and to the inside of the quad as possible.   At this point your rear wheels will be sliding out past your front wheels.   You now need to counter steer appropriately in order to bring the rear wheels back in line as you are exiting the bend or corner.  Sometimes it is even more fun to do a fast section at 3/4 of the speed so that you can enjoy the powersliding to its maximum.

Tow straps & recovery equipment is an integral part of quad riding, especially on open trails where the terrain can be unpredictable.   You should always ride with this equipment as you will never know when you might need it.  If you are in a group, this equipment can be shared amongst the riders so that the weight and load is spread.  So many times before when you think you won't need your equipment then it turns out you need it more then ever.  Having this equipment is essential to making a ride enjoyable and safe as you are able to work as a team when the time arrives.  Always make sure that when you are working with ropes or tow straps that you secure them properly as serious injury can occur if a rope or strap breaks loose.