Geez! There are limits to these ALL TERRAIN vehicles. The marketing department should have called them SOME TERRAIN vehicles seems to me. Let's see, I figure about 25 degrees of side hill tilt, about 45 degrees descent and maybe the same for ascents, about 2' of water crossing, about 1' of wet, sticky mud and about a foot of snow are the limits of an ATV. I know, I know, most of you have done more as Spectra's photos show, but I enjoy walking back in the house after my ATV ride, not a ride to the hospital.

Thanks for the tip on "more throttle" to get the front wheels to bite when crawling over a rock and down into a hole while turning. That's hard for me to comprehend but I will try it.

David

 

We Moose are pretty resilient.

 

There are a lot of things that are counter-intuitive when it comes to technique. One, is when you're going too fast around a corner and you know you won't have time to slide to a stop before careening off the trail. Your head is saying, "BRAKES!". But, if you have the power to do it, a slide will work better. Move weight forward to get traction to the front, and blip the throttle enough to break the rear free and get you pointed in the right direction.

 

The throttle can ether be your best friend or your worst enemy.

Choose your application wisely.

 

I understand powering through a turn. And I understand applying the "right amount" of power when my car is slipping on a slick road. Hitting the brakes in either situation almost guarantees trouble.

I almost always ride in 4wd-Low. My speeds are less than 30 mph, usually around 10 mph. Applying power in 4wd is different than 2wd. I certainly haven't mastered the dynamics of my ATV. It's a different motorized animal for me so far.

David

 

In time you will master your throttle.

You can see by my average speed I'm not really a "fast" rider either.

There are time I will cruise 45 mph for miles on graded gravel roads to reach the trail that I want to ride. That's one of the nice things about living where I do.

There are lots of trails where I use low range probably 75% of the time but there's always stretches on every trail where low is just too slow.

ATV's are pretty capable machines. Learning their limits sometimes comes at a cost.





In close to 30,000 miles on ATVs this is the most damage that I have ever inflicted on myself.

I highly recommend always carrying a good first aid kit.



I've dumped them on their sides but never rolled one.

A winch should be your first add-on accessory.

 

I go for merit badges showing trail riding experience. Looks like you got an ATV "purple heart". I hope to keep my machine upright. I do have a winch on the Can Am, and just installed a synthetic rope on it. I like your skid plate and need to get something for mine, especially in the front where I bang over big rocks occasionally.

Trail riding can be just as dangerous as road riding in my view. I submit your photos as evidence. Here is another photo of a wrecked Can Am due to a side hill rollover, he jumped clear of the machine and was not hurt thank goodness.

At Red Cone, we were making our way up the trail going around a tight, blind switch back, or "hair pin" turn. Suddenly a speeding ATV comes the otherway and nearly hits us head on. He was trying to "ride the banking" like a NASCAR driver. Hormone to brain ratio all out of whack on that guy.

Danger lurks, ride safe.

David

 

Those were factory skid plates on my old Honda.

The factory ones on my Kawasaki are cheap plastic pieces of $hit and I've already peeled one of them off.

My insurance renewal just came in the mail yesterday.

 

Highly recommend Ricochet Skid Plates. I put a full set on my Outlander Max and am glad I did. Great product.

 

I've been thinking about just getting a center one, a HDPE (High Density Poly Ethylene) skid plate.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/152852231190