A lot of riders aren't aware of the fact that an autoclutch quad will ROLL BACKWARD, EVEN WHEN IT IS IN GEAR with the motor on or off! This is the one major SAFETY drawback to this otherwise excellent design. It is found on the Recon, Rancher, Foreman, and 250EX. (By contrast, with a fully manual (left hand lever) clutch like on the 300EX, 400EX, and 450R, engine compression will hold you from going backward when the engine is off and the quad is in gear with the clutch lever out.)

It is very important when training new riders, that you explain this to them!!! If a rider doesn't make a hillclimb, they are going to have to HOLD THEMSELVES FROM ROLLING BACKWARD WITH THEIR BRAKES. Some of the worst accidents I have seen, have been when somebody rolls backward and gets disoriented and rolls the quad.

On a fully manual quad, it is simple becasue you just stall it in gear and the motor's compression is going to hold you. But on an autoclutch quad, what I drill my kids and beginners on is that they will have to grab both front and rear brakes, get the quad stopped, then set the parking brake, and get off the quad in case the brake doesn't hold or something. It is pretty natural to train them to just grab both brake leavers............

............But, now we have the new 06 250EX, with "sportclutch". It can be used as an autoclutch, or you can use the left hand leaver like a fully manual clutch. Trouble is, THE LEFT HAND LEVER IS NO LONGER A REAR BRAKE! With this model, riders will have to be trained to FIND THE FOOT BRAKE, something that isn't always real easy in a dicey situation when a rider is sitting on the brink of disaster on the side of a hill!

This will all require a lot of practice, and please drill your kids and beginner adults that are riding your quads, so you can prevent a disaster!

 

recon - Great tip! Alot of people probably don't know about this either, so it's a great idea to pass this on!

 

One more thing with the autoclutch design.......the shift pattern is N-1-2-3-etc.

On fully manual, it is 1-N-2-3-etc. So, if you are on a fully manual clutch quad, and you forgot what gear you are in, but you want something lower, you can safely do a downshift. If you go to far, all you are going to do is land in 1st gear....not a bad place to be on a nasty climb.

Ok, say you are on an autoclutch. Say you are ALREADY in first gear, but you haven't been paying attention and you think you need to be one lower. You do a downshift, and where are you??? IN NEUTRAL! So, suddenly you have no forward power and you are rolling backward. You had better have parcticed the drill about getting on those brakes!!!

Again, warn and train your kids and beginner adults to deal with this stuff!

 

Good tips reconranger

 

Good tips but not a real problem with PROPER training. How many actually read their owner's and safety manuals that come with a new machine?
I use my "parking brake" everytime I get off of my machine(s). In fact, my Rancher is sitting in my shed now in low gear with the parking brake applied. It's a habit I got into.

But you bring up good points that should be addressed when a person is learning to ride any machine. If you push any machine above it's capacity to do the job that it was intended to do, you will get hurt. Safety first is top priority on a atv, regardless of whether it's an auto or manual clutch.

Just today on the local news, a rider was killed when his atv overturned. Witnesses say he turned too sharp for the speed he was traveling and it rolled over on top of him. He died from his injuries.

 

That's why recon brought it up - there's a lack of quality training, and there are alot of people out there that DO NOT read the owner's manual, EVER, for anything that they buy. His tips are not something that you would find in a manual anyway - they come from experience.

 

very good saftey tip i would also add when climbing hills and stall hit the front brake first ! i was riding some really steep hills afew years back with my cousin when he stalled his 93 king quad 300 and made the mistake of hitting his rear brake it almost flipped backwards on him he was stuck there to scarred to move. I had to back up the hill on my foreman rack to rack after i finally convinced his to let go of his brakes i used mine to get us down the hill to saftey. i wouldn't ride with anyone who didn't both front and rear brakes,ever remember going up hills front brakes first. and going down hills rear brakes first.

 

a lot of smart ideas , but most new quads wont let you shift out of first unless speed or rpms are at 2.(at least my 05 rancher is like that)same for going into gear low rpms

 

mtkool-Not quite sure what you said there or why you said it???? I am guessing you have an ES, right???

I can foot shift in an out of any gear at any speed, on the Recon, Rancher, or older 250EX.

My new 06 250EX does need to have the clutch pulled if it is downshifted under load. This is another thing that beginners need to know, because sometimes you will need to find a lower gear on a steep downhill to get some more engine braking.

I would just love to find a full manual clutch conversion (get rid of the centrifugal clutch) for the 250EX! But still, you would be saddled with the weird shift pattern, with N at the bottom. I debated getting a 300EX, or the 250. I had a 300 back in the day, and loved it. The reason I went with the 250 is better ground clearance, and shaft drive because we ride in the mountains where there are lots of water crossings that can thrash a chain.

 

Should have bought a warrior instead of one of them Honduuu's