Beginners ATV guide Part I

Our site provides trail information for all types of off-highway vehicles (OHV) we have a tendency to lean toward the smaller four wheeled versions a.k.a. Four Wheelers, 4Wheelers, Utility quad, etc....
We are often asked which ATV we recommend, however ATR (AtvTrailReviews) is not going to recommend any particular ATV even if we did the honest response would still be "the one that you feel comfortable with". Yeah, we know that’s to easy. So here are some pointers for those that want some more info on how to choose an ATV.

5 things to consider when you go to buy or Rent an ATV

1. Skill Level. Now this first item is obviously for the beginner ATV rider. Those of you that are experienced riders have already determined your own way for choosing your ride and most likely are content with your ATV. If you consider yourself a beginner then looking at a beginner ATV would be recommended . Here are a few of the beginner options.

Considerations for beginner ATV:

• Honda FourTrax Recon (4x2)
• Polaris Sportsman 300 (4x4)
• Kawasaki Prairie 360 (4x4)
• Yamaha Big Bear (comes 4x2)
• Can-Am Outlander (4x4)
• Arctic Cat 366 (4x4)
• Suzuki Ozark 250 (4x4)

One thing to keep in mind when looking into any of these, we want to emphasize again they are beginner ATVs. Our experience has been once you get accustomed to riding trails, it is very possible the features and power of a beginner ATV will become less... exciting, keep reading we will visit this later.

Item 2
Type of Riding. I know this may be hard to assess if you are just beginning, don't worry even us veterans have to take inventory on the type of riding we like or haven't tried. So consider this question: Who will be going with you? We say that because we hope that if your answer is "the family" that you will be riding in a fairly safe area i.e. access roads or country roads. If the answer is: "My Buddies" then it is probably a good guess that you will need a ATV that will be able to keep up with the crowd. Either way it helps put a frame around what type of riding you will be doing.

Item 3
Features. As I mentioned in "Item 2" some ATVs offer some pretty nice features like, turn assist (a.k.a. power steering) differential lock, 4x2 to 4x4 on the fly switch, hand warmers, 2-seater riding, digital odometer, storage... the list goes on and on. I will just say refer to Item 2 to help you decide on these things.

Item 4
Power. As we said before we would revisit this. Power on an ATV can be confusing and for a beginner could be scary for you (or his/her spouse). Having an ATV with a lot of power is beneficial, but can be dangerous if you aren't familiar with how to use it. Gauging power is also in the eye of the beholder. One major factor to deciding how much power you will need is what it will be carrying. And yes, we are mostly talking about the driver. Consider your power options carefully; if you are a big person then you obviously want an ATV that will provide you the power when needed. Also, consider what you will take with you with regards to gear. Some riders like to be prepared with rack bags full of tools, first aid kits, tire patch kits, etc... All of this stuff adds up in “LBS”. Some riders even like to pull small trailers with all their camping gear. So here is where I refer you again back to Item 2.
We hope this has been helpful. If you couldn’t find what you are looking for in this article then leave us a comment on what you would like to hear more about.
ATR.