Every time you hit the trail or take your ATV riding, your vehicle takes a beating….now, this is a fact you have to remember. Especially if you’ve taken on a really tough track! This is a fact that is, sadly, missed a lot. People tend to assume that maintaining their ATVs regularly is enough….but this is not true. You have to perform some small maintenance and checks every time you’re done riding it….especially outdoors in the wild.

Oh, don’t worry about it in case I am scaring you with all that talk. It’s nothing major, really. It’s something simple like checking your gas, oil and air pressures in your wheels, checking and tightening some of the gears and stuff. On top of the regular check-up stuff, you’ll also have to hop on it, give it a run around the yard to see if anything’s come loose. After all that banging around, it’s very common for parts to come loose. Now, imagine if you DON’T check it, take the ATV out for another run in another ATV trail and something ACTUALLY comes loose! Too late, huh? Therefore, it’s worth it to give your ATV a little TLC after riding it. After that, give it a good wash and if you’re feeling a little active, give it a good polish.

I know, I know…you’re going to give me the same story I’ve told everyone else…which is, “Heck, I’ve got to find time to visit the bathroom these days! Give it a polish….damn!”

• Well, maybe you can do without the polish but the little after-ride inspections and wash are necessary tasks. Sometimes, when I am in the mood, I would even unload all the junk that I stuff into the ATV’s storage compartment and clear some of the stuff away! You’ll be surprised with the kind of stuff you can find in there after a ride! Chewed bubblegum, sweet wrappers, empty cans of beer, plastic bags and one time, the in-lays of someone’s sneakers! Go figure! But it could’ve been mine, though…..

  There are a few other things that I am really particular about when running such checks on my ATV. For instance, the steering. Don’t you just hate it when the ATV don’t go the way you want it to go? I mean, I like the steering on my ATV nice and firm. I check the tie rods to see if they’re as steady as they should be. And of course, out of necessity, I always check the brakes too. We’re talking about really tough terrain here, so, wear and tear on the brakes is common. One time, we almost made a huge boo-boo by nosing the ATV (not within our group because I was the leader) in front of me! Luckily, the lady riding the ATV was nice (and gorgeous) and didn’t make as much as a squeak about it. In fact, we exchanged numbers.

  But of course, I am not making a suggestion here about how to get a girl’s number, you get me? Nevertheless, it was….NICE.