Quad Biking FAQ

This is a very common question, and you need to keep in mind what you will be doing if you are going quad biking. Which is riding through woodlands, mud, and water, so you are going to get wet and dirty, otherwise, you just are not doing it properly. Most if not all venues will give you overalls as well as a helmet and goggles, as well as some supplying you with gloves to help protect you as you ride around the course, but even with the overalls on you will still get dirty and wet, so wear clothes that you do not mind getting dirty, but are also a comfortable fit, as you will be riding around on the quad bike for around 1 hour for a standard experience, and longer if you are a pro, but if it's your first time out on a quad bike then 1 hour is enough as you will be feeling it near the end.

Also with your footwear, you want to wear wellies or walking boots if you have them, if not then an old pair of shoes that you do not mind sticking in the bin after will be fine as they will get covered in mud, some venues will also supply you with wellies, but if you have your own, then even better. All of the above is always worth checking with the venue before you arrive so that you can make sure that you are ready to go.

First things first, keep your eyes open, now this may sound obvious, but when people pick up too much speed or lose control for a moment, then the first thing most people do is close their eyes, which you just can not do as you are still moving, and if you close your eyes, (then it does not all just go away) as you just keep moving in whatever direction, and then accidents sadly happen, and that just ruins your experience, you also want to keep to a distance of between 5-10 meters on your quad bikes, this is so that you have time to stop or steer out of the way if someone either stops or falls off in front of you, as well as this never look behind you when you to see what the others are doing as this will make you steer off the track.

When you get to the venue they will show you around the quad bikes and give you tips on how to ride them safety and under control, you will also have at least 1 member of staff with you at all times for the experience to make sure you are all enjoying yourselves and show you around the circuit, as well as giving you regular breaks to rest your arms and legs, always remember with Quad Biking even that you are sitting down, you will feel tired, so if you have a bad back, or are unfit, then maybe quad biking is not for you if you are unsure always contact the venue before booking. We have also included some other bits below.

Getting On & Off your Quad Bike, to get on or off your quad bike this is always done from the left hand side. You can then apply the brake as you get on or off the quad bike to make sure that it does not move, and drive into the back of the quad bike in front of you.

Sitting Position & Cornering, the best sitting position is in the centre of the quad bike with your weight forward, as this will help to give you extra grip over your front wheels. The reason for keeping your weight forward is that this will give you better control as your weight will be more over your front wheels, you also want to keep your knees in and close to the quad bike, and also never put your feet down when you are moving. When you come to a corner you want to turn the handle bars in the direction you want to go, and then lean your body weight in to the corner, as you would see someone on a motorbike do, as they go around a corner, please note that you must not lean away from the corner, as this may make the quad bike roll over with you on it.

Controls, this varies between different quad bikes, but as a rule, children's quad bikes are mainly twist and go, where adult quad bikes mainly have gears that you either control with the thumb on the handle bars with a switch or with your left foot with a peddle you move up and down to change gears, this is nothing to worry about as the venue will show you how to do this, and will give you some practice time before taking you to the more changing parts of the course.

Uphill & Downhill, when going up or downhill you want to move your body weight to help balance your quad bike. If you are going up hill then you move your weight forward to help balance the bike. Be careful as if you lean back, you may make the bike flip backwards. Likewise when going downhill, you need to move your body weight towards the rear of the quad bike, again if you move your weight forward, the quad bike could flip with you on it.

Within the UK there is around 60 quad biking venues They all vary from venue to venue with different size quad bikes. The venues all offer bikes with different controls from twist & go, and manual. There are areas all over the UK from the Leicestershire countryside at Avalanche Adventure with 400 acres, to the Brecon Beacons in Wales, or even the Highlands of Scotland. You can find more information about all these sites at our website Let's Go Out - Here

The first ever quad bike was designed and built by the British company Royal Enfield in 1893 and was called a quad cycle. At this time the Royal Enfield company designed both a 4 wheel quad bike, and also a 3 wheel quad bike, which was called a tricycle, Both were powered by a De Dion-Bouton 237cc engine, with the quad having a 2.75 horse power, and the tricycle having a 2.5 horse power.

Then in 1967 John Plessinger designed the first 3 wheel ATV (all-terrain vehicle) as a graduate project at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Then in 1968 he sold the design to Sperry-Rand New Holland who manufactured the 3 wheel ATV's commercially. Shortly after a number of different manufacturers started to manufacture a 3-wheeled ATV. Most of the manufacturers found they were no longer able to compete when the larger companies like Honda entered the market in 1969. Honda's first ATV was called the US90. The first 4 wheel quad bike was made in 1980 by Adventure Vehicles of Monroe, and was called the Avenger 400 ATV.

The fastest speed ever recorded on a quad bike was on the 15th of June 2008 with a top speed of 196.19 mph by Terry Wilmeth from the United States on his Yamaha 700 Raptor. The bike had been modified with a hybrid rocket thrust to reach this speed. But you don't need to worry as your quad bike will not be going anywhere near this speed as the top speed for a standard quad bike is around 50 / 60 mph, with some of the sports models reaching speeds of up to 80 mph.

The longest wheelie on a Quad Bike was done by Abdulla Al Hattawi on the 12th of January 2018 in Dubai with a total distance of 37.28 miles. As well as pulling wheelies Abdulla Al Hattawi is part of the Dubai Police Force, and also part of the Police Stunt Team. He is also one of the top ATV stunt athletes in the world, he performed a non-stop wheelie down Sheikh Zayed Road, from Ghantoot to Dubai World Trade Centre.

Quad Biking can be dangerous. We are not going to try and hide away from that . But you can reduce the risk by going along to venues that have fully trained instructors. They will be able to help and guide you where you need it, as well as supplying you with all of the safety kit you need to keep you and your group safe. This will ensure you can all relax and just have a great time, and make some great memories.

Quad Bikes come as 3, 4 and 6 wheel All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). They were first designed to serve as a horseless carriage in 1893 by Royal Enfield. Quad Bikes (ATVs) are used across many different sectors from military, farming & agriculture, as well as many others including experience days. The quad bike is a 4 wheel drive all terrain vehicle which can go just about anywhere, over rocks, through water, up and down steep slopes, as well as many other terrains and surfaces. The top speed for a quad bike is around 50-60 mph, with the sports models doing a top speed of around 80 mph.

This does vary between different venues. As a guide the minimum age for quad biking is 8 years old, and a minimum height of 4 ft 2 inches. But this does depend on whether the venue offers junior quad bikes, as if not then there will only be full size quad bikes, and the minimum age for those is normally 12 years, with a maximum weight of around 16 stone.