作者: Hasen Chat China

Have you ever wanted to improve your memory? A lot has been written about different methods of improving your memory. There are many suggestions regarding diets and brain exercises that you can do. There are many activities you can do in your life to keep your mind sharp. Read this article for some suggestions.

A great learning or memorizing strategy is to associate, or “connect” each idea with something you are familiar with. For example, when you are trying to learn new words, write the meaning next to the word and then write a thing, person, movie, event or strong association with the word that will help you remember its meaning. For example, “My generous Aunt Betty gives great gifts.” (generous means giving).

Exercise your brain frequently. Consider activities where you need to improve. Repeating what you already know will lead nowhere and will not create new connections among your brain cells. Break your routines frequently and find new ways of doing your everyday chores. Choose activities which are new, fun and challenging.

If you are looking to remember a long number or sequence, the easiest way to boost your mind and your chances of remembering is to identify patterns. Once you can identify the pattern in the number or sequence, you will be able to recall and rehash the information when need be.

Use an organizer or journal to de-clutter your life. By putting your thoughts, ideas, appointments, and to-dos in one place, you are more likely to remember them. You can use anything from an electronic PDA to a calender to keep track of things. Saying what you are writing out loud can help you remember further.

Try to control the amount of stress in your daily life. Stress is one of the worst enemies for your brain. It destroys brain cells over time and hurts its ability to create new memories and retrieve old ones. Meditation is one of the ways that you can use to reduce the amount of stress in your life.

When you think about how your memory is, make sure you view yourself in a postivie light. If you think you have a bad memory, the self fulfilling prophecy will come into effect and you will have a harder time actually remembering things. Reward yourself for the things that you do remember, and you will see an improvement quickly.

Like an actor does before putting on a play, rehearsing what you learn is a great way to improve your memory. If you are attempting to study, recite the problems and answers aloud, and you will absorb the information easier, and ultimately, retain it more efficiently. This is a great way to improve your overall memory.

Many of these suggestions are simple to do. However, it takes practice and commitment from you to make them work. Try these methods and see which ones work for you. Then, incorporate those techniques into your life. Continue to research new ways to improve your memory. Before long, you will have one of the sharpest minds around.

Beauty is not just something you are born with. In fact, the role that genetics play in your appearance is quite small. The plain truth is that looking good is often just a matter of working hard to look your best. In this article, you can find some fresh ideas for getting great beauty results with less effort.

Never ever apply a tanning lotion when you are in a hurry as this will always lead to disaster! This is one beauty item you really need to take your time with otherwise you end up looking freaky, so smooth the tanning lotion well over elbows, knees and feet and wash your hands thoroughly to avoid streaking. Use your tanning lotion well in advance of sleeping to prevent a complete botch job and well in advance of any special occasion, just in case!

Give yourself a mini facial using a mask made from an egg white and a dash of lemon juice. Leave the mask on for about two minutes, and then rinse. This gives your skin an instant tightening effect and is ideal to do about an hour before an evening out on the town.

For woman wearing makeup can be a way to hide unsightly features, enhance features that one wants to show off, or simply as an additional decoration to what one is wearing. Having good taste with ones makeup can not only enhance beauty but also provide another way to express one’s self.

Exfoliate your face and neck at least 2 times a week. Exfoliating helps remove dead skin cells and bring new skin cells to the surface. This will make you look healthy and refreshed when you do this, but you should avoid doing it too much because it can irritate your face.

Everyone loves the way a perfect sheer nails look, with long and tapered nails, but this is very expensive to keep up and takes a lot of time and patience. For an elegant look without all the fuss of expensive and painstaking upkeep, try using a short, round, and dark nail shape. File the nails so they are in line with the tip of the finger and round off near the corners.

When you first wake up in the morning you should pamper yourself. The best way to start your day off on the right foot is to take the time to brush your hair, wash your face, and brush your teeth. Do not neglect your own needs if you want to stay beautiful.

To keep from getting eye bags, drink plenty of water before you go to bed. One of the leading causes of eyebags is dehydration during the night. If you still have eyebags when you wake up, rest cold, caffeinated teabags on your eyes for about 10 minutes. This will nourish your eyes and make the bags disappear.

Once you recognize that improving your appearance is a process requiring hard work, you are going to want to make sure that your hard work gets you the best possible results. Tips like these, can help you achieve that goal and optimize the ratio of effort to impact that you get out of your beauty regimen.

When it comes to looking and feeling amazing, everyone has their own ideas on just what constitutes ideal beauty. Fortunately, this selection of handpicked beauty tips and tricks is sure to help you bring out the best in yourself and others. With these helpful hints, you are only moments away from looking and feeling your personal best.

Use a base coat, two layers of polish and a top coat to maximize the length of time that your nail polish will look great. This will give you the look of a professional manicure and keeps the varnish on the nail much longer than what one coat of polish would.

Steer clear of using hair extensions to add volume and length to hair. These hair extensions are usually in textures and colors that will not blend properly with your hair and stick out like a sore thumb. Because the point of attachment is difficult to disguise, only use extensions when lengthening a ponytail or fattening, an up-do where it is not as noticeable and does not need to blend.

It is important that you eat a healthy diet if you want to reduce oily hair. Eating healthy foods, like certain fruitss and vegetables, can help balance the natural oils in your hair. Also, multivitamins are effective for oily hair. Stay away from foods that have too much grease or oil.

A great way to make small eyes appear to look much bigger is to steer clear of dark shades of eye shadow. Begin by using a nude base as a foundation, and then use a shadow that is one or two shades darker than the foundation in the crease. After blend the color up towards the brow by using your finger.

Massaging Vaseline into your cuticles will help your hands in many ways. It will make the skin much more hydrated and it will also encourage your nails to grow a bit quicker. Do this once a week every week and you are sure to see a big difference in the appearance of your hands and nails.

Smile more often. This one tip can make you look years younger and more beautiful. Smiling attracts people to you and it makes your eyes sparkle and your cheeks flush. Not only that, but it has an internal effect as well. Smiling can make you feel a little happier too.

When you don’t have time to wash your hair, you can use a dry shampoo to perk up your limping locks. Use a round brush when you blow-dry your roots to create volume. The dry shampoo and the natural oils in your hair will work together to produce a thickening effect.

To make your lipstick stay on longer, you need to remember to blot them. You should do this after every single layer you put on, not just when you are finished. This will give your lips a more beautiful and long-lasting color.

Using concealer is only half the battle when looking your best and fixing flaws. To have a perfect complexion, try using a lipstick in a warm pink. According to leading makeup artists, no matter what your skin type or tone, warm pink will distract people’s eyes from any imperfections and blemishes and keep you looking your best.

Regardless of who you are or what you believe, there is a good chance that you and many others can appreciate the advice in this article. Whether you are looking for a small way to enhance your natural beauty or hope to bring about major changes, the information you have just read is sure to provide a great starting point.

Almost every woman – and more than one man – has a well-established personal beauty regimen. There is so much useful advice available in the field that the odds are very good that a few quick tips can significantly improve the effectiveness of a beauty routine. Here are some tips:

Have your eyebrows professionally waxed or trimmed. Eyebrows are often overlooked, but they can shape the face like nothing else. Look through magazines and find eyebrow shapes that you think will suit you, and give them to a professional so they have an idea of what you’re looking for. You’ll find that your eyebrows look neater and your face looks more striking.

You do not need to spend a lot of money on a fancy deep conditioning mask. There are many recipes you can make at home that include foods filled with nutrients that are great for your hair. A great one includes mashed strawberries and enough mayonnaise to make a spreadable paste. Leave it in your wet hair for 10 minutes and rinse.

Don’t think you need to cut off your hair every time you’re bored with its style. Sometimes it’s easy to lack imagination when faced with hair that has outgrown its former style. One easy trick to try is to part it in different ways. You may be shocked how much you like it.

If you want to camouflage a pimple, rosacea, a rash or another reddish skin imperfection dab on a green concealer. While it looks strange in the package, the green neutralizes the red tones of irritated skin so you can apply your regular foundation and concealer without the redness showing through.

Make sure to have your hair trimmed every 3 months if you want it to grow longer, quicker. Getting your hair trimmed gets rid of dead ends and split ends. These are two things that prevent your hair from growing. If you have colored or damaged hair, have it trimmed every 6 weeks.

When going to the beach, use this trick to make your waist look narrower. With a white pencil liner, dot the shape of an egg on both sides, starting just below the rib cage. Then fill the egg area with a little self-tanner just one shade darker than your natural skin tone and blend it in.

If you already have skin problems, you need to be especially careful when selecting make up to not worsen the situation. Avoid make ups with any oil in them, and sparingly use moisturizers, foundations, eye makeup, and blushes labeled oil free. Also look for non-comedogenic products, which do not encourage the closure of pores.

Have you ever had makeup smudges and want an easy way to fix them without re-doing your whole look? Then try a cotton swab and some eye-makeup remover. This way, you can precisely clean up the area you need to re-do when time doesn’t allow starting over from scratch.

Here is a beauty tip! In order to keep lipstick on for an extended period of time, apply a lipstick made for chap lips over it. That’s right two lipsticks! One is for color – one is for the top coat! Not only does lipstick made for chap lips help to heal dry and cracked lips, but it helps protect the color below that the other lipstick gives your lips. Be sure to apply just a small coating of it over your lipstick.

The processes, techniques and products that make up a personalized beauty regimen need not be expensive or time-consuming. Even though satisfactory beauty results depend on hard work, working smarter can save a lot of time. Tips like the ones above might be valuable keys to getting better results with less effort.

Whether we like it or not, we live in a society that judges us based our outward appearance. Luckily, there are steps we all can take to look better.So whether your goal is better hair, better skin, better makeup, or just an overall better appearance, this article is here to help!

Remember that fragrance rises. Scents rise. When applying perfume or scented body mist, put it lower on your body. Do not apply too much by putting a little everywhere. Just apply a little around your ankles. The scent will rise without being as overpowering as some perfumes tend to be.

Eating the right diet will dramatically improve the health and appearance of your skin, nails and hair. Eat blueberries, as they are great at improving skin’s elasticity. Consume plenty of strawberries, as they help to protect skin’s collagen and reduce wrinkles. Avocados are great because they contain folate, which helps aid in cell regeneration. Last, but not least, eat plenty of acai berries. Acai berries contain twice as many anti-oxidants as any other berry.

If you want that shiny look on your legs, but don’t want a greasy feel to them, just use your regular lotion, and gloss it up a little by adding a small drop of baby oil. This will give you luster and softness, without the resulting greasiness of the baby oil alone.

If you are looking for that natural shine from your eyebrows and lashes, petroleum jelly is a great tool to use. Apply some at bedtime, every single night. When you wake up, make sure to remember to wash it off. This will keep your eyelashes and brows shiny, all day long.

Natural beauty is very important to many people. It is essential to keep in mind that beauty comes from the inside as well. Having a healthy body that glows is what underlines beauty and accentuates it. The lifestyles we lead and the food we eat play a major role in inner beauty.

If you have ever gotten that perfect hairstyle, and decided to use hairspray to keep it that way, you have undoubtedly gotten that helmet look. A way to combat this is to spray the hairspray onto the brush, and run it through the hair from the roots to the tips. This will result in a hold with volume and shine, and without the plastered look.

Do not apply eyeliner from the outside to the inside. You are less likely to get a straight line this way. Instead, start from the inside and slowly work your way to the outside. Do not go too fast, it is unnecessary and will just make your eyeliner smear.

In today’s society, much of how we are treated depends on what we look like. The fact is that what we look like is important, whether we agree with it or not, and the good news is that there are things we can do to enhance our overall physical appearance. Just apply some of the tips found here and it will help a lot!

Taking a step into the wondrous and beautiful land of beauty for the very first time might feel a tad bit intimidating, but by keeping the helpful tips listed below in mind, you will soon find yourself using techniques on par with some of the best beauticians in the field.

To brighten your skin, try making homemade face masks. Face masks can typically be made from things you have around your house and will give your skin a lovely, natural glow. Look for mask recipes with ingredients like tomato juice, sandlewood powder, or oatmeal. All of these things are great for your face!

Disposable mascara wands, which are often known by makeup artists as “spoolies”, are a cheap and effective tool for your makeup kit. These tiny brushes are useful to break up clumps in the lashes and brush off excess mascara without spoiling your makeup. In a pinch, they can also be used to groom your eyebrows. They should be disposed after each use.

Getting lots of Vitamin C in your diet will help with the growth of your hair because it is essential for the repair and growth of new tissue. It is an antioxidant that helps undo damage caused by excess sun, environmental pollution and other carcinogenic substances. If you are lacking in Vitamin C, you may notice unusually dry hair and skin.

To open up your pores and have any blemishes removed, steaming is a wonderful option. Put your face over a bowl of steaming hot water with a dry towel placed on you head. Do this as long as you can being careful not to burn yourself. When you have had enough splash your face with cold water to close the pores and make your skin more firm.

If you get caught out in the cold with excessively dry or flaky skin but do not have body lotion or hand cream available to you, consider applying a small amount of hair conditioner. You can use it to add moisture to your hands, elbows, feet, and knees – but never on your face.

To give your hair more volume, consider trying a new haircut with layers. Layers are one of the most effective ways to add volume to fine limp hair. Even if you like to wear your hair long, you can still have your stylist cut long layers into the top for a major volume boost.

If you are new to using blush, try this method of applying this simple enhancer. Make a big, ridiculous grin in the mirror. The apples your cheeks make in this expression are where your first swipe of blush should land. Use the cheekbone to guide the rest of your swipe. This way, you will know your blush is properly applied to your face shape!

It is very common to hear the phrase “real beauty comes from within” and this is very true, even when talking about external beauty. When you feel confident with yourself, it helps you to change many small factors that you may not even realize. The result of this is that you actually look more beautiful, as well.

Extend the life and appearance of your acrylic overlays in between visits to the salon by protecting them from harsh chemicals. This includes household cleaners like bleaches, soaps, and laundry detergents. If you plan to come into contact with these substances, wear rubber gloves to prevent the chemicals from causing cracks or lifting of your overlays.

So, after reading and applying the helpful tips listed above, you should feel a bit more at ease in the land of beauty. This will give you confidence as you apply the professional techniques to perfect your beauty routine.

Your memory is a invaluable resource that you can work on improving every day. In order to keep your memory sharp, you will need to do some exercises that promote memory building. This article will give you some wonderful tips that will improve your memory if used on a daily basis.

Give your full attention and focus on what you are trying to remember. Try to study in a place that is quiet and calm for the best memory retention. Try to actively recall information in order to move it from your short term memory to your long term memory.

Make sure that your diet has good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. Most commonly found in fish, these fatty acids do a superb job of keeping your brain on its toes. Numerous studies have shown a positive benefit to the brain when the diet contains omega-3’s. Try adding pink salmon, walnuts and flax seed, so you can get this essential fat.

If you need to remember several different facts, string them together in a story. The logical sequence of a story makes it easy to remember the order of information. The story does not need to be detailed, it can revolve around walking around one’s own home. By associating facts with things in the home that someone might encounter will help you be able to recall the piece of information when thinking about that item.

Some people have a hard time remembering the names of people they meet. This can be inconvenient when you can’t remember your new boss’ name on that important first day of work! One thing that works is word association. For instance, if you meet a woman named Nancy and she’s wearing a nice dress, you can tell yourself “Nancy looks fancy”. That should stick in your mind every time you see her! Silly, but effective!

Make your memorization easier by using mnemonic devices. The easiest one is to associate a visual image with the word or name you need to remember. Life like, vivid images linked to hard to memorize or understand concepts can help to speed up the learning process significantly. Think of images from your everyday life to make the process easier and faster.

Putting information into categories will help you to remember it later! Everything has a category and compartmentalizing things in your memory by category can give you much greater recall. For example, chicken and hot dogs on your grocery list go into the category of meat and milk and water into beverages and so on.

Eat more onions to improve your memory. A few studies have isolated fisetin to be of great benefit in improving the long term memory. You can find beneficial levels of fisetin in onions, strawberries, mangos and other plants. It also is a strong antioxidant so it will deliver other benefits to your body as well.

You have been given some wonderful ways to improve your memory. Use the tips that you have learned to keep your memory sharp and working properly. Your memory is something that if you don’t actively work on, it will not be there when you really need it. Stay on your toes and follow the advice you have been given.

You have found that throughout your life so far, it is easy for you to recall some things and other things have been nearly impossible to remember. You would like to make sure that your memory is the best that it can be. This article will help you do this very thing.

Spend an extra amount of time on the information in the center of your study materials or textbooks. Studies have shown that people remember more information from the beginning or end of the source. This is called the serial effect. You can combat this by spending extra time and effort on the more difficult subject matter.

One thing that has been proven to help maintain your memory and brain function over time, is socialization. Having a strong social group and lots of interaction and conversation with family and friends will help to keep your memory flowing freely both now and as you age too.

Cramming is not the way to go if you want to do well on a test. Studies have shown that you are more likely to remember the material if you study during several lessons over a period of time. You need that time to process and store the information completely in your memory.

If you notice that you are having trouble with your memory, you may want to try running or riding a bicycle on a regular basis. Medical research has shown that running and bicycle riding stimulates the growth of new brain cells, which in turn, helps to improve a person’s memory.

A great way to help you improve your memory is to start taking alternative driving routes. Taking different routes will keep your mind active by keeping you guessing and alert. Keeping your mind active like this can go a long way in improving your ability to remember things.

Know your learning style, this will help you to remember information. Some people remember things better by seeing the information first. Others, by hearing the information or by physically doing something to help them recall it. Knowing your learning style will help you decide if note-taking, listening to lectures or reading books and articles work’s best for you.

The more difficult the information is, the harder it’s going to be to retain, so you have to break down tough information into smaller tidbits. Breaking the whole down into segments and then reassembling them in your mind not only allows you to retain the memory, but it also creates a road map to allow you to recall the memory.

You will be able to drastically improve your memory by reducing distractions when you are learning new information. Distractions come in all shapes and sizes and serve to distract (hence their name) us from what we are trying to focus on. If learning new information, being in a calm, comfortable, and quiet environment helps you to concentrate better, which in turns helps to improve your ability to recall and learn new information.

In conclusion, you have found that there are certain ways that you excel at memorizing and there are other ways that just do not suit you. This is common among different people. Hopefully you have realized what your special way of learning is and will be able to utilize this in your life.

Many of us have careers that rely on our ability to remember facts and figures. If we were to start slipping in our duty and causing productivity to drop, we would inevitably lose our careers. If you think this cannot happen to you, you are woefully wrong. Check out these great memory-saving tips.

Exercise your brain. Try completing crossword puzzles, reading a book or taking a new route to a familiar destination. Whatever you can do to keep your brain active and engaged, do it; these types of activities will help you improve your memory and you’ll continue to feel younger than your years.

Jigsaw puzzles are good to improve your memory. Choose the harder ones (500-600 piece puzzles) for greater benefits. This game requires visual judgment, critical thinking and shifting focus from the small pieces to the big picture several times. Mastering your jigsaw puzzles skills will help you when you need to use your memory in your everyday life.

A good tip that can help you improve your memory is to pay more attention to your surroundings and to what’s being said. You can’t expect to recall something you’ve learned if you didn’t even pay close attention in the first place. Try to be alert at all times to be able to remember things later.

Socializing with regularity can greatly decrease the chances of memory loss. By having an active social life you can ward off stress and depression, which can both lead to memory loss. Stay active in your community. Share dinners with loved ones. And take up invitations to visit with family and friends, especially if you are living on your own.

Keep lists of everything. Keep a shopping list at all times. Hang it on your refrigerator. Every time you think of something you need, add it to the list. This will help make sure you don’t forget anything. Keep lists for other things as well, such as things that need done around your house.

Build consistent study times into your schedule. To build your long-term memory, you need to fight the urge to cram. Cramming information will place it in your short-term memory, and it will easily fall to the wayside once the information is used. To really commit something to your memory, develop daily sessions where you study it with real focus. Keep it consistent, and you will soon find the information is with you for the long haul!

A well-nourished brain will definitely perform better in terms of memory. Eat lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Also, drink a lot of water. You should drink up to 8 glasses daily. Other ways to improve your diet is to limit the amount of saturated fat, but eat fish or supplements for omega-3 fatty acids (which improves brain function and fights against Alzheimer’s).

Using tips like what you’ve just read will help you to keep your memory strong and active. The knowledge you absorb will be retained and you will be far less likely to suffer from memory loss as you progress in age. By just applying these simple tips, you could change your entire life.

Memory loss can be a very scary thing. It can be a gradual loss over time or seem more sudden to some, but one certain thing about it is that it can be the single most frustrating part of your day or even days. The good news is that there are things you can do to improve your memory and this article is full of great tips on how to do just that!

Here is food for “thought!” Consume food known to enhance brain functions. Omega-3 fatty acids, fruits and vegetables are known to provide the necessary nutrients for improved memory. Avoid eating fatty, heavy dishes; limit the intake of saturated fat and consider spring water instead of wine or beer. Eat considerable amounts of whole grains to avoid the early onset of Dementia.

Your sense of smell can be a powerful memory aide. It is hardwired directly to the brain. Study with something that smells a certain way (a special perfume for instance)in the room. When the big test day comes, reintroduce the smell and you will reintroduce the memory too.

Exercise for the mind has been shown to help memory, just like exercise for the body will help muscles! If you enjoy crossword or word search puzzles, do them more often or play a trivia game with friends. Such activity will keep your brain functioning sharper and consequently improve your memory!

Pay attention to your surroundings and live in the moment. The more attention you pay to what’s going on around you, the more likely you are to remember it later. You won’t be able to remember things that you never experienced. Try not to dwell on the past or future while creating new memories.

If you have noticed that your memory isn’t what it used to be, maybe you aren’t getting enough sleep. You need to be sleeping seven to eight hours each night in order to improve your memory. During your sleep cycle, your brain processes all new information to create these memories for you so you have them to recall later.

To improve your memory, make sure you are getting enough exercise, but especially of the aerobic variety. Recent research indicates that concentrated aerobic exercise activities actually encourage new cell growth in the brain’s memory center. Try to do aerobic exercises such as biking and running in order to get the maximum benefit.

One way to sharpen memory processes is to quit relying so much on modern technology. Before the age of cell phones, people remembered the phone numbers of friends and family instead of just saving them in a contact list. Even though technical devices can really make our life easier, they also help dumb us down. Next time you need to make some basic calculation, resist the urge to pull out your calculator and let your brain get some exercise.

Hopefully, you have learned a few tips and tricks on increasing the potency of your memory and sharpening your thinking skills. Much of the time, memory deficiency can be attributed to stress and other daily ongoings that take a lot out of us. Practice some of the methods mentioned in this article and you should soon find yourself better able to remember before you know it!

Beauty can mean a million different things to a million different people. By knowing what your culture and society considers beautiful, you can cater a little better to those around you. Beauty can be a look, or it can be something as simple as a sunset. Noticing and using beauty in your every day life, can attract even more beauty!

Instead of applying false eyelashes that may fall off sometime during the day, use an eyelash curler. An eyelash curler will curl your lashes upwards and away from the eye, making your eyes appear bigger. Make sure you use the curler before applying mascara, or you’ll have to reapply it.

Whether it be on your face, legs, or anywhere else, do not shave the same spot over and over again. People think that they will effectively get all of their hair by doing this, when in fact, the only thing that will happen is that your skin will get irritated or you will get razor bumps.

Get an even, natural looking spray tan by investing some time preparing your skin before applying the product. For best results, don’t shave or use any other forms of hair removal the day you plan to tan. Exfoliating your skin for several days beforehand will also help you achieve streak free results.

When you are trying to improve the quality of your skin, one point that you can never overlook in your routine is a good exfoliation. You should do this at least twice a week and you should have a separate product for your face and your body. These will help to make your skin look younger.

Use dry shampoo as a hair volumizer. Apply dry shampoo to day-old hair, and use a round brush to blow dry the roots. You get the same benefits as a volumizer with the mixture of your hair’s natural oil and the dry shampoo, which means your hair will have major volume, and you get another day out of your blowout.

Cracked heels and dry, flaking feet are very unattractive, especially in sandals. To combat this problem, right before you go to bed, soak your feet in a warm water bath for ten minutes, coat them with petroleum jelly and then cover them with a thick pair of socks to lock in the moisture. In no time, you’ll have soft feet.

If your hair and face could use a little tender, loving care but you can’t spare the money for a spa or salon treatment, look no further than your refrigerator. Apply the whites of an egg to your face for a tightening, brightening mask, then apply the yolk to your hair to leave it glossy and full.

For soft feet, apply lotion or Vaseline and wrap in cling wrap before going to bed. You should then put socks on your feet. You should do this at least once a week for the softest feet. This will prepare even the driest feet for summer and wearing sandals.

If you haven’t taken care of your physical appearance for a long time, don’t be scared off by the amount of work it takes to improve it. Although the initial time investment might be high it is much easier to maintain a good appearance than to initially create it.

In this article, we went over some ways to enhance the beauty around you and how to keep yourself beautiful. These tips and tricks can be applied in your every day life and will help you gain a new perspective on things. Being beautiful and appreciating beauty is a simple concept that can go a long way.

Beauty can be an important part of your life. You need to do all of your research so that you don’t end up improperly applying something or so you don’t use products that will not work on your own body. There are some tips listed below to help you begin.

When applying winged eyeliner, extend the line at the outer edge of your eye so that it follows the natural curve of your lower lash line. This helps it blend with the shape of your eye so that it looks more natural. The eyeliner should be thickest at the outer corner of your eye and then taper to a point at the tip of the wing.

One really important aspect to beauty is learning how to work with what you have. You may be trying to improve some things in your life but there are other traits that you will have to live with. For the unchangeable things you should learn how to wear them with pride.

Use a face mask at least once a week. Depending on which one you choose, this will help remove impurities from your face. A mud or clay mask is best for removing impurities. You will see results immediately. Once you find a mask you like, you should stick with it.

If you’ve got a splitting nail and can’t get to the salon quick enough, grab a tea bag and bottle of clear nail polish! The strong fibers of a tea bag will act as a remedial mend until you can see a professional. Simply cut a small portion of the tea bag, place it directly on the torn part of the nail and top it off with a coat or two of clear nail polish and you are good to go!

Use hydrogen peroxide to cure yellowed nails. Nothing is beautiful about yellowing nails. To fix this problem, soak cotton in peroxide and then wipe each nail for several strokes. Let it sit on your nails for a few minutes. Rinse your nails, and admire the lack of yellow coloring.

You can keep help to keep your feet looking their best by applying or petroleum jelly to them regularly. These products will keep your feet smooth and attractive. This will also soften any hard skin that needs to be removed. Such treatment is especially important during the warm months, when you are that much more likely to show off your bare feet!

Smooth lotion over hair to reduce the static. If you find yourself out with nothing to use, grab the hand lotion you keep in your purse. Take a little bit and rub the palm of your hands together slightly, then run through your hair. This is a quick and easy fix.

Beauty can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a lot of work. Regardless, if you know what to do and how to create your own regimen, you can get the results you want. So, do yourself a favor by doing your research and applying the above tips to your beauty regimen.

Sometimes finding the right style can be hard. There are so many different options to chose from when it comes to makeup and hair styles that making just one choice can be difficult and time consuming. The beauty tips in the following article will help you adopt a style and flair that fits you.

Before using any kind of eyelash glue around your eyes, test it on the inside of your arm twenty-four hours before you are planning to apply it to your eyes. This is the best way to test for allergies and can help you avoid having your eyes swell shut from an allergic reaction.

If you are like many who have a problem keeping your eyeliner where it is supposed to be, try applying your eye shadow on top of the eyeliner with a damp cotton ball. It will help to set the liner and keep it in its place longer than it would otherwise.

Hand lotion can be a great fix for a bad hair day! In the cold of winter when static has you looking electric, rub a small amount of lotion on your hands and gently pat your hair down. In the humid summer, do the same on the ends of your hair to tame frizz!

Gently brush your lips with a soft toothbrush. This will help you remove dead skin cells from your lips and make them soft. You should then apply Vaseline or another type of lip balm to moisturize your lips and keep them soft. You can do this every day or every other day.

Tired of dealing with lots of frizzies and fly aways? Rub lotion into your hands and then very gently run over the frizzy part of your hair. This helps those annoying strands to lay flat with the rest of your hair and become non-existent for the duration of the day.

Paint your toenails before you go to bed. Make sure you have given your nail polish plenty of time to dry before going to bed. When you shower in the morning you can easily peel off any excess polish that you get on your toes for that perfect manicured look.

Spray a light mist over your face after your make-up is complete to improve the overall longevity of your cosmetics. You can use this tip both in situations calling for endurance and in those when you have taken extra pains on your make-up. A misting will preserve your efforts and give you a few extra hours of perfection.

For a moisturizing, beautifying bath treatment, add rice milk, soy milk, or oat milk to a tub filled with warm (not hot) water. Milk of any kind softens and smooths the skin, making it appear youthful and more evenly toned. It will also make sensitive skin feel better, leaving you calm and relaxed.

Use fake eyelashes. They are actually easy to apply and can be found at a cheap price. They can really enhance the look of your eyes and are great for creating that dramatic look. You can use a look like this anytime, but it’s often a look many try to go for at night.

To reduce face puffiness in the morning, use your tongue to hold an ice cube at the roof of your mouth for a minute. The cold from the ice cube helps to reduce puffiness from the inside out. This will achieve the same result that splashing your face with ice water does.

In conclusion, finding the right style can sometimes be hard. With all of the different hair and makeup styles and options available, anyone can have a hard time making a suitable combination. If you remember the beauty tips that were mentioned in the article above, you can have an easier time finding your style.

When people think of beauty, many times they thing of prettiness and loveliness. Beauty is not only on the outside, and it is a very subjective thing. At the same time, doing your best to be beautiful is something that any woman can do with ease. Here are some tips all about beauty.

If you have discovered little white bumps under your eyes, know that these are called Milia and are quite common. They are a harmless form of a cyst caused by dry, dead cells being trapped under the skin. You can try exfoliation or use a moisturizer that includes an exfoliant with vitamin A to help them disappear, and prevent them in the future.

Wash your face before going to sleep. This will remove all the impurities and dirt from the day. Use a makeup remover first, to remove your makeup, then use a face wash. If you don’t cleanse your face before bed, your pores can get clogged and cause pimples or spots.

Putting on your own nail polish can be very frustrating, especially when using your non-dominant hand. Next time, apply your normal two color coats and a topcoat in the evening (give the polish a few hours to dry before bedtime). Don’t worry too much if the polish gets on your cuticles. Then, in the morning, take a hot shower, and all the extra polish on your cuticles and skin will rub right off.

If you’re concerned that your freshly painted nails will smear, you can protect them with a thin film of some type of oil. Either put a drop of olive oil on your palm and rub it over the nails, or even easier, use a can of olive oil cooking spray and give each finger just the quickest touch of cooking spray. The oil will form a protective barrier that will keep the polish from smearing.

To give your medium-to long-length hair a quick boost of volume in the morning, turn your head upside down, then apply a spray-on product like mousse or serum to add volume. Aim for the roots, then scrunch your hair at the crown and sides. Turn right-side up, then use your fingers to smooth the top layer.

Believe it or not, as you age, your skin tone will change along with your hair color. If you continue to wear foundation, be sure to check it against your actual skin color to be sure that it’s still a true match. Your skin will change in the same way that your hair changes – the melanin levels adjust – and in this way, you’ll assure a true match as your skin matures.

If your eyebrows have become a bit unruly and you want to tame them, try using a small amount of hair spray on them. What you would do is get an eyebrow comb or unused toothbrush, and spray it with the hair spray. Comb through the brows to flatten and smooth them.

While beauty says nothing about who you are as a person, it never hurts to put some effort into looking your best. Apply the tips that this article has given to you. Just remember not to go overboard, because being beautiful is not the most important thing in the world.

Beauty is mostly just a good way to describe taking care of yourself. If you are taking care of your body, your skin and your mind, you can’t help but be a beautiful person, and project that to the world. This article gives you some practical ideas of how to do that.

If you are trying to reduce the puffiness around your eyes try holding a cold spoon on the puffy areas. The cold can cause the puffiness to go away making your face look more beautiful.

For smooth, streak-free results, exfoliate your skin before applying self-tanner. Dead, dry skin can cause self-tanner to absorb unevenly. This can result in streaks, splotches and areas of color that are darker than they should be. You can eliminate this problem by exfoliating your skin before you apply self-tanner. By removing dead skin cells, exfoliating can help ensure that yourself tanner absorbs evenly and gives you a beautiful, streak-free glow.

Here is a beauty tip! Warm your concealer before using it! Often when you put concealer on it can come off looking thick and caked. You have to know how to conceal your concealer. First warm it by rubbing it in circular motion on the back of your hand! Then use your finger to apply.

Spend some time and money learning proper makeup application techniques from the experts. These techniques can make your face makeup look a lot better and can also save you a lot of money; you won’t need to use as much of a makeup product if you are applying it to your skin properly.

When you nail polish starts to thicken up, you can add a few drops of nail polish remover to the bottle to thin it. Shake the bottle well after the addition of the nail polish remover to mix thoroughly and continue your manicure as usual. You should be able to get several more applications from the bottle.

If you ever run out of concealer you can turn to your foundation! Simply turn the cap of the foundation over and you will find a thicker, more condensed collection of it which you can use in a pinch in place of your regular concealer. Simply dab your finger tip in the cap and pat the foundation under eyes or over any other blemish!

If you plan on applying a dramatic makeup look that utilizes heavy eyeshadow and liner, avoid applying your daily eye cream to the area beforehand. Even after the moisture has been absorbed into the eye area, you will still have difficulty achieving a precise, bold look that does not easily smudge or run.

Large pores on the face are a common problem and can be helped. Age and genetics are the cause of large pores and there is a way to help shrink them, go to the dermatologist or spa. There you can receive a microdermabrasion treatment which will gently remove the top layer of dead skin and decrease pore size.

Being beautiful is nothing more than being the kind of person who knows that they need to take care of themselves. As this article has pointed out, most beauty tips and secrets are really about pampering your body and your mind so that the inner beauty that you already have can shine through.

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this is very much true. What you may find beautiful, someone else may find repulsive. It is a matter of people’s perceptions, not a matter of the object’s actual beauty. The tips in this article will help you to “alter” your perceptions a bit, to find more beauty all around you.

Make your nail polish last longer. You can make your nails look like you just had a manicure and last longer by using a base coat, 2 coats of color and a top coat. This will provide your nails with a glossy look that will last for at least a few weeks.

Beauty truly is skin deep, and true beauty starts with great skin. Everyone wants a perfect complexion, but if you were not born with glowing, flawless skin, do not fret. Take good care of your face; keep it clean and well moisturized, inside and out, and you will be on your way to the beautiful complexion you crave.

Massaging Vaseline into your cuticles will help your hands in many ways. It will make the skin much more hydrated and it will also encourage your nails to grow a bit quicker. Do this once a week every week and you are sure to see a big difference in the appearance of your hands and nails.

If you have fine lines around your eyes, mouth, and forehead, you should look for cosmetics with light-reflecting particles. These products, which are just more matte than shimmery, can reflect light in a way that appears to make the fine lines simply disappear. You can use this trick all over your face, or just in your laugh lines.

Smile more often. This one tip can make you look years younger and more beautiful. Smiling attracts people to you and it makes your eyes sparkle and your cheeks flush. Not only that, but it has an internal effect as well. Smiling can make you feel a little happier too.

To make red lipstick last longer, apply powder and lip liner to your lips before applying the lipstick. First, powder your lips with your usual face powder. Next, draw a line around your lips and fill them in with a red lip liner. Finally, apply the red lipstick on top of the powder and liner, blotting with a tissue to remove any excess lipstick.

If you get caught out in the cold with excessively dry or flaky skin but do not have body lotion or hand cream available to you, consider applying a small amount of hair conditioner. You can use it to add moisture to your hands, elbows, feet, and knees – but never on your face.

As stated at the beginning of this article, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and what one may find attractive, another may quite as easily find unattractive. It is possible to “alter” your perception a little bit, and by using the tips from this article, you should be able to open yourself up to seeing more beauty in the ordinary.

Do you feel insecure about your appearance? Do you wish you could change the way you look? No matter what you look like, there are plenty of things you can do to make yourself more beautiful. This article will provide you with some beauty tips that can make anyone look and feel better.

You can make your eyes appear noticeably larger and more open, use this trick for applying your eyeshadow. Apply a light-colored (taupe, bone, or ivory) shadow in the innermost corner of your eye, then apply a progressively darker shade as you go further out. The darkest shade should be applied to the outermost corner of the eye.

If you are using makeup, you should be absolutely certain to use proper cleaning at the end of the day. If you leave traces of makeup on your skin while you sleep, it can lead to skin problems! This, in turn, will end up hurting the effect you are attempting to have with makeup in the first place.

It is important that you never use a dull razor when shaving your legs or any other part of your body. Dull razors are just going to cut your skin and leave an abundance of razor burns. Try to use a new razor each time that you shave and get razors that have triple blades.

Give your skin a hint of color and shimmer by mixing a touch of bronzer with your favorite body lotion. This is a great way to highlight your arms, legs, chest and other areas for holiday parties or other events without throwing away time, money, and your skin’s health in a tanning bed.

As your skin gets older, be sure to wear the moisturizer that meets your skin’s needs for this age. Skin tends to start out oily and becomes drier over time, so it’s important to make sure that your skin’s need for moisture is being met appropriately. If your moisturizer feels heavy or is giving you skin trouble, it’s time to reevaluate.

If you want to make your lips more natural, try to stay away from lipstick and use clear lip gloss instead. Most lipstick colors are dramatically different than your natural lip color, which will make your lips look fake. Clear lip gloss will make your lips more shiner, while remaining natural.

There is a very fine yet very important line between vanity and taking care of yourself. It is important that you stay on the correct side of this line. Beauty should be a small part of your daily routine and if it is becoming an obsession then you should try to rethink your priorities.

To help increase the elasticity of skin and thereby reduce the chances of stretch marks, depend on olive oil! Everyone has olive oil in the kitchen and every week you need to bring it in the bathroom and use it in place of your regular moisturizer after showering. Massage it well into your stomach, buttocks and thighs for improved skin strength and to keep those nasty stretch marks away!

Beauty isn’t just about genetics. It’s also about effort. If you put a little extra time into looking your best, you’ll be sure to see results. Do your best to apply the advice in this article to your life. It won’t be long before you’re feeling more confident and more attractive.

Memory is something that is precious and sensitive, and if you want to know ways to improve your memory then you’ve come to the right place. The best way to take steps on improving your memory is to learn as much as you can about how to improve memories, and this article serves as a good resource to do just that.

If you find that you have trouble remembering difficult things, then you can take some time out of your day to write down a to-do list. Write down each of the things that you need to do for the day, and then you can be sure to remember all of your plans.

Try visual association to help with memory issues. The technique basically entails putting a picture with each phrase you want to memorize, making remembering that phrase easier. Studies have shown that combining words and pictures can be an effective way to remember things. Try it next time you’re studying for an exam.

A great tip for improving your memory is to try to associate a smell with something you need to remember. This is important because smells are one of the best ways to trigger a memory. Use distinct smells, either good or bad smelling and make sure you only have contact with them whenever you are doing something related to that memory.

The best way to improve your memory is to have healthy habits, such as eating nutritious foods, sleeping plentifully and exercising. Just as athletes need these things, your brain also needs to be cared for in order to perform well. Physical exercise is effective because it increases the oxygen flow to your brain.

Many people use visualization to remember information. Try visualizing what you wish to remember, create mind pictures, draw diagrams or charts to aid in remembering information in textbooks or during lectures at school. The mind is very effective in remembering visual details and recalling images, even images long-forgotten.

Keep your brain sharp with brain games. It can be fun to keep your memory sharp. There are numerous games you can play to help improve attention, memory, concentration and more. Try crossword puzzles, Sudoku, or other challenging games. Some brain games will also help you to improve your IQ.

Here is a trick for memory! As trivial as it may seem, try to do handstands! By standing on your hands, you are allowing blood flow to your brain. Having sufficient blood flow to your brain helps it to absorb and remember new information. You could also try lying on your back on your bed with your head hanging off the end!

A great way to improve memory and brain elasticity is to read a large variety of books. Read novels from all eras and places as well as histories, self help books, nonfiction books, and anything else you can find. The different types of information you take in give your brain a workout.

With all that you’ve learned in this article you should start feeling more confident on ways to improve your memory. You want to try to the best of your ability and try out all of the tips from this article as well as learn new tips and try those out as well, if you do this, success should follow.

Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder, as well as everyone who looks at her! You want to look your best, enhance your finest features and put your best face forward so read on for some fantastic advice and ideas on you to improve upon your looks in ways you’ve probably never thought of!

If you have run out of shaving cream and you don’t want to use soap to shave your legs because of the drying effect, then use hair conditioner! Coating your legs with conditioner before shaving will soften the hair and make it easier to shave, leaving the legs feeling very soft and silky.

Always apply a heat protectant spray to your hair before using a curling iron, flat iron or hair dryer. Heat can damage your hair, leaving it brittle, dry and full of split ends. Just like their name implies, heat protectant sprays coat your hair to protect it from the heat. This allows it to stay smooth, sleek and shiny no matter how you choose to style your hair.

If you want to add a pinch of color to your face midday, consider stocking up on a stick of cream blush or a gel-based cheek blusher. Apply a small amount to the apples of your cheek, then blending in circular motions. This keeps your face looking fresh in a natural and easily applied in a manner that is especially flattering.

Avoid refined foods as part of your daily beauty routine. Refined foods take away most of the nutrients that would naturally be found in a food. Often times the good things are replaced by chemicals and fortifiers. Your overall health will vastly improve, not just your skin, nails, and hair.

Beauty always starts with feeling good about yourself. If you don’t feel confident about your body or level of fitness than you must start off by getting yourself to the gym. By just using three to four hours per week of your time you will improve your physical appearance and feel more confident.

If you are diligent in your daily hygiene routine by brushing your teeth and using mouthwash, yet you still have a problem with bad breath, you must remember to floss, as well. Flossing dislodges bacteria that are between your teeth, which could be causing the odor problem. It is recommended you floss daily.

Do not pick or squeeze at your face. A simple beauty rule is to keep your hands off of your face, except to clean or moisturize. You run the risk of causing scars when you pick at your face. You can also transfer oil and dirt onto your face when you are touching it.

Looking beautiful can be expensive and time consuming; hopefully this article has given you some new tips and tricks to try that will save your valuable time and money! Little things can add up to make big and positive changes in the way you look and feel about yourself so incorporate this advice into your routine of being more beautiful and having greater confidence!

Welcome to the world of beauty! It is a very big world, complete with all kinds of tools, accessories, and so much more. The fact that beauty is a very personal thing, can make it seem a bit impossible to find what will work for you. The tips below can help give you some suggestions.

Massaging your temples and the surrounding areas on a regular basis, can help to remove deep shadows and stubborn bags. Use your favorite moisturizer and rub in thoroughly. This will help to fade the dark coloring of the tissue, by improving circulation in the area, and it will give you a more refreshed look.

If your hair and nails are brittle and lackluster, add in a daily over-the-counter prenatal vitamin. These supplements are very affordable and will produce noticeable results within three to four weeks. Take one tablet daily and you will notice that your hair appears fuller and glossier, and that your nails are smoother, stronger, and more attractive.

Keep a tube of red lipstick around. Red lipstick looks great on a wide range of skin tones and face types. It can really accent your face, and draw attention to your lips. Beware if you have a sore, or a reason you do not want people to look.

One of the leading causes of smudged and botched pedicures straight out of the salon is putting your shoes back on. It seems like common sense, but many people forget to wear flip flops to their appointments and nobody wants to wear the paper-thin pedicure thongs. Pack a pair of flip-flops so you can go about your business without damaging your glossy new pedicure.

If you have striking brown eyes, you can play them up by adding eyeshadow, liner, and mascara in colors that are especially flattering for your eye color. Look for rich, matte shadows in shades of green, copper, and blue. These colors add depth and intensity to your eye color, especially when topped with a few coats of navy mascara.

Let your hair cool off after blow drying it. Letting your hair cool will help set your hair style. If your hair has a hard time holding any style try using hairspray while blow drying it, using curling irons or hot rollers. This will ensure your hairstyle stays put.

Use a gel or creme blush instead of powder. This type of blush gives your skin a glowing and healthy look. Gel and creme blushes are more transparent and blend more evenly than regular powder blush. You should rub this blush on your cheeks and blend upwards for a flawless finish.

Keep some fabric softener sheets on hand for beauty emergencies. Fabric sheets can be used to tame a static skirt that wants to stick you your hose. It can do the same for wild hair. Another thing it is good for is running through your hair to quell obnoxious odors like smoke.

For added impact and eye-opening, beautifully curled lashes, use a heated eyelash curler. If you would prefer to use a regular eyelash curler, you can create a similar effect by giving your curler a quick blast of a few seconds with your hairdryer. This will help to hold the curl and prevent smudging.

Make sure that your blush and your lip color are in harmony. If you are using blush, it is important to make sure that it matches the color you are using for your lips. Pink should be with pink, red with red, etc. If the colors vary too greatly from one another, they will clash terribly.

In the world of beauty, there are many techniques that you have at your disposal to better your appearance. The world of beauty has a little something for everyone, but what works for one person may not for another. Hopefully, these tips have given you a starting point for your own beauty regimen.

Since their introduction to the public several decades ago, ATVs have become increasingly popular. They are very appealing to riders because of the amount of the excitement one feels as they are riding. People are now discovering that the whole family can enjoy the excitement of the ATV. On the negative side, though, more people are injured while riding ATVs than in any other recreational outdoor sport. If you are beginning to pursue an interest in ATVs, there are a number of things to know. 

The first step is to head for the trails with someone who has experience with an ATV. Actually ride an ATV so that you can decide if you are really interested in getting one. Once you are certain that you like it, go pick out your vehicle. As of this second, it’s not a law but it is recommended that people of certain sizes use ATVs of certain sizes. For example, if you have a son and he weighs 85 pounds, do not try to find an 800 or 900 cc machine for you to stick him on. Try putting him on a 440 or 600 cc machine. This is more in line with something he can handle. Also, make sure that you are fitted to the right machine.  

It is usually not recommended that beginners buy brand new machines. As you end up becoming more familiar with the sport, you will talk with people who have different models, and you may end up finding yourself in constant pursuit of the “next best thing.” After you have your first machine, definitely take a safety course. Courses are usually broken up into three or four weeks, with them lasting two and a half hours a night once a week. Consider these to be well worth your time and your money. Some courses even end with the instructor taking the class out on to trails. Courses are not mandatory – but they will most likely be one day! 

Next, you should take the time necessary to sit down at night and read your owner’s manual. Keep in mind that each ATV is different, so if there are labels or parts you don’t know, the only real answers you will ever find will be in the manuals. Oh yeah…when you go out on the trail, make sure that you carry the owner’s manual with you. If you have bought a used machine from a neighbor or someone else, you can get a copy of the owner’s manual by taking the serial number off the machine and going to a dealer.  

The next thing that you are going to want to do is to get out on to a trail and practice. That really is the only way that you are going to learn how to drive an ATV. Of course, you will always want to make sure that you have permission from whoever owns the land! In the beginning, be sure that you do what you must to ensure that you are riding sensibly. Ride with experienced people. As with other sports, you only get better by riding with people who are better than you. So ride with people who have a fair amount of experience. In addition, no matter how confident you are, when beginning, make sure that you always ride under the supervision of someone who can guide you. In other words, never, ever ride alone! 

If you follow these simple steps, you will be able to enjoy all of the fun and the excitement that makes up driving an ATV. As with other things, it will take some time before you, as a beginner, are able to do it by yourself. Take the time to receive training on how to do it, and dive headlong into the owner’s manual. Once you feel ready to hit the trails, practice driving your ATV. Remember to have an experienced driver with you. Following these steps will ensure your safety and will guarantee that you have a good time.

The ATV trail is a place for dirt, mud, gravel and romance?

Today’s ladies are hardly the proper models of the Victorian Era; in fact, there are plenty of gals out there just itching to ride their four-wheelers with as much gusto as their male counterparts. So if you’re a dude who’s scratching his head for the perfect place to woo your next girlfriend, why not choose an ATV trail excursion?

Of course, in order to ensure that your adventure is on the amorous side, you’ll need to incorporate a little bit of heartfelt and sincere sweetness into the occasion. Start off by sending your “special friend” an invite for an ATV cruise to watch the sunset from a trail nearby. The invitation should be handwritten and sent via the mail, or, if you’re cyber-savvy, emailed.

Plan your date as you would any other. First, map out the perfect ATV trail based on your companion’s four-wheeling level. If she’s just starting out (or hasn’t ridden before), choose a smooth path that will leave her breathless and smiling, but definitely not terrified. On the other hand, if she’s a veteran ATV operator, you can up the ante by picking out a more technically difficult trail filled with twists and turns. Regardless, make certain you know the mileage so you’re at the appropriate spot come nightfall (a sunset always makes a lovely date backdrop.)

Because this is a date, you’ll want to look your best. Though ATV riding can be a dirty proposition, a suit and tie is wildly inappropriate; however, that doesn’t mean you have to show up looking like a slob. At least comb your hair and trim your fingernails. Remember to brush your teeth, too, as most people like fresh breath.

When you pick up or meet your sweet thing, show her how much you care by holding up a bag packed with plenty of goodies for the two of you to enjoy during your adventure. These could include some non-alcoholic beverages, yummy snacks, a radio or CD player for music options and a camera so you can capture your moments together.

During the ride, you’ll no doubt have a plethora of opportunities to wow your significant other by pointing out exceptional scenery or by picking her a handful of wildflowers. Since this is a date, don’t be in a hurry to get from point A to point B; allow yourselves to linger when feasible. And, of course, if the mood strikes, “stealing” kisses is always appropriate if mutually desired.

Should something go wrong along the way, keep yourself calm, cool and collected. Remember, this ATV trail date is about the journey, not about the destination and she’ll recall fondly how you handled an unexpected situation if you keep a level head.

Though an ATV trail date of this sort isn’t guaranteed to produce a relationship that will last the test of time, it’s still likely to be a terrific experience for you both. You just have to put a little planning into the excursion and be open to possibilities.

There has always been great debate between motor sport activists who want to enjoy riding their machines in the outdoors and other nature lovers who claim that off-road motor vehicles harm the environment and ruin the area for anyone who wants to enjoy the outdoors in other ways. The argument can be made that motorcycle and ATV riders have as much right to use state lands as anyone else, but most other outdoor activities don’t interfere with riding the way riding can interfere with hiking, hunting, fishing, bird watching, or even the balance of nature and maintaining consistent flood plains. Although there may always be a conflict, understanding what other nature lovers do and how your riding affects them will help keep ATV riding in current areas, and possibly help it spread to even more areas.

The number one justification for banning ATV riding in certain areas is the detrimental affect it can have on the environment. Although ATVs smoke, are noisy, and help redistribute the mud on a piece of property, these factors have little affect on the environment. However, ATV riding, if done improperly or carelessly can damage waterways and have very noticeable effects on the local environment. The biggest and most likely risk is damage done to vegetation on the banks of waterways and nearby areas. Because those plants hold the riverbank together, if the plants are killed by riding over them, the soil in that area can be easily washed away, changing the flow of the river and oftentimes causing flooding. This kind of flooding causes damage to bottomlands, which is usually very fertile and a hotspot for deer, turkey, wild mushrooms, a plethora of wild birds, and many other things that other nature lovers seek out. In addition, increased erosion along rivers and streams cause fine sediment to fill the water, making it difficult for creatures like tadpoles and crawdads to grow and develop, which hurts the ecosystem, as well as the fish population and fishing opportunities. Most state laws do permit you to cross a river or stream on an ATV, but the most damage comes from riding up and down waterways because so much sediment is stirred up in the water.

Other than not damaging waterways and floodplains, there are several other things you can do to ensure that your riding doesn’t interfere with other activities that go on alongside the trail. For the most part, you should be fine as long as you keep your riding on the trail. It is when you stray from the trail that you will bump into people who don’t appreciate motor sports as much as you, and you may, in some cases, ruin their entire day. If you ride in areas that permit hunting, you should take a minute or two to find out what animals are in season so you know what else is going on in the woods. Many hunters complain of ATV riders driving by their hunting spots to see if they’re having any luck. Although most hunters don’t mind chatting it up, keep in mind that many hunters look forward to bagging a big deer or turkey for months, and an ATV off the trail is often enough to disrupt an animal’s normal patterns and keep hunters from seeing anything. It would be the same as if you were looking forward to a riding an area, only to turn your back for a second and have a hunter ruin your trip by slashing your tires. Your day, as well as weeks or months of planning and anticipation, would be destroyed in a few short seconds. The same can be true of bird watchers, hikers, and people fishing in streams and ponds where you ride. Although you may not realize it, an ATV is a noticeable presence in the woods, and not one that all creatures, including humans, appreciate.

Although there can be some conflict between motor sports lovers and other outdoor enthusiasts, a little respect can go a long way. Also keep in mind that many people who hunt, fish, hike, etc, also ride or have ridden ATV’s and vice versa. Many hunters will use ATV trails to cover ground quickly and get into areas that are usually undisturbed and catch their prey unsuspecting. Most hunters realize that deer and turkey do get used to the sight and sound of ATVs on trails. However, when you leave the trail with your ATV, you are disturbing the wildlife and possibly flood plains, which give other nature lovers and lawmakers a solid reason to restrict ATV riding to certain designated areas.

There are thousands of ATV trails throughout North America (and more are being charted every day), but how do you judge whether you’ve found a good one or not? Here, we’ll examine a few of the elements that you need to look for when deciding where to take your four-wheeled “baby” for your next pleasure cruise.

Generally, if you’re someone who is familiar with four-wheeling, you’ll want an ATV trail that has some length to it. Otherwise, you could risk becoming bored when you just go in circles in the same field. ATV trails can be a few to a hundred miles long; start small and gradually build up your endurance. If you’re a beginner, ask a more experienced ATV operator to show you the ropes; heading out on your own is a dicey proposition and not recommended.

You want an ATV trail that matches your ability, or it won’t be much fun. Thus, if you’re a novice, don’t start your four-wheeling hobby in an extremely mountainous region or one that requires a great deal of ATV riding know-how. Similarly, if you’re someone who has a great deal of ATV operation experience, you should find a suitable trail or you’ll be overcome by ennui an hour into your excursion.

One of the greatest aspects of ATV riding is enjoying the natural surroundings, so be certain that your next trail ride is one that includes some amazing views or which allows you to soak in the beauty of the area. Remember you don’t have to be a photographer, an artist or a poet to be moved by a snaking stream or a radiant sunrise.

Not sure if a trail or area is open to ATV travelers? Then stop before gunning your motor and don’t ride on any trail or in any region until you have been given the “okay” by either the property owner or a legal authority. Far too many four-wheeling enthusiasts have given the sport a bad name by ripping through private property or tearing up national parks. There are plenty of legal ATV trails out there; make sure the one you choose is on the up-and-up or you could be hammered with a heavy fine.

The last thing you want is to get lost during an ATV trail ride. Riding without the proper gear while outside in the elements can be uncomfortable, scary, and deadly in some situations. Therefore, if you’re unfamiliar with your ATV trail, make sure you obtain a map of the region so you can stay aware of your bearings. Even if you never need to glance at the map, it’s still better to have it than to end up wondering, “Where the heck am I?” while a dark night approaches.

Finally, one of the most important elements of a great ATV trail is that it is one you want to share with friends and other riders. You will know you’ve found an awesome path when you can’t wait to get on your blog and start bragging about your recent excursion to other four-wheeling adventurers. After all, when you’ve found something that’s really exciting, it’s up to you to share the news with your friends all over the world.

“I’ve found the best ATV trail! You have to try it!” How many times have you heard that statement from one of your ATV-loving friends and then rushed out to have a terrific ATV riding excursion, only to find that you’re not all that enthralled by a trail that another four-wheeling enthusiast has deemed “awesome”?

Since you are an individual with a definite personality and not a robot without preferences, what leaves you breathless in terms of an ATV trail might not raise the pulse or even eyebrow of another ATV rider and vice versa. Hence, we’ve put together the following guide to help you figure out the perfect ATV trail for you.

If you’re someone who likes speed and want to feel the wind rushing past you, then you’ll probably like an ATV trail that’s flat and fast.

Flat and fast trails are best described as terrain that allows you to gun your ATV’s motor and quickly get from one point to the next. Your best bet is to find a low-lying area, as mountainous regions rarely have long stretches that include no twists or turns. ATV trails in the middle states of America lend themselves to this kind of speedy ATV riding, as they are notoriously level and have an attractive, earthy quality.

If you’re a four-wheel rider who loves the thrill of wicked turns, then you should consider an ATV trail that’s twisting and wild.

You can hoot and holler along an ATV path that winds its way through a wooded area or along a stream bed. Do your best to avoid extremely rocky areas as they can be dangerous, but don’t be afraid of taking on some of the smaller hills and roaring your ATV around some of the more adventurous terrain.

If you’re an enthusiast who loves steep climbing followed by hair-raising descents, you might enjoy an ATV trail that’s up and down.

Head to the mountains, my friend! In the mountains, you will find exactly what you’re searching for in terms of rollercoaster-like ATV adventures! Not only will you be able to test your ATV’s moxie on some serious grades, but you’ll also be able to whiz down scenic mountainsides. Remember to keep your speed in check, though; up and down terrain is only safe when you keep a cool head and a conservative pace.

If you’re a laid-back person who just enjoys a little bit of everything, why not try an ATV trail that’s a pleasure potpourri?

The “pleasure potpourri” is ideal for the ATV trail rider who can’t make up his or her mind as to what the “perfect” excursion might be. And, best of all, these types of hodgepodge ATV journeys can be found almost anywhere in the country. In fact, you might just find all the necessary elements of a mixture of hills, valleys, vistas, and gravel paths within a few miles of your own home.

No matter what your personality type, you can rest assured that there is an ATV trail out there for you and never be afraid to go outside your preferred style. Even if you’re a hard-and-fast “pleasure potpourri” four-wheeling lady or gent, you just might discover that you actually harbor a secret love of “twisting and wild” ATV paths. You’ll never know until you try, so get out there and start exploring!

With new ATV’s coming out every year, a quad that is king of the mountain one year may fall back to the middle of the pack the next year. And, of course, the more you ride and get comfortable with your ATV, the braver you are going to get and eventually reach a point when you have perfected the art of riding and run into a mud pit you can’t cross or notice that some other quads can get the jump on you. Many people simply trade their quad when this happens, but there are a lot of things you can do to your quad to get even more power or custom tune your ATV to suit the terrain in your area or your riding style.

One of the easiest ways to tailor your quad to local riding conditions is to simply change your how you grip the ground. There is a large variety of tires on the market that are made for extreme mudding, sand, and all out speed over any terrain. The most obvious factor you can change about your tires is the tread pattern. Mud tires will typically have a deep, well-spaced tread with a lot of surface area, which allows it to push against slippery mud. Although tread pattern comes into play when playing in the mud, so does sidewall strength and tire thickness. A mud tire with a thicker sidewall will give you more consistent performance when you’re axle deep in sludge. Many people find that lighter rims also give them a slight edge in the mud. Like mud, getting through sand is made much easier with tread that can push and grab a lot of sand. However, if you’re trying to get faster, especially through the corners, you might benefit from a knobby open-patterned tire that is designed to grip trails without deep mud pits. You can also get tires to make the ride a little softer or give you a firmer grip, but the tires only affect how you grip the trail. Sometimes it’s necessary add some muscle to your quad to get the performance you’re looking for.

Although there were once many people who would change sprockets to get more low-end power or top-end speed out of their quads, most of today’s quads have balanced gearing based on weight, engine power, and what it was designed to do. Many riders find that tinkering with sprockets don’t change their quad’s performance characteristics as much as they’d like, and instead turn to performance modifications to squeeze more power from their ride. Although you can go deep into your engine and change cams and other parts that will make your engine even more stout, you can get noticeable results from more affordable and less complicated modifications.

The easiest way to get more power from your quad is by adjusting the airflow through your engine. Simply changing the intake on your quad will give you an increase in power because you force more oxygen into the combustion chamber. Switching to a less restrictive exhaust will get more power to your wheels since the engine doesn’t have to work as hard to breathe. Headers are another bolt-on modification that will let your engine work more efficiently and add power to your quad.

One popular modification that makes it possible to take on really deep mud holes is a snorkel kit and exhaust extension. A risk you run when diving into mud is that you will suck some mud through your intake, or it will enter your engine through your exhaust. Getting mud or water in your engine will shut it down in a hurry and may require a trip to the shop to get all the water out of your engine. A snorkel kit may be necessary to get through some mud holes you encounter when riding.

Regardless of what kind of quad you ride, with the horde of new ATV’s that come out year after year, sooner or later it will fall to the middle of the pack. The good news is that aftermarket parts are also getting better all the time, which allows you to custom tune your quad without breaking the bank.

Since its introduction to the public in the 1970’s, those who ride All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) have had to deal with a number of issues regarding their behavior. Some of these issues deal with safety, while others deal with rider’s behavior towards sharing trails and those whose land they trespass on. Many drivers irresponsibly disregard laws that prohibit the use of ATVs in certain areas. Because of this, hundreds of trails have been designated as safe and legal places for ATV riders to use. As with all forms of vehicular travel, there are a number of rules, both implied and legislated, which have been developed to ensure the safety of those who drive ATVs.  

Regardless of why someone is using a trail, it is important to remember that all trail users are responsible for watching and listening for others. This should result in those who use trails actively looking and listening for others, as opposed to merely reacting when someone or something comes their way. This approach will go a long way towards preventing the accidents and misunderstandings that can take place on the trails.  

It is generally accepted that traveling on the right side of the trail removes indecision about the proper side on which to pass. If you need to pass on the left for one reason or another, always ask for and get permission before you do so. Make sure that you are able to slow down significantly and use caution at all curves and junctions. While riding an ATV is not the time that you want to experience a surprise! Surprises are never safe – regardless of what type of vehicle you happen to be riding!  

If you should encounter a horse while you are riding your ATV, always yield to the horse and rider. Go out of your way to make sure that the horse has seen and heard you. In addition, you will want to give the horse adequate room to pass you on the trail. Remember that motorized recreation vehicles, such as ATVs, can usually be heard coming, and the horse rider may be well out of the way. If not, be courteous, and shut off your motor. Then allow the rider to get a safe distance beyond you before you start it back up again. If you happen to notice that a horse is becoming edgy, nervous, or agitated, always turn off your engine. Then ask the rider what you can do to make the situation better for him and the horse.   

Unfortunately, the great majority of responsible riders have had their reputation negatively affected by those who do not follow the rules of the trails and who do not take the necessary time to be courteous. Simple courtesy and respect for others and their property will discourage riders of ATVs from riding on non-designated trails, or from using other’s private land without permission. This type of responsible thinking will also prevent riders from driving their ATV under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A number of accidents happen each year because of this unfortunate behavior.  

If you are planning riding your ATV on a trail designed for ATV use, keep in mind that there is always a good chance that you may encounter someone who is using the trail for a purpose other than the driving of ATVs. In these situations, it is best to give others the respect that you desire from them. Be active in your effort to hear and see other who is on your trails. When you do encounter them, always yield.

You may notice that some ATV riders can make certain obstacles and jumps look like child’s play while others make them look dangerous and impassable. Although superior equipment may be partially responsible, experience and familiarity with your quad is what separates the men from the boys. Riding time is the best way to get better, but there are a few techniques, like making you quad pivot around a corner or taking a jump, that can make riding a lot more fun.

If you want to take a corner quickly without losing much speed, depending on your ATV’s setup and capabilities, you may be able to conquer the turn by making your quad pivot around it. Although this technique works best with light, powerful sport quads, it can be used with utility ATV’s as well. Enter the corner wide and fast instead of slowing down or coasting through. When you get to a point in the corner that you hit a spot where you can turn your quad in the direction you want to go, turn your wheels in that direction, hit the front brake hard, and open the throttle. When done properly, this will momentarily cause your rear tires to lose traction and spin your back end around. When you have turned your quad far enough, simply release the brake and keep on the gas. You may fishtail as you finish this maneuver, but steering into the skid will keep you going where you want to go. The result is your quad turning quickly around an obstacle without losing much speed. Making your back wheels lose traction and spin you sideways is the key to this maneuver, so you may get better results if you lean forward and take some weight off the back wheels. This technique is easier accomplished on quads with stiff suspension, low center of gravity, and lots of power on demand. The lack of these characteristics will make this maneuver more dangerous and difficult to do properly, but it can be done if your front brakes can slow you down and you can get your back wheels to break loose.

The key to doing jumps on an ATV is technique and respect for your ride. When done properly, most jumps are relatively safe, but if you bite off more than you can chew, you will get hurt. With this said, easy does it when it comes to learning to get your wheels off the ground. No two jumps are exactly the same, but there is a simple technique for getting air without kissing the handlebars when you land. The length and steepness of the jump will play a large role in how fast you want to be going when you hit a jump, but be conservative on the first couple passes and that will tell you what kind of jump you’re dealing with. Sometimes a jump will have a lip on it that will do unexpected things to your quad, so be prepared. On your first pass, you will want to approach the end of your ramp(whatever it may be) with enough speed that you feel you would get a little bit of lift if you just held the throttle steady all the way through. However, just before you reach the end of the ramp, let off the gas momentarily, but then quickly give it as much gas as possible. This accomplishes two things: first, the burst of power right before you leave the ground launches you into the air; second, it causes your front end to shoot up into the air, much like doing a wheelie. By entering a jump with this posture, your back tires should hit the ground first, ensuring that you and your quad don’t do a swan dive into the ground. When you are airborne, let off of the throttle so that your quad doesn’t over rev while to wheels can spin freely. After your first successful pass, you will know a lot about that particular ramp and what your ATV is likely to do when you jump it. Using this information, you can get an idea of the best speed to hit the ramp at and how much throttle to give it before you leave the ground. For many ramps, especially those that are short and have a sharp angle (like the edges of dried out ponds), first gear may be plenty of speed and power, and if the ramp is too steep, trying your approach in second gear could be painful.

Anytime you ride an ATV you should exercise caution, especially when riding in a new area or trying new techniques. Modern ATVs are extremely powerful and can get out of control quickly if you do not respect their power. When trying any new techniques, take it easy and master it at low speeds. Although something may look simple, every quad handles differently and will react to obstacles and maneuvers differently. Trying to do things that are beyond your skills or your ATV’s handling capabilities can be disastrous and keep you from riding again for a very long time.

The American West was founded on dreams and the pioneer spirit. “Go West young man!” was the battle cry of thousands of individuals looking for adventure and a fresh start. In time, the way west had been criss-crossed by dozens of trails and passages to reach the Pacific Coast. In time, those trails would become a means for commerce as well as leisure travel and the means of transportation would be as varied as the people that used the trails.

The same spirit lives on today in the American West. People sitting around campfires still have dreams and the drive to see them happen. One such group of people is the founders of the Great Western Trail. The GWT isn’t a route for a modern day cattle drive, the Great Western Trail is an idea in the making for a multi-purpose outdoor vehicle trail that runs from Canada to Mexico. The trail won’t just be for ATV and dirt bikes, the goal is to make the GWT available to hikers, horseback riders, skiers, snowmobilers and many other outdoor enthusiasts.

Putting together a trail of this magnitude is going to take a lot of work and forethought. You can imagine all the precautions and planning that needs to be in place for these motorized and non-motorized trails to work together. Overall the “trail” will most likely be a collection of trails running parallel to one another. You can’t have a horse and an ATV running on the same trail without some obvious safety issues. There are also some areas that motorized vehicles will not be allowed to go, but a horse or a hiker would.

The GWT started back in 1985 and so far there are several hundred miles in Utah and Arizona. Like the Eastern and Western railroads of the old west, the goal is to have both the Northern and Southern sections of the trail meet in the middle, completing a way from Canada to Mexico. Portions of the route are already created and when the whole trail is finished it will cover a total of 4,455 miles through Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. Much of this route is mapped out over some of the most beautiful scenery the United States has to offer. The landscape of the American West is gorgeous enough from a car or the back of a motorcycle, but riding through miles of Arizona desert or the stunning Utah rock formations on an ATV can be downright spectacular.

The builders of the GWT hope to utilize trails and roads already existing along the route. By doing this it cuts down on any new construction that needs to be done. The Great Western Trail is also making use of much of the public lands along the way, especially the land deep in the center of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The trail will also utilize a few National Forests such as Bitterroot and Salmon National Forests and a portion that follows the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. Still other sections of the trail will wind along the western portion of Yellowstone National Park.

Eventually when the trail is finished, you will be able to spend a week or so riding the trail and have the ATV trail riding experience of a lifetime.

The battle for supremacy between two stroke and four stroke quads is likely to rage on forever, except for outside factors that may end this age old debate; it is very likely that upcoming legislation could end production of two stroke engines, making it impossible to get a new two stroke quad. So if you’ve ever considered getting a two stroke quad, the clock is ticking.

Mechanically the difference between a two stroke and four stroke lies in how often the spark plugs fire. In a two stroke, it fires once with every revolution of the cam, while a four stroke only fires the plugs every other revolution of the cam. With everything being equal, a two stroke will have twice as many combustions as a four stroke, which causes it to produce much more energy with the same size engine. While this may make a two stroke sound like an obvious choice, there are several drawbacks to the design and performance characteristics of two stroke ATV engines.

The extra energy and heat produced by a two stroke requires oil to be added to the gas to keep the engine properly lubricated. Because oil is put in the combustion chamber, two stroke engines smoke a lot, which is the reason for the imminent ban on them. One side effect of the impressive power that two stroke engines produce is that the top end of the engine must be rebuilt somewhat frequently, depending on how hard the engine is pushed. Although the rebuild is not terribly expensive, it must be done periodically to avoid rebuilding the entire engine.

For many riders the constant maintenance is worth the performance they get out of their two stroke engine, but the accessibility of this power may be prohibitive for some riders, riding styles, and terrain. In order to tap into the power of a two stroke engine, you have to keep the throttle close to wide open to stay in the power band. Although some models are better than others, some stock two strokes lack real power on the low or midrange. In the hands of an experienced rider, a two stroke is an amazing machine, but in certain scenarios, you can lose all your power by making a necessary up shift or slowing down without a hard down shift. However, their explosive power makes two strokes the engine of choice for many racers, especially in racing disciplines that require frequent jumps and quick acceleration out of turns, such as Motocross.

As far as typically maintenance, most four stroke quads require relatively little attention. Spark plugs and oil changes are always necessary, but you do not need to rebuild the engine on a regular basis. However, many riders complain of the high cost of rebuilding four stroke engines when necessary, but a four stroke engine should hold up longer than a two stroke if it is rode properly. If you keep a four stroke high in the rpm range all the time, you are asking for trouble. Although four strokes do not possess the characteristic break-away acceleration of a two stroke engine, they have access to power through a larger rpm range, which eliminates the need to have the throttle wide open all the time. Access to power in the low and midrange allows for a much more leisurely riding experience, or the ability to dive into deep mud and come out the other side. Because a four stroke has power on the low end, it has a much easier time freeing itself from deep mud, while a two stroke is usually doomed if it comes to a stop in mud. Four strokes, in many cases, have a higher top speed than two strokes, but will take much longer to get to their top speed. Four strokes have improved a lot over the years, with some many dominant racing quads being propelled by four stroke engines. However, the Honda 250R, a classic two-stroke quad, is still taking podium spots over ten years after it began production.

For the most part, two stroke engines are better suited for light sport quads and four strokes, which produce most of their power on the low end, are more suited for heavier quads made for mud, rocks, and work applications. The debate between two stroke and four stroke engines is not likely to end soon, but production of two stroke engines may. If you prefer high speed, airborne, adrenaline heavy riding and you don’t mind spending some time turning a wrench, you may want to get your hand on a two stroke quad while you still can.

Next time you hear about a great riding spot, you might want to ask a few questions before you pack up to go ride there. Although all ATV’s are designed for fun, they aren’t all set up for having fun on the same terrain, and a trail that is great for some people might be a complete bore or be impassable for others.

Twenty years ago most ATV’s were fairly similar. Three wheels were a lot more common than four, and they all had a utilitarian feel to them. Today there is a huge variety of ATV’s that are specifically designed to meet the needs of nearly any rider. Most ATV’s have become very specialized and are designed for mud, rocks, work, or just plain speed. However, because ATV’s are so specialized, certain trails are much more suited to different types of ATV’s. ATV’s fall into two categories, sport and utility, and each type of ATV performs extremely well in a certain conditions.

For rock crawling and other extremely rough terrain, a large four wheel drive utility quad is the best, but skid plates are highly recommended. Four wheel drive is crucial for rock crawls since it’s not uncommon to get a front or back wheel off the ground in order to get from one rock to another. Although it is possible to prod a two wheel drive sport bike over some crazy rocks, you’d better take the right line through the rocks the first time since most sport bikes don’t have a reverse. The suspension setups in sport bikes also make them much more difficult to get across big rocks; this is because the suspension is much more rigid, and many of them lack independent suspension. In many utility quads, it seems like the tires reach down and grab the rocks.

When it comes to mud pits, the utility quads, especially those with four wheel drive are right at home. The extra weight of these monsters, along with locking differentials, let the tires sling anything out of the way that it can’t grab onto. Sport bikes can be plenty of fun in the mud, but they are not the first choice for deep mud holes. Anytime you are crossing mud, speed is your friend, especially if you’re on a sport bike designed for speed and acceleration, not the low end torque need to push through a wall of mud and water. However, stopping any quad in the middle of a mud pit, four wheel drive or not, can mean getting out the tow cable or winch.

Another unexpected trail obstacle that can mean trouble is sand, especially the type of sand that is found close to creek beds. Typically you can get some decent traction on dunes, but unpacked sand is a problem for most quads, unless handled properly. In loose sand, a sport bike has the advantage over heavy utility quad. A sport bike’s light weight allows it to keep moving over sand, while most utility bikes are designed to dig deeper into terrain to get traction. Regardless of what kind of quad you have, speed is the best way to overcome sand without getting stuck.

The biggest issue that comes up when talking about great riding trails is what makes that trail great. Some people will say that mostly level trails with a few hills and ditches are great riding; they just want to get away from everything and enjoy the great outdoors for a few hours. Although there are many people that enjoy this type of ATV ride, it just won’t cut it if you’re in the mood to sling some mud, catch some air, or crawl up bluffs. Whatever kind of riding you enjoy, you might be very disappointed if you unload at a spot and find that the terrain brings out your quad’s weaknesses instead of its strengths.

Whether you are a veteran of the ATV trail or a novice rider itching to explore the great outdoors on your four-wheeler, you need to bring with you more than a little good sense and safety precautions. Without a significant amount of awareness when it comes to protecting yourself and your ATV, you could wind up injured, lost, or otherwise in bad shape.

First, it’s essential that you bring a helmet with you. In many places, it’s the law. Of course, there might not be other people for a hundred miles except you and your riding companions, so your initial thought process might suggest the opposite. Unless you’re a top-notch prognosticator or have access to a 100% accurate crystal ball, that kind of thinking is as risky as gambling on a horse with a lame leg. It is always better to err on the side of caution and wear a protective helmet when you ride on the ATV trail.

Next, remember the adage, “Drinking and driving don’t mix”? It goes for ATVs as well as automobiles, motorcycles, and boats. Even one beer has the ability to render you in a state of slowed responsiveness… and that means that a wrong turn could be the last one you ever make. Save the alcoholic beverages for the celebratory dinner or party the night after a long day of ATV trail cruising.

Make sure you consider using the “buddy system”. Though there are plenty of ATV enthusiasts who head out into the mountains with nary a friend save their trusty four-wheeled playmates, it is typically not a good idea. The thinking behind this safety precaution is a reasonable one: if anything happens to you on the ATV trail, having someone else there will speed up the process of getting you to a medical facility.

Of course, it’s imperative that you have your cell phone on you for your ATV rides, though you cannot always rely on it unless you have a good connection rate. Without a cellular phone, you could find yourself off a trail in no time and without a clue as to how to get in contact with anyone reliable to help you out.

If you’re exploring a new ATV trail, bring along an updated map of the area. In fact, you might want to get a couple of them and make sure both you and your riding buddies each have one. Sure, it’s not supposed to be cool to say, “Let’s look at the map,” but it’s a lot better than shivering along a remote ATV trail at midnight, wondering how in the world you will make it back.

It’s also important that you turn on the local weather station by the use of the radio or a television before taking a four-wheeler spin. Though most ATVs are built to handle some tricky conditions, it’s best to know what kind of elements you’re likely to encounter. That way you can dress appropriately, bring along suitable gear or leave the ATV riding for another day if conditions look especially dicey.

Finally, one of the most important safety precautions is to ensure that the operator of the ATV is healthy enough to navigate through the trail. If you’re feeling at all ill or have a physical injury that could prevent you from being a dependable driver, you may need to head out another time. There is no shame in postponing an ATV ride if you’re under-the-weather. And, besides, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to enjoy the experience to its fullest if you’re coughing, achy, or in pain.

By being prudent, you can ensure that your next ATV trail adventure is exciting, rewarding, and, most of all, safe.

What do you think of when you hear “Las Vegas”? Slot machines, casinos, showgirls, money, glitz, spectacular shows and some of the best buffets in the States, right? What very few people realize is that southern Nevada has some of the best outdoor activities in the south western United States. Lake Meade National Park not only offers a great tour of the Hoover Dam, but Lake Meade is a hot spot for boating, water skiing, jet skiing, fishing and even some scuba diving. The roads that wind around the lake are frequented by motorcyclists and bicyclists, runners and walkers. If you go far enough into Lake Meade National Park you run into the Valley of Fire, a park named for it’s spectacular fiery red rocks and stunning landscape. On the west end of Las Vegas is Red Rock Canyon, more spectacular landscaping for horseback riding, hiking, camping, rock climbing, biking and motorcycling.

And let’s not forget the trails for the ATV crowd. In Las Vegas there are two major areas where the locals go to ride. The first one is about a half hour outside of Las Vegas at the north end of the strip just past Nellis Air Force Base. There are two ways you can reach the Nellis Dunes. You can either follow Las Vegas Boulevard (aka The Las Vegas Strip) to the north and past the Las Vegas Speedway until you get to the end of it or you can take the I-15 to the Apex exit and turn right. You can’t miss the Dunes on this lonely stretch of road. If you came off the I-15 the Dunes will be immediately on your left, in fact, you will be able to see them from the exit ramp. Every weekend there are trailers and RVs parked up on the Dunes. You can watch kids and adults riding the trails on ATV’s and dirt bikes from the road.

If you follow the Boulevard south as far as it will go, you will find yourself paralleling the I-15 going towards California. This stretch of road will take you to the Jean Dry Lake Beds. The area here is also wide open desert with plenty of space for ATV trail riding and should take only twenty to thirty minutes from the Strip.

Venturing outside of Las Vegas you can find another ATV hotspot, the El Dorado Dry Lake Valley Area. Take US 95 or the Boulder Highway south towards Searchlight. Seven miles after the Railroad Pass Casino before you reach Searchlight you’ll find the trails. And finally off of US 93 is the Logandale Trails System.

An inexperienced rider or first time visitor to Las Vegas might want to consider hiring a trail guide. Most of these trails are unmarked and difficult to follow if you aren’t familiar with the area. A guide will also be able to help you over the rougher patches of trail. All ATV outfitters in Las Vegas offer training on the ATV to make sure that you understand how to operate the vehicle. Off road vehicles in Nevada are usually don’t require registration, license or titles to drive, but drivers under the age of 15 require adult supervision and everyone needs to wear a helmet. Headlights are also required to be on from dusk to dawn. Another safety precaution is having a brightly colored flag attached to your ATV while riding the trails so that other riders can see you. Do not ride your ATV on the roads or highways either; trailer your vehicle to the site and stick to the trails. Above all else, do not operate your ATV or any other motorized vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Could what you put in the ATV operator really make a difference on the ATV trail? Absolutely; after all, you wouldn’t fill up your four-wheeler’s tank with maple syrup and potato chips. Filling up your own “tank” with garbage is just as likely to result in a negative outcome such as fatigue, gastrointestinal upset or distracting hunger pangs early on during a long ride.

Want to know the secret to a long and happy ATV trail excursion? It’s replacing all those sodas and juice bottles with clear and cool water. Though many ATV drivers swear by sports drinks, they might deliver too much sugar into your system. Though sports and energy drinks are coveted by athletes who are exerting tremendous amounts of energy, you’re better off imbibing clear, pure and unflavored H2O.

What better food stuff than a handful of trail mix to go along with your thirst-quenching bottle of water? Before you start munching on the various trail mixes available on the market, take heed. Many of those so-called “healthy” snacks are loaded with trans-fats, unnecessary sodium, and far too much sugar. Instead of trying to sort through all the supermarket options, why not make your own? In a large plastic bag, throw in a cupful of a high fiber cereal, a half a cupful of nuts, a half a cupful of unsweetened dried fruits (such as cranberries, apricots, or raisins), and, if you must have something sweet, a modest sprinkling of semi-sweet baking chocolate chips. Shake the bag and share with your ATV trail buddies.

Though many of the energy bars on the market are woefully lacking in basic nutrition, there are some which are hearty enough to eat as a meal substitute. If you’re going to be out on your ATV all day, you can replace lunch with one of these power-packed energy bars. Just make sure that your choice has at least 250-350 calories and a whopping dose of fiber. Watch out for energy bars that are all carbohydrates; try to find one that balances carbs with protein. Try to avoid any that are made by popular candy makers because they usually contain way too high a proportion of sweetener.

One of the most underappreciated fruits is the lovely yellow banana, a tropical delight that packs a nutritional punch. Though a medium banana is only about 100 calories, it is loaded with potassium and has reputedly therapeutic benefits. If you can stow a few of these edible golden treasures in a place where they won’t get squashed during your ATV trail excursion, you’ll be able to benefit from their natural wealth of nourishment.

Never forget that the more planning you put into your ATV exploration, the more you’ll get out of the experience. That includes the type, amount, and quality of foods you bring with you on your next ATV journey.

Although certain kinds of ATVs are setup for pushing through deep mud, the technique for getting to the other side remains the same. When crossing obstacles like mud, the biggest risk is getting stuck, which means coming to a stop. Because of this, speed is your friend, although you can hit a mud hole too quickly. However, hitting the mud with speed will usually give you the momentum to slide over the mud hole and out the other side even if your tires won’t grip much. In some cases, you may want to keep at least one tire on solid terrain, if possible, so that your quad has something it can grip. You can do this by straddling the ruts and staying on the high ground, or by leaving one tire out of the mud. However, if the mud hole is too deep, you may tip your ATV over into the mud.

Some say that you should stand on your pegs when entering a mud pit so that you are more ready to respond to the uneven terrain. However, keep in mind that you may meet a lot of resistance when you hit the mud, causing you to come to a near-stop very abruptly. If you are standing when this happens, you might go for a dive in the mud. Although standing up may work for some people, you need to be comfortable and balanced enough to be prepared to unseen rocks and roots in the mud, as well as the possibility of a nose dive, or suddenly catching traction with the throttle wide open.

One mistake that many new riders make is giving their ATV too much gas once they start to lose traction. Once the mud starts to fly, more gas is not always the solution, since flying mud means that your tires aren’t gripping anything solid. Sometimes a tire that is spinning a little slower will grab onto something that it would just grind against with more throttle. This is especially true if you come to a complete stop in the mud. When getting your quad moving again, easy does it, since too much gas means nothing but slinging mud. However, to get out of most spots after coming to a stop, some wheel spin is necessary, but more wheel speed usually doesn’t mean more traction.

When you get into the mud, keep in mind that the tires with the most weight over them will be the most likely to get traction. So, if your quad is two wheel drive, you will want to keep some of your weight over the back axle, which will drive those rear tires through the slippery mud on the surface and down to something it can grab. Shifting your weight side to side can also help one of your tires get the traction it needs to pull you out of the mud.

Four wheel drive makes short work of a lot of mud that gives two wheel drive quads a lot of trouble, but four wheel drive is by no means an end-all solution for deep mud. Some mud pits may be entirely too deep for a stock setup, and a snorkel kit and exhaust extension may be needed just to ensure that your engine doesn’t suck in a bunch of mud and debris. For mud this extreme, four wheel drive is a necessity, and a set of aftermarket tires with a more aggressive pattern will also help pull you out of the mud.

No matter what kind of ATV you take through the mud, keep in mind that you may only have one shot at getting through without getting a tow. The more you know about the particular mud hole, the better, but an experienced rider can tell a lot about a mud pit by its looks and how soft the rest of the trail is. However, a hole you can get through one day may swallow your quad after a good rain or may change drastically after other people have ridden through. The key to conquering mud is keeping cool and having several ways to get your tires to grip instead of slip.

At first glance, it’s easy to tell Utility and Sport ATV’s apart, and many people will eliminate one class of these quads solely on appearance. However, other than size, there are some important differences between Utility and Sport quads that you might want to take into consideration if you are looking for a new ATV, or the next time you go riding.

If you’re looking to do some work, or take a quad deep into uncharted wilderness, a Utility ATV with a winch is probably the best choice for you. Although Utilities are perhaps not as extreme as a Sport quad on level ground, Utility quads can crawl over or through terrain and mud that would swallow a Sport quad alive. Although the additional size, weight, and low end torque, not to mention the optional four wheel drive, give utility quads a huge edge in dicey terrain, there are many other features that allow a Utility get through the really rough stuff. Many Utilities have a locking differential to climb out of deep mud holes and other situations where traction is a problem. The differential will either make all the wheels turn at the same speed or shift torque to the wheels that aren’t slipping. Most Utility quads also have independent suspension on all four wheels, allowing it to keep in contact with the ground and keep you in control no matter where you’re at. In most utilities, the suspension is tuned to give a soft and predictable ride that insulates riders from bumps in the trail. These features draw many people to Utility quads, especially if they plan on using it for hunting or work around the farm. However, many people overlook Sport quads, even though they may be more suited for their riding style.

If you want to have the power and performance to simply pull away from your buddies on the trail, or carve a corner like you never thought possible, you should try a sport quad. Sport quads are engineered for quick acceleration and bursts of speed. Sport quads are designed to be run hard for optimal performance, and can stand up to hours of high-speed riding. The gearing is aggressive and the suspension is stiff for digging into corners, which is one of the complaints that many people have about Sport quads. However, you can adjust the tension and range of your suspension to give you a stiffer or softer ride, but if you soften the ride you will inevitably get more body lean and less performance. One factor not to be overlooked is the ease of getting a Sport ATV airborne and landing it gracefully. Some people can land jumps that put them over 100 feet in the air or do a back flip with small and maneuverable Sport ATVs. Although you may not feel up to flipping an ATV under any circumstances, hitting jumps is a lot of fun once you get comfortable.

Utility quads were originally designed to be worked, but recent years have seen Utilities get a lot sportier and more suited to recreational riding. Sport quads are also getting more user friendly, which gives them more appeal. Although each category of ATV has its advantages and disadvantages, in 2006 Yamaha made a very successful attempt at bridging the gap between Sport and Utility ATV with their 450 Wolverine, which combines the best features of both classes of ATVs. It is a light ATV with sport-like handling, but it has four-wheel drive and is balanced for high speed performance, but has the comfort and low-end power for rough terrain.

Essentially, Utility and Sport quads have different angles on how to have fun off-road. Sport bikes are designed for all-out speed and handling, while utilities seem like a Cadillac in comparison-they’re bigger, heavier, slower, but much more comfortable to ride. The type of ATV that is best for you will depend on your riding style, and how far you want to push you quad and what kind of obstacles you want to use to test the limits of your quad. However, with the popularity of Yahama’s Wolverine, you can expect to see several crossover ATV’s in the next couple years.

ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) were first developed during the 1950s. The earliest models had six wheels instead of the four that riders are now familiar with. Honda was the first company to make the 3-wheel ATV in 1970. These were famously displayed in the James Bond film, ‘Diamonds Are Forever.’ Originally called the US90, the ATV was purely for fun, made with very large balloon tires instead of the mechanical suspension and smaller tires eventually introduced in the early 1980s.  

One of the most important versions of the ATV was the 1982 Honda ATC200E Big Red. It was a landmark model in that it featured suspension and racks. This made it the first utility three-wheeled ATV available on the market. It was popular due to its ability to go anywhere on any type of terrain. The fact that it could go over types of terrain that most other vehicles could not eventually made it very popular with hunters in both the US and Canadian. It was also very appealing to those who were looking for nothing more than an exciting ride on the trails.  

Soon Honda broke new ground by developing sport models. Honda seemed to have a virtual monopoly on the market, due to its patents on design and engine placement. The 1981 ATC250R was important because it was the first high-performance three-wheeler, featuring full suspension, a 248-cubic-centimetre two-stroke motor, a five-speed transmission with a manual clutch and a front disc brake. For those who enjoyed the sporting trail, the 1983 ATC200X was another in a series of landmark machines. It was developed with an easy-to-handle 192-cubic-centimetre four-stroke. This simple design was seemingly perfect for new participants in the sport. 

Honda soon found itself competing with Suzuki. Suzuki led the industry in the development of 4-wheeled ATVs. It sold the first 4-wheeled ATV, the 1983 QuadRunner LT125, used primarily as a recreational machine for those who were just beginning to ride ATVs. In 1985, Suzuki stepped up their game when they introduced the first high-performance 4-wheel ATV, the Suzuki LT250R QuadRacer. This ATV was in production from 1985-1992, during which time it underwent three major engineering makeovers. This vehicle became the ATV known as designed primarily for racing by highly skilled riders.  

Honda then responded a year later with the FourTrax TRX250R. This ATV has never been replicated.
Kawasaki joined the battle to develop better ATVs when they introduced their Tecate-4 250. In 1987, Yamaha introduced a different type of high-performance machine – the Banshee 350. The Banshee 350 featured a twin-cylinder two-stroke motor from the RD350LC street motorcycle. This ATV was heavier and more difficult to ride in the dirt than the 250s .It soon became a favorite with riders who preferred the sand dunes. The Banshee is still a hugely popular machine, but 2006 was the last year it was available in the U.S. Riders will be able to pick up a 2007 model in Canada, however. 

ATVs were first introduced to the buying public in the 1970s. They immediately caught on with those who were interested in doing something different outdoors. Original versions featured much larger tires and were offered in both 3-wheeled and 4-wheeled models. Soon, though, the 3-wheeled models of the ATV were prohibited, as they gained a reputation for being too dangerous. ATVs have since undergone a number of cosmetic and mechanical changes. Companies such as Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha have developed a number of models that serve ATV riders of all tastes and interests.

You have already taken the time to choose the right ATV for you or a family member. You did your research, maybe test drove a few to make sure the vehicle had the right “fit” and found one that matched both your budget and your personal sense of style. Your shopping isn’t over yet. Along with having the right ATV for either the trails or working out in the field, you’re going to need the proper safety gear to go along with it. Gloves, jackets, pants and boots are definitely on the list, but the most important piece of safety gear you will own will be your helmet.

How do you go about finding a helmet that fits properly? How tight is too tight? How loose is too loose? Are all helmets the same? Starting with the last question, not all helmets are the same. You want to get a helmet specifically designed for use on a vehicle like an ATV or a dirt bike. You don’t want to get a helmet that someone might use on a regular street motorcycle. Most ATV helmets cover your head completely and have a face guard that extends over the mouth. When you first put the helmet on it might feel tight because of all the padding inside. If you can slip the helmet over your head without it feeling snug, then you know that it’s too big. Try shaking your head side to side and going through as many movements as you can to see if the helmet shifts or slides when you move. Also try to decide how heavy the helmet feels. Does it feel cumbersome? Do you think you would be able to wear it for longer than 15 minutes without getting tired of it?

The second thing to look for is how easily the helmet comes off. If you’re in an accident or get thrown from your ATV, you don’t want your headgear to go flying off in one direction and you in another, which totally defeats the purpose of having a helmet. Now that you’ve got the helmet on, adjust the chinstrap and cinch it tight under your chin. Grab the helmet from the back and try to take it off by pushing it to the front. Does the helmet slip down over your eyes and come off? Now try moving the helmet side to side. If you can feel your skin shifting with the helmet and the foam padding then you know you have a good, solid fit.

Women have one more thing to consider when they go to look for a helmet. The way a woman wears her hair on the trail will make a big difference in what size helmet she gets. If she has short hair that won’t need to be braided or tied up, then there’s no problem. If every time she goes riding she French braids her hair or tucks it up under the helmet, then she might need to go with a larger size than she would if she didn’t put her hair up. The hair takes up extra space and if you don’t account for that your helmet won’t be the right size.

Children’s helmets are another issue. So many parents are very money minded when it comes to getting clothing and gear for their kids that they might be tempted to get a helmet a size larger for the child to “grow into”. Unfortunately you can’t cut corners when it comes to buying a helmet. It has to fit snuggly with no exceptions. As mentioned before, a helmet that is too large is as dangerous as having no helmet at all.

For whatever reason, the ATV bug has bitten you. You’ve seen them on television or maybe you have a couple of friends that already go riding on the trails. Day in and day out, in all kinds of weather and in every season, people are enjoying recreational ATV trail riding.
But when you’re new to this activity, where to begin? What needs consideration before making a major purchase of an ATV? Do you need to take a driver’s test or a safety course? Do you want the ATV for recreation or for work? Are you thinking about competitive racing?
Finally, how much is this whole venture going to cost? 

The first thing you need to do is take a trip down to your local ATV dealership. Not only will you be able to look at and try out different models, but you can talk to the dealer for information as well. Don’t be intimidated about asking questions; salespeople are there to help – and also to make a sale. If you don’t like the service at one dealership, visit another.

A good idea is to try to rent a particular model before you buy. Renting an ATV for a weekend is a smart thing to do if you plan on having a child as a passenger on your ATV. So many times, a child will want to try a new hobby only to discover they don’t like it on the first day. There are some adults like that also, so if you’re unsure whether or not an ATV is for you, then do try renting one first for a test run before you sign the final papers to purchase. 

Currently, there are two types of ATVs on the market: Sport and utility. Some ATV models claim to be hybrids of the sport and the utility models. The utility ATV will have racks on the front and rear of the vehicle, while a sport model will have no racks. A hybrid model might have a rear rack only. The type of ATV best for a hunting, fishing, or camping trip would be a utility ATV. Those activities involve hauling a lot of stuff in and out of the bush, and you will need front and rear racks. Sport ATVs are for trail riding or racing and will usually have more speed available, as well as bright colors for high visibility on the trails. 

Engine type is also another consideration. Two stroke engines have a system where they lubricate themselves by burning fuel. There is a specific gas-to-oil ratio mix used in order for the vehicle to run properly. A few models require that the oil reservoir be refilled every five or six tanks of gas. Noise is also a major drawback, a by-product of higher RPMs.  Two-stroke engines are fading from popularity as technology improves, and more people lean towards the clean-burning four-stroke engine. Four stroke engines are quieter and are more fuel efficient than their two-stroke counterparts.

The automatic clutch is another feature that might cause some confusion. An automatic clutch requires putting the ATV into the appropriate gear when the engine hits the corresponding RPM for that gear. An automatic clutch does not mean an automatic transmission. Models with an automatic clutch will not have a foot peg for shifting; instead, there is a shifter for your left thumb on the handlebar. An ATV with automatic transmission has its drawbacks as well, as in order to have the machine engage the auto transmission, the driver must maintain a certain number of RPMs. This can be a problem when climbing steep, rocky terrain. 

Another question is whether you need two-wheel or four-wheel drive, otherwise known as “two by two” or “four by four”. A two-wheeled drive vehicle has the rear wheels do all the work and push the vehicle along, whereas a four-wheel drive employs all four wheels to provide better traction. Four-wheel drives do cost more, but are good for extra traction in particularly tough terrain. Newer machines on the market will allow for “on-the-fly” four-wheel drive, where the four-wheel drive is engaged as needed.

Finally, there is the choice of a drive shaft, chain, or belt drive. All three methods of drive are good ones, but an enclosed drive shaft seems to make better sense for various types of terrain. With a chain or a belt drive, there is always the risk of snapping the chain or the belt while out on the trails, and then you might have to do some emergency repairs. In the end, the shaft drive will pay for itself with lower maintenance.

Not all of us can afford a brand new 2007 ATV with all the bells and whistles. As with cars or motorcycles or any large vehicle for recreation or pleasure, we sometimes have to start out with buying second hand. Of course there’s nothing wrong with purchasing a used car, bike or ATV. If you are going to buy used, you have to know what to look for, especially with a vehicle such as an ATV where you know that there is a chance the previous owner might have given the ATV some serious abuse on the trails. Before you begin to cruise the classifieds you have a couple of decisions to make. Who is the ATV for? An ATV for an adult is made differently than one made for a child. Do you want the ATV for purely recreational purposes? Do you want to race or just enjoy some leisurely off-roading with your family? Do you want to use the ATV as a utility vehicle?

The best place to start if you have never purchased an ATV before would be at a local dealership. You may not be able to afford one off the showroom floor, but you can still go look and pick the dealer’s brain for information. At the dealership you can ‘test’ the different classes of ATVs. Sit on a few to see how they fit, each ATV will be different and you might find that some are more comfortable than others. Even though you are trying newer models, there really won’t be too much of a difference between them and the older versions.

After getting all the information you can from the dealership, you will have some idea of what make and model you will be looking for in a used ATV. While you’re at the dealership also check to see if they have a bulletin board for other ATV resources. Sometimes if you contact a club or other organization they may be able to put you in touch with people who have ATV’s to sell. Classified ads and specialized classified magazines like you see for cars or motorcycles will also be a valuable resource. And of course the number one source for finding used vehicles is the internet. Places like eBay will no doubt have a lot to offer, the only problem with that is, unless the seller is in your area, you have no way to view the ATV up close.

When you find the ATV you want to purchase, definitely go to check it out personally. When you see the ATV for the first time, make note of the condition of the plastic on the fenders. The overall outward appearance of the ATV will give you a pretty good clue as to how hard the previous owner treated the vehicle. If the fenders or other plastic parts are cracked and ruined you can bet that you’re going to have to replace them and replacement parts and accessories are expensive. You have to decide how much you are willing to invest in refurbishing the ATV if parts do need replacing. Check the condition of the seat for any rips or tears. Again, a ripped seat isn’t a big deal and is totally replaceable, but do you want to spend the extra money to do that?

The next part of the inspection will take some work. You will want to lift the front end of the ATV up to inspect the undercarriage. With the ATV lifted, closely inspect the frame for any damage. Make sure there are no cracks or dents in the frame or any of the connecting welds Note any areas that might have rust and check them for cracks too. Check the handlebars for any loose play and do the same to each wheel. Loose wheels could indicate worn wheel bearings or damaged ball joints. Oil, breaks and the air filter and air box should also be checked. Ask the owner if they have any records regarding oil changes and maintenance. Some owners might have an owner’s manual that they can pass on to you. Take the ATV for a test drive too if you can to see how it handles.

Lastly, if a title is required in your state ask the owner if they have the title and if it is clear. Most states require a bill of sale with the VIN (vehicle identification number) on it. Whether your state requires a bill of sale or not, it is always a good idea to have one to protect both you and the former owner incase a dispute crops up. Be aware that in most cases you are buying the ATV “as is”, which means the previous owner is not responsible for any problems you might find with the vehicle after you have purchased it and brought it home.