ATVs or All Terrain Vehicles are definitely a hit among men, and even among women and kids. How could they be not? Not only are they suited for various purposes, such as leisure or some sort of rugged transportation, they are also efficient in giving you that exciting and comfortable ride that no other vehicle can give.

You might be thinking of buying one and roll into the Great Outdoors. But before you fish for your wallet, make sure you know how check the thing before you cash it out.

Before moving any further, you have to admit upfront that money is really tight these days. From an economical point of things, buying a used ATV seems to be logical. Used ATVs don’t have to mean poor quality vehicles, but still, you have to do some mechanical check before cashing in on one.

If you really want to get your hands on a used but totally working ATV, you just need to follow these tips:

Scan the ATV for rusts. Rusts could mean that the vehicle has been heavily used by its previous owner. if you find rusts inside and outside the gas tank, the shock mount, the A-arm mounts, and the framed intersections, be wary of the bike. You might spend more dollars for the repairs than the price you will pay for the ATV.

Check the wheels. Raise the ATV up and move the wheels in all directions. This will allow you to see if there are loose ball joints and worn-out wheel bearings.

Look for dirt and water in the air box. If it does contain them, it is best that you look for another ATV as presence of these two in the air box can potentially damage the ATV engine.

For 4×4 ATVs, do some inspections on the gear lube and the CV joint boots. Dont purchase the machine if the gear lubes color is chocolate brown and the CV joint boots are not in good condition. Otherwise, you’d spend thousands to repair them overtime.

Lastly, look out for the small yet important areas of the vehicle such as engine, brakes, engine oil, shutoff system, handle bars and the lights. These things better be functional if you are to buy the quad bike.

If the parts are still in good working condition but are already too old, take note of them because they can be a reference point in negotiating the price of your soon-to-be ATV.

• Tips For Taking Your ATV Out For A Recreational Tour
• Three Best ATVs For 2009
• How To Pick Out The Right ATV Tire For Your Machine

If it’s one thing that new owners of ATVs fail to think about when purchasing their off road machines, it’s the tires. They generally begin to think about them when they wear out or when they’re stranded on a trail somewhere after their tire leaves them in a bind. ATV tires aren’t cheap, so picking the right tires for the job becomes a bigger challenge than normal.

Once you find yourself needing new tires, you’ll have to ask yourself what kind of ATV tires do you need. Not all ATV tires are created equal. Picking the wrong type of tires for the type of off-roading you do can leave you with less than ideal performance. Follow the advice below to be sure of getting the best possible tire for your ATV.

If your budget is tight, and who’s isn’t these days, you may want to consider buying used ATV tires. These can generally be found any place that carries used ATV parts. Never settle for a set of tires because they’re the only ones you can afford. If you have to, save up for a better set.

Start off by giving some serious thought about where and how you use your ATV. There are tires designed to do one thing really well – like riding in sand, then there are tires that try and be all things to all riders – which means they won’t excel at one thing very good – like mud bogging. Today, it is easier than ever to get the right ATV tire for your type of riding.

Let’s start with ATV sand tires. These tires are basically slicks with rubber paddles on them. Loose sand is not a problem for these wide slick paddled tires. The paddles scoop the sand as the wheel turns, giving excellent traction. These types of tires excel in all types of sandy terrain, but don’t think you can use them anywhere because you can’t. The front tires on a 2 wheel drive ATV will have smooth tires to aid in steering in soft sand.

If you’re just a casual rider that doesn’t take your four wheeler to extremes, then a general purpose type of tire may be all that you need. These tires perform well under a variety of conditions. Just don’t expect them to handle deep much or deep and loose sand well. For your average ATV owner, they are more than enough for average conditions.

Mud tires for ATVs really catch the attention of most off roaders. These tires have very aggressive tread design and are made to dig out huge amounts of mud and throw them off the tire as it goes around. These tires just look like they could kick anything’s butt and still have some left over. High performance mud tires should be your choice if you ride in deep mud like is found in the Southern Swamps and Midwest bogs. Some even use these aggressive tires for rock climbing, but in my opinion there are better choices for this type of off roading than mud tires.

Sport performance tires are generally used on ATVs that are being raced. They are great for getting traction on hard packed surfaces. They don’t do well in mud, loose sand or on the rocks, but on hard dirt and asphalt, they will outperform other ATV tires. You’ll also notice that the treads are a little smaller and most will resemble an X as you look at it. The overall tire is also a lower profile tire. So they’re not a good choices if you need ground clearance!

Knowing where you’ll be using your ATV is the most critical step in picking the right tire. So before you run out and plunk your money down for any old set of tires, give it a little thought and get the right ones for the job.

• Tips For Taking Your ATV Out For A Recreational Tour
• Kazuma ATV Advice
• How To Spot A Good Used ATV