I took my 2007 Yamaha Raptor 700 quad up to Irvine to attend the ATV Safety course. I have to admit the biggest incentive for me to take the course was the $100.00 incentive offered when I bought the quad if I take the class. I also wanted to get as much experience as I could and get certified for when my sons start really riding.

Going into it I had absolutely no expectations what-so-ever about being bored or not learning anything. In fact, I looked forward to going and getting professional instruction, something I never had before.

The Instructor

Tim Rice was the instructor, he works for Kawasaki. The course is put on by School Of Dirt, I was there almost an hour early, as I had to drive over an hour and a half to get there from San Diego. I unloaded the quad and putted around the area for about 10 minutes to warm up my quad and get used to the terrain.

Tim showed up a about 1/2 hr after me, and while helping him unload and set up chairs, we chatted about motorcycles, riding history, where to ride, etc. I knew right away he was going to be a fun instructor. I'm an ex instructor (for machining and some cad-cam) myself and you can just tell these things. Turned out I was right.

The Class

The class was just about what I expected. We had an (outdoor) classroom section first. We went over all the basic safety stuff. Looked over some of the written material, then got on the quads and, after going over the basics of how to mount and operate the quads, we started taking the driving portion of the class. We stopped occasionally to go over the previous and next set of events.

Everyone there had good experience off-road, and all had at least minimal exposure to quads. With all mature adults, the class moved along quickly. The curricula got more and more advanced, ranging in activities such as using body movements to turn, braking in a turn, etc. We even did a figure 8 with all 4 quads at once, providing exposure to driving around (and avoiding) other traffic.

Then we worked on adverse terrain conditions, riding on inclines etc, and finally did a couple of laps around the big track area to simulate a trail ride.

All in all it was a great class and I absolutely learned from it. I also walked away with some very informative literature that I will be using to help educate my wife and my children with.

I would suggest that anyone and everyone take this course given by the ATV Safety Institute. Even if you're a serious and a seasoned rider like me you should be able to come away with at least something.