The objective here is to provide some necessary instruction without adding undue anxiety to the new rider. The idea is the same as for adults- KISS, or Keep It Stupid Simple. The less the rider needs to think about and remember, the better insurance you'll have that the correct reaction will be made for a given situation.

Letting my 6-year old niece have a go at it.

Let's start with the basic controls- the throttle and brake, the only two controls the novice rider need be concerned with in lesson one. Notice I said "brake" not "brakes". Even if the machine has brakes at both ends, the novice rider doesn't need to know that at this point- remember, KISS. Sit the rider down on the quad and let him (or her) hold the handlebars. Most machines have a single lever that applies both front and rear brakes simultaneously. Point this one out and have him pull it. If the machine comes equipped with both a hand brake and foot brake don't even bother showing him the foot brake since some riders may want to look for it while riding. Realistically, don't worry too much about brakes at all for the first lesson since he should be going slow enough to coast to a stop in a few feet.

The other basic control is the throttle. Unless your little quadster has already been teething on an electric toy 4-wheeler the notion of a throttle is going to be totally new. Right from the start make up your mind what you want to call it- gas, throttle, go, whatever, but be consistent. You don't want to be screaming "give it gas", and then a moment later be yelling "let off the throttle!". The little guy just might not make the connection quick enough. Show him the throttle and let him try it with the engine off.

The next step seems to be the hardest concept to convey- the idea of proportional throttle modulation. Most kids just don't quite get the idea that there's something in between idle and wide open. For sure, if the rider has cut his teeth on an electric toy quad with the old "on/off" switch type throttle you'll need to spend a little extra time on this. Explain it in as basic terms as you can: "push it a little to just go slow, and push it a little harder to go faster". Let him try the feel with the engine off. It may even help to start it up and hold the wheels off the ground so he can make an audible connection between what he does with his finger and the resulting engine sound. We as grown-ups take it for granted, but he may realize for himself that harder means louder and later that it means faster (yes, I am talking about engines...).

That's about it for controls. I don't bother even pointing out the kill switch or off button. He's not only going to forget its function or location in a panic situation but it's probably a whole lot safer and effective for him to just pull the brakes as hard as possible and yell for help (you should only be a few feet away). The brakes are substantially more powerful than the engine and the likelihood of a stuck throttle is probably worse than winning the lotto. Should the confused rider be unintentionally goosing the throttle, the action of pulling the brakes should naturally make him release the throttle. To be sure, the engine cut switch can be critical, but save it for lesson two when he's completely comfortable with the basics.

All right, we're just about ready for some riding! Absolutely, and without doubt, a helmet is a must. And not a football or bicycling helmet, but a proper off-road helmet that fits properly. Goggles are not necessary and can even be distracting but over-the-ankle boots are a good idea- I've seen young riders drop a foot to the ground for no good reason only to have it promptly get run over by the rear tire. A word of caution to the rider about keeping his feet on the pegs wouldn't hurt.

Start up the quad, making sure it's properly warmed up. If the throttle has a limiter adjustment turn it down as low as possible to limit top speed keeping in mind it may make it too hard to accelerate from a standstill on even a little hill or when the front wheels are turned. If there's an engine-kill tether, take a hold of it and explain what it's for. It may very well be that peace of mind he was longing for. Sit him or her down on the machine and explain EXACTLY where you want him to ride. A nice wide open field is obviously the perfect place, but set some cones, coolers, milk crates, etc. out there to make an oval track with fairly wide radius turns. Believe me- even though it's a Stupid Simple little oval, it's soon to be the COOLEST oval EVER for the young quadster!

A final bit of instruction is needed- "keep you eyes on where you're going". It never fails, kids want to not only continually seek feedback and approval from you, but they want to see their friends watching them riding. And if at all possible try to keep other riders and children from the immediate area.

Now we're ready to roll. Give him the thumbs up and tell him to slowly give it some gas (or throttle). Follow next to him as he starts to move. It may take several attempts to actually keep going, but after the momentum's up be forewarned- there's going to be some jogging in your future. Run along with him making sure you have a good handhold of the tether. I've tried this technique holding onto the rear grab bar much to the amusement of our audience. Trying to slow down even a 50cc quad by skiing behind it with a pair of size 10 tennis shoes is not as easy or effective as it sounds...

Take a couple laps with him until either you're too winded to keep up or once you're comfortable that he's got the hang of throttle control. Then you can let the tether drag behind- you can always run after him and jump on it to pull it if need be. If you've got others available, it's convenient to put someone at either end of the oval as coachers/catchers. In addition to giving encouragement, offer feedback on speed and body english. Point out the basics like that he's got to slow down for corners and lean to the inside.

Before you know it, even the meekest will be asking for more throttle. Take it a little bit at time. Some of those throttles are pretty sneaky and a tiny bit more throttle can add quite a bit of power. Watch his attitude in the corners making sure he doesn't try to turn too quickly and two-wheel or "high-side". At this point it's all about practice and the more self-confidence he or she can develop the better rider he'll turn out to be. Don't be too anxious to get him going faster, or give in to demands of more speed- the last thing you want is to set back his confidence with a crash, let alone an injury. Besides, mom will have a few less gray hairs to show for it.

Have fun, keep the rubber side down, and stay tuned till next time for lesson two- trail riding.