Your Vehicle; Learning To Operate Your Vehicle - Bennche Bighorn 400 Owner's Manual

7-5

Your Vehicle

LEARNING TO OPERATE YOUR VEHICLE

You should become familiar with the
performance characteristics of the vehicle in
a large, flat area that is free of obstacles and
other vehicles. Practice control of the
accelerator pedal, brakes, steering, and drive
select lever. Drive at slow speed and become
comfortable at that speed before gradually
increasing your speed. Become familiar with
the way the vehicle feels in low and high
ranges, first in two-wheel drive (2WD) and
then in four-wheel drive (4WD) and
four-wheel drive with the differential locked
(DIFF. LOCK). Practice driving in reverse.
Take the time to learn basic operation before
attempting maneuvers that are more difficult.
Perform the Pre-Operation Checks on pages
5-1 - 5-14. Set the parking brake, shift to
neutral, and follow the instructions on page
6-1 to start the engine. Once it has warmed
up and you have turned the choke off, you
are ready to begin driving your vehicle. With
the engine idling, shift the drive select lever
into low or high. Then release the parking
brake. Press the accelerator pedal slowly
and smoothly. The centrifugal clutch will
engage and you will start to accelerate. Avoid
higher speeds until you are thoroughly
familiar with the operation of your vehicle.
When slowing down or stopping, take your
foot off the accelerator pedal and smoothly
press the brake pedal. Improper use of the
brakes can cause the tires to lose traction,
reducing control and increasing the
possibility of an accident.