Tales from the trails
Oct 21, 2001 | 12:45 AM
#1
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(Feel free to add your own tales from the trails here)
The date: Saturday, October 20th, 2001
The place: Red Top ATV Trail system in central Minnesota
Feel free to view the photos of this adventure in my photo album (linked below).
The day was sunny and bright as my brother, son and I set out to explore the Red Top ATV trails. My brother Eric had just picked up his 2002 375 4x4 the day before, and after breaking it in down in the gravel pit by Northfield (Tri County ATV Park), he was eager to give it some real riding.
We parked in Isle, Minnesota and rode to the Red Top trails on using the Soo Line south trail (a converted railroad bed). Coming in on the Northwest Corner, we found a nice big puddle we could splash around in. No real mud, though. Later we came to a junction and had to decide between the Ten Bruin trail and something identified as "Sink Hole." We let Chris (my son) decide. Of course he chose the sink hole.
The sink hole was, well, a sink hole. A nice pit of mud and water surrounded by several trails, also of mud and water. I spent my time on the outskirts, as the central pool was way too big to even THINK about crossing. Enter Eric the rookie, who, at the prompting of my son, proceeded to think about it anyway. Lesson number one, a 375 Arctic Cat doesn't float. Probably took us a half hour of judicious winch use to pull him out of that one. But the machine was in good shape, everything was in order, and we soon continued on our way.
We decided to go back to the junction and ride the Ten Bruin trail. Now at this point I should add that all three of us are ATV rookies, these being our first rides and none of them more than three months old. As such we probable should have known what a "level one" trail was. We still don't know. What we DO know is that it was rocky, twisty, hilly, and a downright BLAST to ride on (my arms are still hurting).
Exiting the Ten Bruin trail there was a shortcut leading out, or the turn on to the Adventure trail. Since we had so much fun on the Ten Bruin, we decided to take the Adventure. This proved to be our downfall. Oh, we were up to it, though it was every bit as difficult as the Ten Bruin. And the Cats were up to it, they both seemed to thrive on this stuph. And my son, who's proven to be an excellent and skillful rider was up to it too. Unfortunately, the Sportsman 90 was NOT up to it.
About halfway in, the chain popped off. I quickly got it back on and he tried again, only to have the chain come off again. We pushed it to level ground, I got the chain on, and then noticed it was lose. Thank goodness for the tool kit. In short order, I had it tightened. He got twenty feet this time before it came off again. This time I spent more time on inspection. It was at this point I noticed the swing arm was broke.
So what do three rookies do when they have a mile or so of tight and twisty trails ahead of them, and then seven miles of dirt road between them and their car after that? Well, lets put the 240+ pound thing on the rear rack of Dad's 400 4x4, put the kid with his uncle on the 375 and just cruise on out, of course!
I'd like to tell you it was as easy as that, but I won't. Oh, we got out that way no problem, but the trail of thrills had become the trail from...err...tha really hot place, and we crawled at a snails pace to get out.
We did see a porcupine, though. (Ok, I know, but it's important to find things to think back on and smile).
Well, we got out slowly but surely and still managed to enjoy the day. The SP90 SHOULD be under warrenty and is going to the dealer on Monday. But it's apparent to me already, this boy needs a bigger machine.
BTW, what IS a "Level One" trail?
The date: Saturday, October 20th, 2001
The place: Red Top ATV Trail system in central Minnesota
Feel free to view the photos of this adventure in my photo album (linked below).
The day was sunny and bright as my brother, son and I set out to explore the Red Top ATV trails. My brother Eric had just picked up his 2002 375 4x4 the day before, and after breaking it in down in the gravel pit by Northfield (Tri County ATV Park), he was eager to give it some real riding.
We parked in Isle, Minnesota and rode to the Red Top trails on using the Soo Line south trail (a converted railroad bed). Coming in on the Northwest Corner, we found a nice big puddle we could splash around in. No real mud, though. Later we came to a junction and had to decide between the Ten Bruin trail and something identified as "Sink Hole." We let Chris (my son) decide. Of course he chose the sink hole.
The sink hole was, well, a sink hole. A nice pit of mud and water surrounded by several trails, also of mud and water. I spent my time on the outskirts, as the central pool was way too big to even THINK about crossing. Enter Eric the rookie, who, at the prompting of my son, proceeded to think about it anyway. Lesson number one, a 375 Arctic Cat doesn't float. Probably took us a half hour of judicious winch use to pull him out of that one. But the machine was in good shape, everything was in order, and we soon continued on our way.
We decided to go back to the junction and ride the Ten Bruin trail. Now at this point I should add that all three of us are ATV rookies, these being our first rides and none of them more than three months old. As such we probable should have known what a "level one" trail was. We still don't know. What we DO know is that it was rocky, twisty, hilly, and a downright BLAST to ride on (my arms are still hurting).
Exiting the Ten Bruin trail there was a shortcut leading out, or the turn on to the Adventure trail. Since we had so much fun on the Ten Bruin, we decided to take the Adventure. This proved to be our downfall. Oh, we were up to it, though it was every bit as difficult as the Ten Bruin. And the Cats were up to it, they both seemed to thrive on this stuph. And my son, who's proven to be an excellent and skillful rider was up to it too. Unfortunately, the Sportsman 90 was NOT up to it.
About halfway in, the chain popped off. I quickly got it back on and he tried again, only to have the chain come off again. We pushed it to level ground, I got the chain on, and then noticed it was lose. Thank goodness for the tool kit. In short order, I had it tightened. He got twenty feet this time before it came off again. This time I spent more time on inspection. It was at this point I noticed the swing arm was broke.
So what do three rookies do when they have a mile or so of tight and twisty trails ahead of them, and then seven miles of dirt road between them and their car after that? Well, lets put the 240+ pound thing on the rear rack of Dad's 400 4x4, put the kid with his uncle on the 375 and just cruise on out, of course!
I'd like to tell you it was as easy as that, but I won't. Oh, we got out that way no problem, but the trail of thrills had become the trail from...err...tha really hot place, and we crawled at a snails pace to get out.
We did see a porcupine, though. (Ok, I know, but it's important to find things to think back on and smile).
Well, we got out slowly but surely and still managed to enjoy the day. The SP90 SHOULD be under warrenty and is going to the dealer on Monday. But it's apparent to me already, this boy needs a bigger machine.
BTW, what IS a "Level One" trail?
Oct 21, 2001 | 01:50 AM
#2
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Joined: Sep 2001
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He needs a bigger machine? How old is he? I am 15 and have an AC 250 and would not recommend it. Maybe for someone about 10 or 11 it would be fine. Maybe you should get him a Recon or a 250ex. I would sell the Sp90 now before you lose too much money if you think it really is too small.
Oct 21, 2001 | 11:14 AM
#3
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He's 11. 5'4" and 110lbs. WAY too big for this 90.
He'll get that new Suzuki Ozark, or a Honda Recon ES, or some similar machine as soon as I can afford it. The SP90 will become the ride of my 8 year old, who won't ride it as agressively (yet).
My 11 year old actually asked about getting an AC 250 at one point, but, though I like the brand and think the 250's a fine machines, I think their just to heavy. I won't move him up to a machine that is over the 400lb mark by any appreciable amount. He needs something large enough and strong enough to get him through the trails, and yet light enough that he can use his body mass to horse it when needed. I don't want to get him a "sport" machine because 1) I want him to have racks, so he can help carry the lighter things on camping trips and 2) I don't want him thinking "Speed" too much (he does enough already!).
The SP90 we've only had for 3 months, and I don't yet feel the need to sell it. I will have to watch more carefully where it's used, however. We simply took it on a trail it was not designed for (though it SHOULD have been, in my opinion).
He'll get that new Suzuki Ozark, or a Honda Recon ES, or some similar machine as soon as I can afford it. The SP90 will become the ride of my 8 year old, who won't ride it as agressively (yet).
My 11 year old actually asked about getting an AC 250 at one point, but, though I like the brand and think the 250's a fine machines, I think their just to heavy. I won't move him up to a machine that is over the 400lb mark by any appreciable amount. He needs something large enough and strong enough to get him through the trails, and yet light enough that he can use his body mass to horse it when needed. I don't want to get him a "sport" machine because 1) I want him to have racks, so he can help carry the lighter things on camping trips and 2) I don't want him thinking "Speed" too much (he does enough already!).
The SP90 we've only had for 3 months, and I don't yet feel the need to sell it. I will have to watch more carefully where it's used, however. We simply took it on a trail it was not designed for (though it SHOULD have been, in my opinion).
Oct 21, 2001 | 01:23 PM
#5
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I am guessing that Level one is the easiest of the off road trails. This trail made us pay attention, but we never really felt pressed too hard. It was fun and tricky. The Cat's never missed a beat, and except for the mishap mentioned, the SP90 managed to make it most of the way with very few snags. He will be getting one of those new Ozark 250's, probably, as soon as I can afford it.
The trail levels for Moab, and 4x4 trucks are listed here. I am assuming from this, and OhioScramblers comments that the ATV trail levels are similar or identical.
The trail levels for Moab, and 4x4 trucks are listed here. I am assuming from this, and OhioScramblers comments that the ATV trail levels are similar or identical.
Oct 22, 2001 | 12:05 AM
#7
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Joined: Jul 2000
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I went riding today with some friends of mine. We went to Seven creeks/Bend Fork Park near Jacobsburg, OH, and found the riding area fenced off so that no one could get into it. So we turned around and went to another nearby riding area called Miller's and seen a guy with a map. He came up to me and asked me what land is being auctioned off. I said, " I don't know anything about an auction." and he showed me a map with parcels plotted out on it and it was Miller's. He said the auction was next saturday in New Philadelphia, OH. We went riding and I darn near flipped my cat with my best friend's girlfriend on the back, it stood straight up but I saved it from going backwards. To top it all off I got a $136 speeding ticket on the way there. Every ATVer in the upper ohio valley now has two less places to ride.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]
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Oct 22, 2001 | 03:05 AM
#8
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Hey Pechmial,
Sounds like an interesting adventure [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] ,
I am very interested in hearing your opinions regarding the two cats
ie the 400 vs 375. I have a 01' 400 4x4 and my father-in-law and I are thinking of getting a second quad for the hunting club. I am really leaning towards the 375 but I would really like to get some feedback especially on the 375. The one major diff I see is the Liquid cooling issue but other than that they seem very comparable. Any input would be appreciated
Keep the rubber side down!
Triston
Sounds like an interesting adventure [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] ,
I am very interested in hearing your opinions regarding the two cats
ie the 400 vs 375. I have a 01' 400 4x4 and my father-in-law and I are thinking of getting a second quad for the hunting club. I am really leaning towards the 375 but I would really like to get some feedback especially on the 375. The one major diff I see is the Liquid cooling issue but other than that they seem very comparable. Any input would be appreciated
Keep the rubber side down!
Triston
Oct 22, 2001 | 08:53 AM
#9
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TDPRPH,
I got the chance to ride my brothers 375 at the local gravel pit on Friday and was genuinely surprised. I thought it would be a VERY similar ride to my 400. Though it looks identical, it's quite a different machine. It feels lighter and sportier. He beat me in a race three consecutive times and he outweighs me by 50 lbs or so (this may have been due to my shifting).
It doesn't feel as powerful as the 400, though. My suspicion is that the 375 is geared higher than the 400. The 400 is (arguably) a better work machine and the 375 is (again arguably) a better trail machine. Either way, you can't go wrong, it all comes down to whether you like to shift or not.
I got the chance to ride my brothers 375 at the local gravel pit on Friday and was genuinely surprised. I thought it would be a VERY similar ride to my 400. Though it looks identical, it's quite a different machine. It feels lighter and sportier. He beat me in a race three consecutive times and he outweighs me by 50 lbs or so (this may have been due to my shifting).
It doesn't feel as powerful as the 400, though. My suspicion is that the 375 is geared higher than the 400. The 400 is (arguably) a better work machine and the 375 is (again arguably) a better trail machine. Either way, you can't go wrong, it all comes down to whether you like to shift or not.