Well I just got back from a 5-hour ride. One of the fellows likes to go as fast as he can and the other three guys went along and went just as fast. They all ended up denting at least one rim. When you're driving on unfamiliar, dusty logging roads at night with the occasional large rock and pothole, how many of you like to drive around 40 miles an hour? I prefer to drive at a speed that I can see what's coming so I do not smash my quad or myself. "Speedy" flipped his bike today when he was going though same mud at full speed, the front wheels hit a big hole and the bike flipped forward, he managed to jump off with out hurting himself.

Am I the only one who thinks this way? I think ones preferred driving style might be age related as well. I am 31 and find it much more enjoyable to drive at a speed that you do not wreck your bike on big rocks and holes. Don't get me wrong I like going fast too, but the conditions have to be right and I need to know the road or trail.

 

KEEP THINKING THE WAY U ARE. JUST BECAUSE OTHERS DON'T CARE ABOUT THEIR MACHINES OR THEIRSELVES IS NO REASON FOR YOU TO BE AS DUMB AS THEY ARE. WHEN YOU GET HURT OR TEAR UP YOUR BIKE THAT TAKES THE FUN OUT OF RIDING. AND HAVING FUN IS WHAT IS ALL ABOUT. STICK TO YOUR GUNS AND RIDE THE WAY U WANT TOO. HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE.

 

Fourtrax:
I'm with ya on that one. Most of my riding is done in 4wd, low range. Usually nothing more than 5 mph tops, though occasionally I do get out on the gravel roads back to camp and open her up to around 45 or so. It's fun every now and then, but for the conditions you describe, dented rims and flipped machines are to be expected. Sounds like your buddy is pretty lucky he's OK, maybe it will slow him down a bit.

Riding any type of terrain or condition should be done at a pace in which you are most comfortable. If that means lagging behind while "speedy gonzalez" takes off in the distance, well, that's just tough. He can stop and wait for ya. Removing yourself from your own "comfort zone" increaces the chance of accidental occurances dramatically. While I will heal from something of this nature, I don't know that I care to take that chance, not to mention damaging my $6000 toy/work/hunting machine.

Ride safe!

Mike

 

It sometimes amazes me,how do these guys ride at these speeds and not get hurt?''LUCKY''

I ride with a group of guys,at times,many of them have NEVER been on this TIGHT/Winding trail before and are running as fast as they can.Just barely without wrecking themselves or their quads.I try and maintain some sense of hope that they wont hit someone else doing the samething from the opposite direction.

When the guys want to DOG a trail like this,I let them go first.This way,they are the ones to receive the injuries from driving this way,[head on collision]not me.I can PREACH to them about safety,but it's usually no use,they're young.It's not hard to get hurt while riding on a tight/winding trail,at high speeds.One would have a hard time reacting to the same situation from the opposite direction.

The older I get [43],the slower I find myself riding.Things dont heel like they used to.Time missed from work is not appealing anymore.I allways try and maintain a speed that is within my reacting time for the trail that im riding.And I like letting others go first.Im more into the SCENERY thing now.

If we happen to get on to a straight,wide open road,I do like to open the big boy up and show my boys who the boss really is.lol====Bill

 

Yeah, kind of makes one wonder why we need UTILITY quads doing 60 plus mph. Thats why i repeatedly say Honda is on the right track setting their top speed limits quit low on their UTILITY quads. To bad some can't figure out there is a place for speed and others for saftey like you, People like you and me are the people whom suffer from others like you mentioned, that are not as careful. Great post Fourtrax350!!!!!!

 

I'm 20, and I own a sport quad, and I like to ride fast. BUT, I always ride at a comfortable fast, not a 'just-barely-on-the-edge-of-not-wrecking' fast. I agree with what you say, it's no fun when you are afraid for your life, haha.

 

Hey Fourtrax350,

Good topic.

I'm not trying to offend anyone, so please don't bash me with all the "I'm young AND responsible" stuff, but I think you are correct with the age thing. My wife and I are now approaching 40, and our riding style sounds like yours, a little more sensible. Goin' fast and pushing the envelope is fine AFTER you have explored the new and unfamiliar area. Even then, commmon sense must prevail. Too bad it's not so common anymore.

All too often I see riders zipping down trails with blind curves, barely missing someone coming the other way, or headed into the creek cossing at 30+ mph not knowing about the fallen tree trunk hiding just below the surface. It's an accident waitng to happen.

Unforunately, it's just this type of behavior that gets our public riding areas closed. Because when they DO get hurt, sems like it's always someone else's fault. Then they try and sue the landowner or the state,....you know the rest of the story.

Didn't mean to be so long winded. My tolerance for stupidity is getting lower and lower all the time.

maxandblade@hotmail.com

 

Fourtrax350, good topic. I'm 34 and ride at about 90% of what I consider my max abilities. I mainly ride the Banshee but the principle still applies as with utility quads. I see people always pushing it at 110% wiping out a lot. I honestly think they do it to be cool, not because they enjoy the challenge. One of these times these people are going to seriously injur or kill themselves and I'll be the one who has take them to the hospital.

 

I ride with a bunch of guys that like to do hillclimbs. If I have to do a hillclimb to get somewhere thats fine. I'll take a look at it, choose my line and go for it. These guys see a hill and take off. They don't bother to look to see what is at the top or whether there is enough room to stop. Alot of the hillclimbs where I ride were made by two wheelers. Most shouldn't be done on a quad. We rode last week and two guys rolled their quads, now they are fixing bent racks and replacing handlebars. Lucky for them they didn't get hurt.
I like to ride the slower more technical stuff, so if I crash its not a disaster. I can go to work the next day. Cowboy is right, I need my quad for getting firewood and hunting and don't always have the cash to fix it if I crash doing something stupid on a trailride.

 

If its at night I usually ride pretty slow, but around here everythings flat and you can see for miles, so I usually ride wide open during the day if I can see whats ahead of me.