Hi all checking in with my first post. 48 year old rookie to the ATV world. Finally convinced the wife to let me buy one, but really bought two. One for me and one for my 12 yr old daughter. Heres how it all went down. My 18 yr old son just Graduated HS and joined the Army (proud father) and as we speak he is in Boot Camp Fort Sill OK. So that leaves a lot more father daughter time. So to the atv showroom go my daughter and I, SOLD!! once my daughter layed her eyes and sat on that lime green machine. Now we had to convince mom about buying one and of course a mom will do anything to make her children happy, especially when she is upset that her son has been away from home for this amount of time. At dinner when the conversation was brought up, my wife said get them if that is going to make you both happy. Strike when the iron is hot and BAMM!! A 2015 Arctic cat 90 DVX for my daughter and a 2015 Cam Am outlander 800 max xt for me. The wife said get a 2up so I can ride with both of you. Neither my daughter or I have ever rode before and we both can not wait to pick them up from the dealer to start our journey of quality father daughter time together..now we just have to find trails in this pathetic state I live in to ride.

 

Congrats! I love riding with my kids. My daughter just became a teenager, still loves to get muddy though. To bad we are on opposite sides of the state. WNY actually has quite a few opportunities for riding these days. If you ever get out this side hit me up on pm.

I did ride someplace out near Lake George once, was about 10 years ago now. Also, PA has some nice places to ride.

 

Thanks scoot.. I will definitely keep you in mind. I'm about 25min from the PA border Pike County and from what I'm gathering there are some nice trails there. Thanks again.

 

I would ask at your dealer also. They are in a good position to know about trails and clubs. My cat dealer actually recommended a club that I hadn't known about and I have been riding out here for decades.

 

Welcome

 

Thx Ssgtos. Scoot I already did and he gave me 1 recommendation but also said he sells 3 snowmobiles to 1 ATV or jet ski and there are many more snowmobile trails in NYS then ATV trails. Maybe I should have bought a snowmobile instead. Better yet have both. Now I just have to get past the wife thing again. Thx for you help. Stay safe.

 

Welcome to the forums. In the NE there are a lot more snowmobile trails than ATV simply because the sleds don't have as much of an impact on the tundra as ATV's. That and private property owners not being as open to a quad trail as they are to sleds. I guess it is what it is. I think there are quite a few places to ride in PA so you might want to check that out.

Had another thought. Don't know if you've already taken one but I highly recommend an ATV safety course for you and your daughter. Lots of good tips and safety advice. My son and I took one together when we were getting started. I had already ridden quite a few quads, a day here or a day there, and I still learned some good information. The Outlander Max 800 is one of the biggest quads out there. Be careful with the 800. It's a uber-powerful engine. Lots of grunt and top speeds in the 70's. Take your time getting used to it and it will be tough to wipe the smile off your face. Watch your use of the throttle in corners too. If you blip the throttle too much in a corner it will lift up the front end enough to lighten it up and make the steering almost non-existent. Just some pointers. Not sure if this is your first riding experience or not. Just random thoughts that will make the riding that much more enjoyable. My son and I, along with friends and their kids, still ride together after almost 15 years. We were just out yesterday and had a blast.

 

Aren't most snowmobile trails also atv trails? In the summer, there won't be any snow so what do they use snowmobile trails for then? Do they just lie dormant letting grass and weeds take over? I suppose snowmobiles make a smaller footprint and don't make tracks like an atv does, might be the only reason why some don't allow both. Snowmobiles wouldn't be very practical here, we just don't normally get enough snow to ride one very much.

 

Thnx moose. Yes I am considering a course for my daughter and I. This is my first ATV. Originally was purchasing a 2015 outlander 650 max xt and then tried another can am dealer and he gave me a price of $800.00 less for a 2015 outlander 800 max xt. So that's how ended up with the 800. So it was a no brainier to buy the 800. Hopefully I will take my time and learn the machines capabilities and not over push my confidence.

 

Greg, sleds like a smooth groomed trail, so a lot of the sled clubs don't like atvs on their trails. Land access is another issue. Most trails are privately owned in NY. The state basically forces sled owners into registration, insurance, and club membership. The upside is the landowners are much better protected from lawsuits, plus their land receives minimal damage. The atv clubs are no where near as organized, but some are working on it!

Nazz, I agree, that 800 is a lot of machinefor a new guy. Riding with your daughter will slow ya down initially. Ride within your ability, enjoy, and stay safe. Rider safety course is never a bad idea either.