don't they charge fees were you ride. if so what do they use the money for? were i live they close the public trails to do maintenance three months a year.( Jan.-mar.) they even bought special bulldozers and those 6x6 to haul gravel to top the trails ,when there done fixing them. (keeps the roads from getting tore up as bad.)the sheriffs patrol it , so do the rangers, but they don't bother you at all as long as you are being retarded.

 

You've got the right idea there, and it is a bright spot in an otherwise grim picture. I think trail maintenance might well be a key to whether or not ATV'ing has a future on public land. Last summer, our county got a $100,000 grant to redeck bridges and fix trails. A 2-mile stretch of trail near me had been torn up so badly that even the mudders had to go around the swamp puddles. Some of the grant money was used to widen the trail, put in culverts and fill low spots with gravel. The ruts are gone and the trail is wide enough to use the county road grader to keep it smooth.

At least this makes the anti-ATV crowd look harder for things to complain about. I would still like to have a machine that's fun to ride and doesn't cause controversy, becuase when it comes to a battle for public opinion, today's ATV's don't stand a chance.

 

Recently as I was crusing along on a frozen lake at a liesurely 50 mph on my snowmobile, I heard a hollow roar that sounded like those enemy fighters in the first Star Wars movie. Something blew by me like I was sitting still. I could just make out the dark shape of a snowmobile in a huge cloud of powder. I later talked to the guy who was riding that sled. It was a 1000cc Thundercat, and he said he had it over 110 mph.

I later thought about some of the postings on this thread that call ATV's extreme machines. I think that's might be a key to the problem. Those postings are probably made by the same kids who get all excited at a NASCAR race head for the backroads where they race their '93 Cavaliers. They really don't know what extreme is. ATV's are really not designed to be extreme machines. Trying to ride them like they are creates damage.

I'm thinking that maybe ATV's are ok as is. Those who want extreme should be looking for something different. They could come up north and ride snowmobiles. Even a 500cc sled will blow you away if you think ATV's are extreme.

 

[quote]
Originally posted by: Deeplaker60
[quote]
"...I think trail maintenance might well be a key to whether or not ATV'ing has a future on public land...."

"Bingo"! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
This is why the Michigan thread has gone on for so long.
Cyclists fighting to keep their primitive maintenance methods alive (or more importantly; their majority funding)....and even more cyclists (not to mention atvers) FIGHTING LIKE ALL HOLY HELL to make certain that the annual quality work required that you describe...<u>doesn't</u> get any further into their wallets than the several thousand dollar new machine(s) they just bought for the entire family.

Who thinks that the thousands of folks riding "off-system" and who are "anti-pay-to-play" in the Appalachians or elsewhere at this moment....give a damn about "maintenance" on any inch of the trails they so proudly ride off of these organized systems?
More importantly, how many of these people would tell the state or anybody else to go to hell....if they were ever required to pay more for maintaining/fixing the LEGAL trails they have now?

I agree with you in that this issue; coupled with enforcement and safety is the answer....yet how many of our fellow riders are 'intelligent' enough (let alone willing enough to lay down their varied self-interests in the interest of this sport)....to even so much as grasp your right-on-the-money concept brought forward above?

 

So, what are you suggesting, that I go around corners in first gear? I've only been riding a short time and from what I've noticed its not atv's that tear apart trails, it's those GOD DAMN MUD TRUCKS these these a$$ holes do more damage to the trails than any group of atv riders do, not to metion they fly around corners talking no caution at all. Point being its not just atvs doing damage to the turf. As far as noise goes, atvs wouldn't be so annoying if trail riders quit putting these power pipes (fmf's,yoshis,etc) on their trail quads.

 

Those mud truck trails sound dangerous. Be safe and stay on the ATV trails.

 

I have some land that I am selling but my best friend I ride with is an extremist tearing up and rutting up everything he can with his sport bike.I wont let him , ride,hunt, shoot, or anything cause he is irrespsonsible and acts like a clown.The only thing he can do is fish on my property.

When i go shoot clays on public land I pick up all my shotgun shells and targets if shooting a rifle.
My buddy leaves everything behind and shoots anything that he can including trash from his truck.

Many trails are shutdown becuase the agency does not have the money to keep them (so they say) paying someone $20 an hour to pickup someones trash is a waste and only helps trails get closed.

The atv commerical s the OP was speaking about does portray a bad image...

 

Even though we all know that much of the damage is not the fault of ATV's, especailly responsible ones... it is going to be very hard to change the image that has been cultivated over the years. A few of our younger brothers are even working hard to cultivate the Anarchist, hellion image.. and don't care a thing about down the road, because for the most part, that kind of rider doesn't see a future in their life, and figures they will go out in flames any way, so why not push the limit now. A few end up this way, then they turn 20, maybe have a kid and a significant other, and attitudes change... Oh yeah, the body starts complaining about the mid 20's, and by the time they reach 40, it is screaming at them.... Oh yeah, we have all been there, done that... I am the poster child for that life style for sure...

So what do we do? Not an easy problem to fix. We can try and educate, but they don't listen. I have found that if I go directly to teh authorities and ask how I can help.. I have been accepted. In many cases, I get specail treatment on trails, fees, and the occasional look the other way when I get rowdy...

I like Deeplaker's involvement in trail maintenence... I wish more would take the time.

 

Well said.

 

I think we need to take advantage of areas that wont be damaged. In Mn the gilbert OHV park is in an old mine. Alot of the state forests I ride at are logged. Its strange to see an area you have ridden in for years totally clear cut. I dont see how ATV trails can damage a forest that is logged and replanted. These are the perfect spots for ATV trails, yet alot of people are crying about damage,ruts and such. But they dont complain when its logged.
As for the speed issue,if I couldnt ride over 25mph I wouldnt ride. You can ride fast if you use your head,I dont charge up a hill at full throttle, Ive seen friends do it and they find a washed out trail you could drop a truck in or a guy with a pickup(parked in the center of the trail) picking berries. But I do agree you can ride too fast and alot of people do. You need to ride "safe fast" if its a blind corner or a hill ,slow down, untill you can see.Then pin it and have some fun.