I've been to bar/gas station/grocer that had over 70 ATV's out front, and all had been riden there....

 

don't know about that- all I see around here are large atv clubs and groups that ride together- I ride with a group of 3-5 most of the time, sometimes as many as 7 or 8 and when I see others on the trail they are also usually in a group.


Honestly don't think either sledders or atv'ers will ever have any real economic impact on any local cities community development.
Only a very small fraction of atv'ers actually spend the money to register their off road machine- I'd say at least 3/4 of atv owners buy their parts on-line and install them at home. Dealers don't turn huge profits selling new units- especially with warranty repairs. Manufacturers are only profiting a few thousand from new units- which isn't a lot when considering the amount of overhead, R&D and engineering going into each model.
Simple fact is, if sleds or atv's really contributed to the local economics in any real way- there'd be a lobby for'em. Plus- show me an 18 year old that's so concerned with his local economic development that he's willing to buy new, pay hundreds in local taxes and pay reg fees- ya right!

 

Actually - ATVs have a MAJOR impact on the economy where I am from, but then I grew up right between Polaris and AC. Not only the actually factory workers (of which I have several relatives) but they also contract out parts to area machine shops (much like a well known member of these forums), hotels, etc, etc. They are so popular you can ride them on any road (except for State Highways) and even ride them in town.

 

I take one or two trips a year on snowmobiles 400 miles in to Wisconsin. Spend a total of about 800 on both trips. Plan to take 4 Atv trips to same area this year. Probably spend about 350 each trip. First trip out in May we will be riding about 8 Atvs. I guess we will make a small impact. All atvs in WI must have a 35 dollar trail pass. Gas stations and restaurants are happy to see us and take our cash.

 

43 businesses have opened in southern wv around h-m in the last 10 years---I would consider that an impact!!

 

I can see how a factory / manufacturer would make a large impact in a community, like you stated- by creating jobs in the area.

But outside the reach of the factory (say… 45 - 75 mile radius), that impact diminishes greatly-

I for example- bought all my atv's used. A lot of the people I bought my atv's from were selling cheap because they needed to pay bills or they were looking to buy another used atv from another person...?

I very seldom bring my atv to a dealer to have it serviced and I buy 95% of my parts off ebay (west coast to east coast) and the amount of money a dealer brings in from atv repairs compared to motorcycle repairs is small. Any money that the dealer brings in from atvs is going straight to overhead and the rest is added to the shop owner’s profit margin.

I pay a $30 yr reg fee- and a $25 yr membership fee at a local club that has maybe 25 atv members. I’ve been riding atv’s & dirtbikes for over 25 years and have had absolutely zero impact on any local merchants.

There are no access roads in mass, ct or ri that allow entry to merchant shops via atv. There are a few in nh, vt & me- but far from being enough to support any merchant solely on atv / sled riders alone- seasonal at best. And nobody is making enough money providing a seasonal store catering to atv’ers & sleders to the point the owner can afford a lavish lifestyle. And New-England boasts, I believe, the most miles of riding trails anywhere in the country- 7 or 8 thousand miles worth just in Maine.

I'd like to see the 43 businesses that have opened in southern wv in the last 10 years that are solely in business mainly on the revenue generated by atv'ers- sorry, I just don't buy it- not for a second. They are not in business soley on atv revenue alone- not even close.

ATV riding is considered a nuisance sport by every government- It requires land upkeep mostly by local clubs, volunteers and miniscule government budgets. ATV's create noise (everyone with their dumb loud pipe) & trail pollution, environmental impact and attract the eco-freaks. The majority of riding land access is granted by private land owners who see no return $$ at all. State land is maintained by municipal workers, being paid by your local tax dollars and what little fees are brought in by less then 1/2 of legitimate registered atv owners. There are dozens of other, more economical uses for property then atv trails and any revenue generated by merchants along a trail is seasonal (we’re talking strictly atv / utv / sled) the majority of riders buy their parts and gear from their local wal-mart or ebay, not trail side (or very minimal trail side.) It takes more then an atv'er buying a few burgers and drinks at a fast food joint around H-M to make a LARGE economical impact on a community. How many of those riders visiting H-M come back to maintain the trail? How many contribute to a local club or local fund to upkeep the trails...?

There simply is not enough money in this sport to justify a lobby, or to spark any politicians interest-

Interesting article below.



__________________________________________________ ____________
ATV.COM news article...

The ATV industry is under an all-out assault from ‘anti’ groups that want quads and OHVs banned from public land. In a few cases, restrictions are warranted because of abuse and riders disrespecting the property of others. The vast majority of land closures, though, are punitive in nature. ATV Riders seem to be the victim of sheer bigotry. For example, on the Roseau River Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Minnesota, four-wheel-drive trucks continue to be allowed on some roads and trails, but off-highway vehicles have been banned completely from these same trails. No evidence was presented by the DNR that OHVs were causing more damage than trucks; they simply declared OHVs mechana non grata.

ATVs are considered to be evil incarnate by environmental elitists simply because four-wheelers have an internal combustion engine and make noise. Green types are eager to post ‘No-ATVing’ signs everywhere possible whether damage is being done or not. Members of the non-riding public are disengaged from the realities of the debate and have no stake in the outcome. ATV riders, are not nearly as politically active as they should be.

This public relations imbalance means that millions more acres of public land are being closed to ATV use every year. We are witnessing the largest closure of public lands to legal users in history. More than 100 million acres of public forests in the United States are in the process of having OHV access closed or severely restricted. The same situation is occurring in Canada, where urban populations carry most of the clout in federal and provincial governments. When ATV advocates roll up their sleeves and get involved, though, good things happen. In some states, quad ‘parks’ are opening that will help maintain some public land riding opportunities. The Hatfield-McCoy trail in the American southeast is a stunning achievement earned by very hard work. But, overall, the trail closure tsunami rolls on, and there is no question that such massive closures are having a negative impact on businesses that rely on ATV sales. The manufacturers need to grow a lobbying group to ensure the future of the sport.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____


if there were that much money, and if it made such a HUGE impact on local econimics and brought in so much $$ for local merchants... the above article would not exist.





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Thats incorrect - like I said, the many of the parts are farmed out to machine shops and welding shops, and many of these are not in the immediate area. Another example is engines - which are produced in another part of the state.

And the more popular ATVs become, the more anti's are gonna bitch and moan - they couldn't care less about the economy or how many people they put out of work.

 

Economic impact has many facets--money directly going to manufacturers, dealers, service stations and repair. Then you have indirect impact--bars, restaurants, motels and resorts. Then there is the more indirect impact of money spent at retail outlets during ATV trips. Anything that brings in people gets support from local businesses.

It's true that on the national level, the "quiet sports" people are having an all-out assault on ATV'ing. However, I'm not sure that's true on the local and county levels where the economic impact is felt. As Dragginbutt said, the HM system has government backing and someone else pointed out that businesses have started up as a direct result of that system. In my county, the trail system is expanding due to support from the local government.

We need to somehow get the local support organized on a national basis. To do that, we need to address the problems that people have with ATV's. The noise is something manufacturers could do something about. And there are turf-friendly tires people could use. If we don't make changes, the all out assult is going to swing in favor of the anti-ATV groups in spite of economic impact.

 

Well, I'm going back up to Jackman, ME again this year. The combination of being able to go on a long ride, drive into area towns for food, gas, and bathrooms, and riding right from our rented cabin is great. As I said earlier, we'll spend at least $1200 for cabin rental for a week, gas, dinners, etc. for the local economy up there. I've also read somewhere that between places to stay (cabins, campgrounds, inns, hotels), eateries, and quad dealers/repair/accessories that dozens of businesses have sprouted up in and around HM.

 

I just don't see it- not on atv's alone. There's just so little market for it around here- atv dealers / shops are going out of business. Bill's atv went under a couple years ago here in town- Keene Motor Sports, a large atv dealer located 1 mile from the LMFT state atv trails in NH went under also-

There's just not a consistant dependable cash flow in this market- I've called a lot of shops looking for trails around new-england all through the winter and just about all of'em close for the season... that's not what I'd consider a HUGE economic impact- There might be some businesses that return a bit more profit during the season- but no body is getting rich or making huge money from atv's.

When I owned my small engine repair (llc) business- I'd say less then 1% of the calls were atv related- most were commercial / industrial equipment and between april - august I had to have a part time tech handle my boat jobs. I advertised to over 100,000 homes in the central mass area- and serviced between 1000- 1800 customers year. Not many were atv's.

Boating brings in more revenue then atv'ing-