Hello and I was wondering if anyone has any good riding locations in the lower prtion of Michigan. I ride a honda rubicon and am looking for decent areas with alot of creeks,streams and rocky terrain for slow speed riding. Thanx I would appreciate any info

 

http://www.miatvassoc.com/ heres a link to help you, I hope the letters I write to our governer help to open up more places to ride. stand up and be heard, if you don't they(the state) won't know to help. right now the nearest place for you to ride is the maumee state rec. area in ohio, its not huge but its close, the next nearest in michigan is the mounds(Genesee state rec area).

 

Hey my name is Brandon and I would like to possibly converse with you on some off the issues you might be addressing. If you have some links or contacts that you are persuing that may help open up the atv riding in Michigan. I work in law enforcement and have testified in Lansing before state reps on getting a new law passed. I do have some skills that may be usefull in our quest to be heard. Your right in order for something to change you must have a voice to be heard where the laws are passed. Thank you for the response and if there is anything I can do I would like to help. Take care and be safe.

 

hi, Brandon, nice to meet you. My name is Dana but everybody calls me Yetti. I have only been working atv/orv issues for a little while. I used to be one of those OUTLAW riders back in the`70's I have just been getting back in to it , and am really having a good time. I work so much its hard for me to make time to go to the advisery board meetings in lansing. so I write letters and show people where the help is needed. the group from MATVA is working hard to make head way, but the prosess is slow, but you can write to Steve KUBISIAS@Michigan.Gov , he's the head of orv dept. and he can tell you all about fighting the system. http://www.michiganlegislature.org/m...ard=104&step=2 this link is the search I did for orv laws in Mi. its got some good laws ,and some real boners. the state means well, but the people who write these laws couldn't posablly be riders, the state charges more tax & licence than lots of other states ,and we don't get crap for the money. 90% of the states population lives 2/3 hours from the nearist place to ride without leaving the state and going to Ohio & Indiana. the only open riding is in the upper penninsula. people don't know what they are missing, if they had some where to ride like (waterloo or pinkney rec areas) they would have a 1 hour or less trip to unwined and have fun, the best would be if they modified the current law ,and let people with drivers licence ride on non paved roads in lower mich. that would be a huge change for the sport. and it would be the peoples chance to prove they can be trusted not to ruin it again. I'll be happy to give any help I can, but it could take a while. Yetti

 

Gentlemen,

If you'd like 'another' first-hand view of what has been going on in terms of our representation here in MI...................let's just say that I couldn't have been happier when the state came in at the Nov. ORV Board meeting and started mentioning 'obvious conflicts of interest' (which wasn't deemed 'newsworthy' to either of the clubs I was formerly a member of) and caused a rider's rep. to claim that the state was 'unfairly' basically competing against his club(gee, is it 'the money' or 'getting the job done' that's supposed to be important?).

As far as the SE MI. riding area that every speed shop dealer in SE MI. is drooling over being approved? Funny how the people in 'suburbia' could care less about the state of the REST of the trail system if they can ride outside their back door and sell a whole lot more machines in suburban Detroit...............

I'd be glad to join you both in any cause you'd like to champion here in MI.; you just have to realize that I strongly believe that the state line doesn't 'stop' just outside
'suburbia'.

John

 

Like most everyone i work alot too and must say i've had a blind eye recently to the progress (or lack there of) in our sport (besides new models coming out ofcourse!!). I agree very much w/some comments i just read and feel that some state land areas could be and should be opened up to atving. I would not have any problems paying to ride on state lands close to my area (southeast michigan) instead having to drive 3 1/2 hours to Silver Lake or the Bull Gap trails. Opening these areas up are money making opportunities for the state but apparently not as important as letting developers open malls, car lots, and all sorts of other senseless junk.

Atving is now obviously a huge industry as everyone including myself is buying machines upwards of 6 to 7,000 dollars. And unless you are fortunate enough to own or have access to a large parcel of property your maching probably isn't ridden enough or is ridden illegally when it is.

I agree that the secondary (and usually forgotten) non-paved roads should be opened up to riders w/driver's licenses and they should be subjected to the Michigan Motor Vehicle laws which apply to registered automobiles. You break the law, you are held responsible. As it is now, if an atver eludes a police officer it is a felony for Fleeing and Eluding but if it was legal to ride in the first place there probably wouldn't be any Fleeing and Eluding. I live in a county which still (luckily) has a lot of dirt roads, some of which see limited travel by motor vehicles. I would give anything to cruise my quad for about an hour on the dirt roads in the county in which i reside without feeling like i am doing wrong.

If anyone got the January 2003 edition of ATV Action you seen BMW has came out with a street legal quad. It is a 1130cc twin cylinder fuel-injected w/a 6-speed tranny. This version was actually tricked out and costs about 25,000. If BMW (or any other manufacturer) ever put out a production street legal quad at a reasonable price i know i would have one in my garage. After they were deemed legal to drive, ofcourse.

I've had my share of toys including a Harley and numerous lifted trucks. I always seem to resort back to atving, though. Whatever is going on that i can help with please let me know.

 

atvdep,

As far as what you can do to help; that question might be better answered by the people that are going to benefit financially by the area in SE MI. you seek. Believe me, I'm all for somebody starting a 'pay to play' riding area over in SE MI.; the problem 'being', is the same people that see this area being a boom to their overall sales figures; WANT TO IGNORE THE REST OF THE STATE'S PROBLEMS in regards to the trails we already have! If you don't sell many machines in Norway,MI. (U.P.); why in the heck would you care about fixing this original trail (and many others) FIRST if there's no money in it and delays your yuppie suburban buddies from riding out their back door every weekend?

Sorry, but I've documented the refusal of these people to even 'talk' about the development of this project and even forced one club to quit publicly declaring that the formation of this trail was one of their top goals! (it gets very hard to talk out of 'both sides' of one's mouth).

One other thing that amazes me, is that when you talk to certain state officials about this; they seem to be at least 'advising' these groups to get this thing done privately and not on state lands as you suggested. Again, we have state employees encouraging the formation of NEW trails when the original trails are either in disrepair or locked up in a motorcycle 'only' designation by their practical width? Who is going to give a rat's butt about the rest of these trails when the 'in' thing will soon be putting on 'the gear' and strutting around in front of your suburbanite downstate buddies at the 'pay to play' track and trails?

I realize that you folks from Detroit always knows what's best for us stupid hicks here in 'outstate' MI...................I just choose not to align myself with people that are purely money or 'convenience' driven and couldn't give a darn what happens to our trails any farther than a certain radius from downtown Detroit.

But hey, who am I?

John
(by the way, don't take offense as I truly direct none of this frustration your way)

 

I think everyone brings up a good point But I think we all know the bottom line is Money or an object in value since 98% of our lives are based on the econemy and and a basic idea of currrency that hopefully one day will be abolished. I believe that atvdep is stating that we as fellow atv riders would be willing to assist our cause by accepting the possibility of an increase in cost to help open up new ridings areas all over the state, And yes I do not agree with a simple "pay to ride" so to speak and I dont think that atv dep was exactly getting at that. I can speak for myself as someone who lives in a rural area because my family farms 1500 acres. The trouble I have is the fact that I have to drive my tractors down dirt roads to get from field to field. Now I can count the amount of cars that go by in a day on one hand. So my question is why can I not use my quad to take soil samples when it is completely innocent and safe? I can answer that: It's a 90 day misdemeanor here. I believe that we need the right voice to express to a legislative committe to represent the fact of needing a atv councle in Michigan that can set standards and training to provide an idea of a full fledged riding license. By this it could open up new amendments such as: riding on classified farm roads, utility right of way or shouldered pathway allowance from private land to private land. These are just some of the issues that I see in my own area on a daily basis. I am not exactly sure on the sale of quads though. I dont think it really matters where they sell them at because no matter what the company (such as honda for example will sell thier untits no matter what). Dealerships are just a "middle man" in the buisness and I would like to see the possibility of all the company's going direct one day like they are slowy working towards now. This would eliminate the corrupt sales and service that we expierience everyday from alot of the dealerships. I would love to be able to order my parts or everything I need right from the computer or a magazine. The companies would still place thier own dealerships where they want so it should really not affect the locations. I have worked for three dealerships in my career as a service tech before I did what I am doing now and I see how the system works. I just feel that there could be a more efficiant way to serve us customers to our satisfaction. Now I understand the state's concern with just "sure people ride wherever you want" because the sport is corrupt and ruined with kids and non responsible people who just tear things up and are unsafe ie: (drugs,alchohol,unsafe high speed ridind,non compliance with the standards set my the department of transportation or non-compliance with criminal codes). If only we could find a way to fund and prove our worth then I think congress would start to view us differently and open things up for us. This idea would take an extensive riding course such as drivers ed where the customer would pay for the course. This would help reduce liability and eliminate some of the quote "kids" that are not helping our sport get any better. Any infraction of what you are licensed for would go against your driving record and loss of atv permit. I believe that a system like this could possibly work one day, it would just require working the bugs out. We all need to stick together and coordinate the right people to get a job done. I have seen it done before and I know it can be done again. I often find my self being asked to explain myself alittle better. This is because I am not very good with typing words so pleaase feel free to ask me anything if I have not explained anything correctly. I do not take offense to anything and enjoy talking to people and hearing thier views in my quest to learn. I just hope that no one ever takes offense to anything I say because I never intend on doing that although I know its difficult when discussing polotics. Well take care everyone and I hope to continue talking to everyone.

 

Oh yea and anything I say does not directly affect my employment from my sheriff. The views I have are completely personal and never afforded by any rights or privlages given to me by my employer. These are personal views of my right as an american citizen and not from a professional stand point. As a professional I have no personal views and am biased to any concers other than what is expected of me by my employer.......................lol I just wanted to put that in thier so everyone knows its just my personal views wich are subject to change at anytime depending what I learn new. lol take care everyone.

 

one thing that some have suggested, is to go to ohio, and spend your money there. if our state doesn't want to fill the needs of the orv/atver's here then lets go ride in Ohio, but make sure you write to our Govener and tell "her" where you spend your money! the one thing that this state has to its benifit is the amount of people who would gladly Volenteer to make a new system on the ruins of the old one that was closed down. there are about 20 miles of Closed trails in Pinkney rec. and the same in Waterloo rec. the state bulldozed the entrances of parking areas, but left enough acces for the "Free" use by Bikers & hikers, there is even a horsemans campground about 3 miles from my home , and its in perfect area(between a prison and a 3 gravel pits). I don't expect the horse people to give up an area they use, but the state is willing to make the users pay to camp and thats it, there are no stickers on the right cheek of any horse I've seen on the roads and trails. In Ohio the trails in most areas service all riders and they expect that you(the user) would give way when you come up on a horse or bike, its common courtesy. this is good example of what our state could do for its people. but if nobody goes to advisory board meeting and says whats on there minds, then you (the user) aren't doing enough. every state has someone or a group looking after the needs of atvers in their states, find out who they are and write ,E-mail or phone. make sure your needs are known to the people who can make the changes.