There are plenty of fire roads where a Rhino can go, including some real nice highly technical stuff if you are into that. Like I said, woods single track is EXTREMELY RARE here in the southwest desert (only found in the mountains), and in the area behind Lake Arrowhead, there is only (I'm guessing here) about 25 miles of single track (that's 50" QUAD single track) and even less 12" dirt bike single track.

What will happen, is the Rhinos will turn the single track into nothing but narrow fire roads! Like I said, I am willing to stay off the motorcycle stuff, and the Rhino folks should be willing to stay off the quad stuff. It's illegal anyway, because a trail is defined as 50" wide, and the Rhino is wider than that. Smart Rhino drivers should play it smart, before they get themselves banned outright.

 

I'm with RR on this one. Here in michigan we have 50" trails, and when they say 50" they mean it. My bike is a hair over 48" and I have to put through some trails in first to keep from trashing my front end and eating handlebars (which I often do anyway). When the side by sides run down these trails they are really chewing some stuff up, and often get stuck causing one helluva hazard to other riders. Their solution is to just knock down everything in their path, giving more ammo for the environmentalists who are pissed that there is anyone even in the area to begin with.

I've been on all sides of this debate. There have been trails near me that have been closed for everything but walking. They used to allow atvs and bikes and some even full size vehicles, now unless you're running the heel-toe express you're not allowed in. I can't even ride our horses through it. Why did it get shut down? Well let's just say the beer laden pickups full of teenagers didn't help.

Almost all atvs are well within the 50" limit Michigan has, there's no need to widen any of these trails for "easier sliding" and two way traffic can pass smoothly with curteous riders. Side by sides on the trail will give way to jeeps because now they can fit. Then the pickups will follow the same thing that happens all over my state will happen again, the area will be closed off to everyone but the damn tofu eating hippie hikers.

Honda oddesseys and pilots along with dune buggies and baja bugs were not allowed on atv/bike trails when they were out and still arent today. I was not allowed to ride our Kawasaki Mule on atv trails and there's a good reason why, I would have wrecked all kinds of stuff. We have private trails near my father's place and we took the Mule out there in trails that were as skinny as 48" and as wide as a two tracker. On every trail the Mule would find it's way off the beaten path, even on the two tracker to stay out of the ruts. The point is that it was too big and heavy to responsibly maneuver through atv trails. If the government wants to widen the trails for use by these side by sides then that's their business. But as of right now it's illegal in most parts of the country and anyone caught running them where they shouldn't deserves any and all punishment they get.

 

no argument there [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

i'm constantly making my trails wider at my house, tell them to come to southern minnesota and they can ride all they want in my backyard

 

Well screw all you guys.. thats what i gotta say.. I ride horses and horses were in the woods before any of your dam bicycles, motorcycles or quads or rhinos.. None of you shoudl be allowed to be anywhere in the woods with these evil things. they make noise and dust and big ruts. shame on you for thinkin you have anyrights to the woods. Horses only.

 

AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA LMFAO AHAHAHA


what about the indians? we cant walk in there woods cuz they was here first!!!! pluse us fat *** americans are making the hiking trails to wide LOL

 

I think Reconranger made up his mind about this topic long before he posted it here.

No discussion will change his mind, just as no discussion will change the minds of the environmentalists, or the hard core enthusiasts.

I know Recon is an ardent defender of the right to ride and free access, so when he makes a point like this it's not one I take lightly.

As a Rhino owner who respects the trails, I will also make sure to keep my machine stock, and not go down any trails that are narrower than my footprint. I have never ridden on anyting but dirt, and I have been down many ATV trails in these same hills. Most of them are quite a bit wider (6-10 inches) than the Rhino, actually.

A Rhino is one of those unique machines that allow you to go with someone and talk to them face to face with no helmet. A wonderful experience and the reason why I sold my 2 seater quads. As far as the title of this thread, a Rhino cannot fit down a "single-track" which is for dirtbikes only, so I think what he meant to say was "Rhinos on ATV trails". I can understand his point, but like I said I limit myself to ATV trails slightly wider than the Rhino, but some people do not...

I say the ATV gates work. If you have a modified Rhino you cannot fit through. If you have a stock Rhino, (and you don't cut the fence, which of course shows the mindset of the user in the first place) the trail is wide enough and a curteous rider won't make it any wider than a wild sport-ATV user would.

 

Lots of common sense in this thread, along with the sillyness.
Now responsible riders like the previous poster are never a problem. It's the guys who change a trail to accommodate themselves who just don't get it, and don't belong. Guys like the ones who get to a technical section that everyone rides, and they pry out rocks and cut roots or trees so that 'the wife' can ride through more comfortably, or the ones who carve out and widen a trail for their own passage, and take away the challange and sport for everyone else.

A good question, the Rhino thing. Sure, a Rhino isn't a whole lot wider than a quad. Trouble is, the Rhino's 54.5" track is very close to the Suzuki Samurai. And Sidekick. A trail widened to allow a Rhino will just be widened a bit more when yahoos in Samurais get to it. Lets just cut a few trees, ain't hurting anything after all...
Of course these vehicles weigh a lot more. Then the Tracker crowd will fudge it a bit more because they almost fit now. Just need to cut a few more trees and move a few rocks for them.
Then come the Jeeps, followed by full size 4x4's. Better get a BobCat in there and widen it a bit more. 'Hey, isn't that the mayor in a Lincoln Navagator'?
'Look, some guys in Hummers have a chainsaw out, they just need a couple of inches for their 7 foot wide Army 4x4's.'

Your nice technical trail you used to ride has now become a beer can strewn wasteland, where a yahoo in a 5000 LB. roaring truck with monster mudders might come around the corner and flatten you at any moment.
And the day one does flatten a recreational rider, the authorities will act to protect the public (read: themselves) and close the dangerous road and hooligan hangout.

No, to keep the insanity at bay there has to be a cutoff. A limit.
Since it is already accepted in many places that a 50 inch width restriction is the standard. Let's go with that. That is a single rider, or rider doubled recreation vehicle.

Just because some manufacturers have decided to create a vehicle a bit wider, and then wider yet, doesn't mean that all these new machines must be made a concession for, or belong everywhere a quad can go. If you have a vehicle too wide to ride quad trails then that's what you bought.
The world does not change to accommodate your whim. Get a quad if you want to ride quad trails. Quad trails are 50 inches.

 

personally i dont care who rides where. rr needs to relax. love wider trails on them late night rides.so calm down.

 

On a quad 8'6" is the magic number for trail width [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

There is no limit on the quad trails that I ride, and I will fight to keep it that way, I drive both a quad and a buggy that is 68" wide. I have never met resistence on the trails, and most people will stop to watch me ride the buggy up the trail. I have gotten nothing but approval from bikers and quads. In Missouri there are lots of riding areas, so the debate may not be as "hot". I think any restrictions on our trails is a slippery slope that will lead to nothing but trail closiers. It is just as easy for the government to close a trail than to limit it. In fact, if they close it, they no longer have to listen to the debate.

I think limiting access is wrong, for hikers, horses, motorcycles or quads. Once they listen to one group and limit for 50", why shouldn't they listen to another group and limit even more?

I agree that there is insanity, but limiting access will hurt us all.

Chris