<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: crazy old mudslinger

i tell one of my neighbors all the tjme he needs to at least put a helment on , he is a greast rider but one little slip up & he could get hurt bad or killed, he thinks its funny , but i go to church w a guy that was one of the best motocross ridder round here & bout 20 yrs ago he wrecked playin on some whoops and bout died , & now he is very messed up but only by GODS grace that he is even alive</end quote></div>

That's too bad..... I hate to hear about people getting hurt like that..... but during my life I've seen far too many.

And sometimes wearing gear won't help either. I have a friend who was a good young MX racer and while getting ready for a race on Sunday, he was out testing his set up on Saturday. He was in full gear, but he was alone. That was his first mistake. His second mistake was to go ripping through an area without first scouting the trails slowly. Even though the area was familiar, it often changed because it was a active quarry. He went up a trail about 4th gear and suddenly the trail ended with a 25' drop that was not there before. He has been in a wheelchair since 1996, and while he never complains and has lived a good life since, he will be the first to tell you he was stupid in many ways.....

Dirt riding is a dangerous sport, whether an ATV or MX bike.....there is just so much that can go wrong it requires all your attention. Part of the reason I love riding is because when I'm flying down the trail, fast enough to blur out everything but that trail directly in front of me, there is nothing else in the world that matters. I cannot afford to think about anything other than all the things I need to do to go as fast as possible and still not crash....lol.....that pretty much sums it up..... whether in the tight woods at 20mph or in the wide open at 70mph I have no time to worry about the world.......and I certainly don't want to worry about my safety gear.

But too many people see ATVs as toys, or party machines in some twisted way. And while most of those people will respect them enough to know their limits and not get hurt, many won't......I hate to see people give up the sport, but to be honest if someone can leave it that easily it is probably for the best. You cannot force yourself to love something you either do or you don't......

 

i never once considered my atv a toy or anything to that nature, i have been on and off of them since i was 8 or so and have really enjoyed. these were my first 2 that i owned and i really enjoy having them. i wasn't even acting "silly" on it when the accident happened. unfortunately i can't say i had a passion or love for riding but o did really enjoy it. maybe down the road i will get a utility atv or side by side and start again. just probably wont do a sport bike again.