While riding the national forest trails this past weekend, I came upon some other riders that just didn't seem to want to move over. I for the life of me don't understand why. I'm not the fastest rider out there and if some one wants to pass me, I'll stop and let him by when it's safe to pull over. I'll motion them by and continue on my merry way.

Not letting others by might be a bad thing in a race, but not for trail riding. Why not do it? I don't own the trail and neither does anyone else. Not pulling over for faster riders could result in either the faster rider or the slower rider winding up "in the weeds". I don't want to see this happen.

My next favorite "pet peeve" are the riders who cruise along sedately until you come up behind them. Then they think they are Barry Hawk & Jeremy McGrath rolled into one and want to race you. I don't have much trouble with this, but I'm concerned that the other rider will (and usually does) get hurt. This too, happened to me this weekend. The motorcycle rider in question only suffered damage to his pride and maybe a set of bent handle bars, but it could have been worse. If I would have been following closer, I might have run him over.

Last year at the Madera Poker run, Celeste and I were constantly having to fight these "trail hogs" to get by. One even got so upset at all the people passing her that she tore her helmet off and threw it at me (it bounced off my knee/shin guards). I have a horn (hooked into my old override button) that I use to let people know I want to pass them. I figure it's a lot better way than shouting four letter explicitives at them. I DON'T want to do this. I'm not trying to upset people, I just want to go out and have a leisurely ride.

If my definition of leisurely is faster than others, then that's just me. Some people might find my riding slow. I don't hold it against people who like to go at a more sedate pace than mine. I would just like to recieve the same courtesy that I give.

 

I hate that when u get behind them and they know your there they just dont get over, then when u try and go around them they pag it.

 

Mike

Where were you riding last weekend? We were at the Wayne National Forest last weekend. I know what your fustration is. My wife is just learning and she is a little spooked after a roll on our previous trip to Wayne. I try to watch behind us and let faster riders buy when the trail permits. It makes her nervous when people are behind her. There was a group out there last weekend that would come up on us from behind and I would let them pass, then 2 miles up the trail they would pull off for a smoke. We would go on past them only to have them riding our butts a few miles ahead. I kindly let them pass again only to pass them a few more miles up head. By now I am getting fustrated at this crap. By the third time they came up on us, I kept them back there for a good while. I think they got the point, I never saw them the rest of the trip. If they would only teach trail etiquette to all first time atv purchasers.

P.S. Its also fustrating when we pass an oncoming group and I hold up fist indicating that I am the last rider and they wave to me. Morons!

 

MagnumMudMan,

It did sound like us, my friends Scrambler 400 was over heating, but we were in the Alleghenny National Forest in Pa. We stopped long enough several times to let his quad cool down. I While riding the trailbike trail, I caught up to some riders, then stopped to wait for the other riders in my group. This seems the way to do it. Stop, have a smoke or two, relax and by that time the people in front are so far ahead that you can't catch them. Thanks for the idea! Of course, this will only work if the trails aren't too crowded. But it's a darn good idea.

 

All the time.

First of all,Please turn your lights on so I can see you!!!
And MagnumMudMan you are absolutly right, Those hand signals are key and the word must be spread about this. I think it's just not known protocal.

AS for passing I seem to come up on people so quick they don't realise I'm there. But I wait till they recignice I'm there before I zip by, Then try to ride the grass on the side of the trail to keep down the dust.

 

I like to ride fast and if somebody is behind me and fly by me trying to show off I just hope they notice the sticker on the back of my quad >>>>>>>>>>PAYBACKS A B*TCH<<<<<<<<<<<<



1991 Lt250r LOTS OF MODS this is the quad superman rides! Please go to my web site at www.screaminglt250r.homestead.com

 

Yes, it has happened to me from both ends of the passing spectrum and the approaching traffic situation.

A lack of common courtesy and common sense is the main problem in these situations.

While riding I have slowed and moved to the right when being overtaken by faster quads only to get roosted and sprayed with gravel by the passing quad when I wasn't even hogging the trail (and I have rear view mirrors, so I know when somebody is back there.)

What's up with that?

A couple passes like that will give slower riders cause for irritation.

I have also attempted to pass slower quads on wide trails only to be rejected in my attempts by Moms & Dads, with their kids (who hate dust).

I realize that they are trying to teach the young ones quad safety but they are instilling "road rage" in fellow riders.

I have been behind old farts on club rides who are just plain ornery. Another cause for irritation.

It is the same situations that one encounters during snowmobiling. Some people courteously yield and others refuse to yield.

The absolute worst condition to encounter and I am sure that you will agree is the oncoming trail hog. These morons are present at every rally and every trail ride in busy areas. And... they will definitely be out there this weekend.

There you are motoring down the fire/logging road at a reasonable clip negotiating a corner in a mild four wheel drift "in your own lane" and a here comes Bonzai Billy. ***** to the wall driving as fast as he can, on the edge, and in your lane, taking up the whole road, usually followed by two more quads and racing to the next tavern.

The last time that I saw this, I was driving a F150 pulling a trailer and when I looked in the rear view mirror all I could see was "hot dog" and his terrified passenger in a 180 degree slide and entering the ditch backwards. (And I was hugging the right hand side and driving at 15 mph at the time because I had already had 3 close encounters on the same road in the previous 15 minutes.)

A little more common sense and courtesy go a long way toward making the trails enjoyable for everyone.

I can imagine that the upcoming Labor Day Weekend will have us all on alert. Dealers have been selling quads this week in record numbers and there are sure to be some newbies out there. Pray for a little rain to keep the dust down and Ride Safe

 

Trx430ex,

I know what you mean. On two way trails I usually do. The hot setup for this is to have the front rider and the back rider with their lights on. The front rider can alert oncoming traffic and the back rider has his lights on so that the front guy can see if every one in the group is there.

Which brings me to another "pet peave", people riding the wrong way on a one way trail. I wish I had a dollar for every one I saw riding the Marienville bike & ATV trail backwards last weekend. There are certain portions of the ATV/Bike trail that are specifically marked for two way travel, but as a whole the trails are one way travel only. Be advised, that if you are riding the wrong way on a one way trail, I won't move over for you. Sorry, but those are the rules of the road (trail).

Thor,

I always try to pass as slowly as I can around riders who have pulled over. I usually give them a friendly thank you wave, too. But the people who refuse to pull over and want to race are the ones I take issue with. They deserve all the roost you can give them. If they want to play racer, then let them feel what it is liked to be passed. I have no mercy for those people. 60+ horsepower and a good set of Holeshot XCTs can deliver a generous slice of humble pie to the most avid "wannabe" racer.

 

I tell you what really irritated me a month or so back. We don't see hardly any riders out where I ride, infact I've seen a total of 1 person aside from the pack I had trouble with. We were both so excited to see another wheeler that we stopped and chatted for a while, then compared quads as he was on a Sportsman and I on my 'Cat. Went for a small ride till his wife called him on the cell and he had to return to camp.

Anyway, I was up at my property, on our own land running with my buddy down one of our logging roads. We were heading up hill coming around a slight bend when I noticed a huge dust cloud coming down the hill. There was quite some distance and I could make out 7 different quads. Now this is very unusuall as this is private property so nobody should be up there in the first place. Anyway, we slowed down to see who they were and hopefully talk to them, see what was going on. My buddy and I pulled off towards the edge of the rode, which was a severe drop off down the mountain. These people maintained their speed, not slowing at all. They were staggered out to the sides, two wide and did not even drop into single file. Out of the 7 quads, all had two riders on them, with the exception of the last two that had a parent and TWO kids on each machine. Not a single rider in the pack had helmets on. I tried to wave them down or signal them to stop, yet they gunned it and sped on past, throwing dust and rocks all over us.

Now, I'm on my own posted land, these idiots don't even have the common curtousy to issue a little respect. I flipped around and went down to find them, only to find a hole had been cut in one of my fences, and they (or somebody) had turned the cattle out. Well, with 280 head of cattle stirred up, and 7 horses now on the loose, my time was wasted rounding up the stock and mending fence. By the time that was done, I was now on a war path. After a few hours of searching, I found what was left of a camp several miles up the road towards a public lake. Sure enough, there was tracks everywhere, ground was torn up and there was enough garbage left to make the local dump look small.

It's the guys like this that give all atvers a bad name. I know for a fact that the next time I see somebody on my land pulling a stunt like this, I won't hesitate to drop them where they stand and ask questions later. Tearing up land and littering to beat hell is bad enough, but deliberately ripping out fencing and letting livestock loose is completely uncalled for.

To look at the safety aspect of it, with a total of 17 people on only 7 quads, not a single one wearing a helmet riding like this. What kind of lesson does that teach their kids? Is it now OK for this type of behavior? I'm lucky it was myself and my buddy when this occured. Should I have had a less experienced rider with me, or somebody like MagnumMudMan, with his wife just learning, still trying to relax over a recent rollover. Or Thor, teaching his kids the proper and safe way to ride among others. What would have happened then?

Sorry to be so long winded, but this one kind of touched a nerve. I'd really like the opportunity to ride with a bunch of people, rather than just myself or my buddy all the time, though guys like this I'd rather knock the hell out of. Like Thor said, atv sales are up and with the long weekend I'm sure they'll be a bunch of riders out somewhere. Hope you all have a fun, but safe riding experience.

Good luck and be safe!

Mike

 

Cowboy

Why does it seem that a few @sses always ruin everything for the masses? Its bad enough that they were trespassing on your land, but to let your cattle out and litter, that is just down right wrong. Hope you catch them next time.