been lucky enough not to run into anyone though. ill prob look into registering in a couple weeks.

 

THE major reason, in my mind, to register is in case you get caught... and not just the unregistered charge. Think about it. I've heard of people getting stopped and getting warnings, had their name taken for a database looking for repeat offenders, but generally sent home. Some get tickets... but everyone that I've heard of that was stopped unregistered got written up as such, and just like an unregistered automobile, they won't let you drive away. They get impounded... and have to go to court to settle the unregistered part and to get their quad back. Add to that towing and storage on top of the fine and it's way more than twenty bucks... I've heard of it running over five hundred by the time some folks get through it.

Most cops understand our plight, and if you're registered it's only one more thing in your favor...

I'm not advocating the ride illegal thing, but I certainly understand it-

 

Everyone says we need a club but without anywhere in eastern mass to ride what would be the point?I think a petition might help out,but so far no one has given me any names or other suggestions.I will be making some calls/emails this week to see if there is anything we(riders) can do.Riding illegally(whether registered or not) might get you arrested,its called criminal trespassing,as well as noise complaints and destruction of private property.I have been guilty of this,I ma man enough to admit it and have been caught on the powerlines.I stopped for the cop and he let us go(one other rider with me) with a warning.I could have ran but that isnt going to help out any and I was doing something wrong so I am man enough to take whats coming to me.I think Bank said it best,there are playgrounds everywhere for everyone to enjoy but very few(none in eastern mass)atv trails for all to enjoy.Plymouth alone in the last 3 yrs has built 3 more parks,baseball,basketball, soccer fields all that,and oh btw they are rarely used.I am going to take the time to count them all up so I can use that # in some of my letters.Oh well.Anyone let me know if I can put you down on a petition.Later Nitsy

 

I'm looking at it the other way, Nitsy. This whole closing Savoy thing really ticks me off... I have to admit that I don't ride "recreationally" all that often, mostly the quad plows snow, hauls deer, works around the house... but once in awhile I do like to play. I've got a hundred acres that I can loop at my gun club, but taht gets small. My friends and I have talked about going out to the western part of the state for a ride where it's legal, but it's an all day affair from here...logistics... I guess I kinda always took it for granted that the trails in the berkshires would be there when I got around to it, but as we can see that aint necessarily so. This kinda stuff really strikes a nerve with me because I see it all the time when related to hunting. So many rules, so many fees, so little space for so many. SSssoooo.... I did some research and downloaded an application for an ATV club here in mass, filled it out for tomorrow's mail and here's why. These clubs may be the only voice we have, like it or not. Send any message to your reps and you'll be lucky to receive a form response acknowledging that your message was received. I've been there, done that. Believe me, you're reps get plenty of mail and have to prioritize. Now, I know going in that I'll not make a majority of the meetings, if any (they’re hours away, I've already got 2 meetings a month for my gun club, have a 40+ hour a week job, wife works too, two kids with homework, sports, etc., as well as belonging to another local hunting organization...the usual) but my joining the atv club will help them to help me... it allows them to meet with the decision makers and say they represent "X" number (+1!) of people and these are our concerns... The Pols will meet with these organizations. Ever call your rep and have them set up a meeting to discuss your concerns? Why do you think that the NRA is such a powerful lobby for gun owners rights? It's purely because of numbers. The politicians have to listen because they know the numbers are out there capable of affecting their re-election. What the already established atv clubs need is our support, whether or not you have the time to participate in the club or work parties (which I'm sure would be awesome and I plan to try as much as life allows), but at the basic level they need you to be counted. I you start a new club locally, absolutely make sure that it operates/cooperates with the other clubs, and not independently. Strength in numbers is the name of the game in these situations. If you can't give your time, at least join a club and support them with the dues, and more importantly the ability for them to say they represent you-

So, you ask what would be the point? Without a strong voice (not just a bunch of pissed off "lawbreakers") we will eventually lose the remainder of the open trails in this state. Yes we have precious few places to ride legally, and yes, we have effectively nowhere to ride in the eastern part of the state, but we risk losing that.

Ask anyone in Connecticut, or anyone that used to trap in Mass...

 

Nitsy, your welcome to put my name down. as for the registering part yes i have heard of that stuff happening but where i ride there are plenty of other people that ride also that are unregistered and they just tell us not to part on their property and dont bother us. not that the annual fee is the killer its the sales tax i dont wanna pay.

 

Nitsy- one more thing! You'll find that clubs of this nature sometimes have access to riding areas that an individual couldn't get. They maintain good relations with landowners and pick up after themselves... My gun club has the use of sizeable pieces of posted private land because we treat it as our own. There are also organized runs during the year, depending on the club... I know this doesn't address the "I just want to go for an hours romp", but it does exist.

Frank- If you're not registering your bike to avoid the sales tax that's a seperate issue, but be forwarned-You only have limited period of time from the purchase date and registration is mandatory...if you go past that period of time you'll have to pay the tax and a penalty (which I think is linked to how long you put it off, but I'm not sure) My brother in law put off registering his bike for the same reason and when he could afford it, they wacked him with the penalty on top of the tax and the reg fee... This IS Mass, isn't it?

.02

 

lol yup i know mass sucks

 

Ooops, just realized I mispoke above... The reg isn't necessarily mandatory, just the tax, lol. You don't have to register as long as you only ride your own property.... my two acres got small fast [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

I work in Worcester right up the street from the reg/tax office for boats/atvs/snowmobiles etc and usually hand carry the paperwork to reg or renew. I always get a kick out of having to wait in line for the tax collector FIRST, and when your done with them you get back in line (at the same counter, lol) to deal with someone else to register/renew you. I've actually gone down on my lunch hour to find that the ONLY PERSON that can collect my tax is out to lunch (even though there are three other people in plain sight at their desks) and had to leave and come back because they will not process anything without getting the coin first...

 

I'm up for starting a club, put me down and I'm sure a few of my friends....

 

I am pissed off more than anyone that is why I am trying to get my voice heard.I agree with you 100%,and like you I cant make a 3 hour trip just to go to a meeting and it would be atleast a days affair to ride out there,I know because we hunt out there.The hunting thing is just as disgraceful.I hunt myles standish for pheasant and quail,and everyone there is BS with the state for the decline in released birds and how they do it.I personnally have only seen 2 pheasants live iin the last 3 yrs,and it used to be hunt til 9:30,now your out by 8 with no birds.But then again you can find plenty dead ones,thanks to the coyotes,but then again the game warden states the coyotes follow the truck as they realease the birds and get them right there,our money pissed away.Sorry for the rant just more Mass BS,more than enough for everyone!Another thing that pushes my buttons is the tree huggers that want to save the forests and all of them dont even use them,whether it be hunting,fishing,hiking, camping, whatever.I am in the myles standish forest usually twice a week during the summer,on the only main road that cuts through,and on weekends and I see no one out there.No one uses the forest and neither can we.I probably will join one of the other clubs just to do it and see how they go about cleanups and all that.I have been in contact with some clubs and some dont have the extra time for getting something started here and some are willing to help,for the most part I havent run into anyone that hasnt helped or wanted to help,which is good.Later Nitsy