I was on my way to do a little camping down 67 past St. Joe and down 72 when I saw the signs again and thought to myslef that THIS time I am stopping in! I plan on buying my FIRST ATV at the end of the year and one of my 3 primary places to ride will be St. Joe. I have to say that although I didn't leave the parking lot that I was still VERY IMPRESSED! I know I know, many of you that have been going for 20 yrs say that it isn't the same and that they are bored with it. I think we are lucky to have 2,000 acres owned by the state so close where we can ride! The whole set up looked great and I can't wait to actually ride there! They handed out a map and I also went on the website.....one ? I do have is this.....

They have about 2,000 of the 8k and change total acres dedicated to the off road vehicles and of that 2,000...apprx 800 (according to the website) is more open and sandy......are their still PLENTY of trails, hill climbs, creek bed's for the utility quads to have fun on? I think the answer is a yes but I was just wondering for people like you that have ridden down there.......well that and the parking lot was at least 80-85% sport bikes....

I look forward to your opinions because I def want a utility quad like a KQ or Rinny......it looked FUN out there!

 

Well, all i can say you will have a great time.....St. joe state park is awsome place to ride...
I'm from the Arnold area....and the same age as you...and been riding there for several,several yrs.
you just can't beat it....
The woods - trail systems are great place to test out your willingness and drive to tackle some tuff
terrain....
The sand flats are a good place to ride and just ahave a good time.....Plenty of room to see want she can do...
You can find some cool mx style riding on the flats as well...
Along with a little sand drag racing.....LOL

Next time your down there just look for the fast bikes....well be happy to show you around.

 

Thanks Matt, I appreciate it. I noticed you ride a 250 and a Z, I know a KQ (assuming that's what I buy) get's up there and speed but can't compare to the agility and speed combo of your 2. Can a utility have a blast out there as well? How long does it take you to get to St. Joe?

 

YES SIR,
You will love a good utility bike.....Thats what so nice about St. Joe it acommodates any bike....
If you havent bought one yet.....just do alot of checking around...

Honda,Yamaha,Suzuki and Polaris
all make great bike just get the one that suites you.....There's alot of cool features on the bikes today....
I purchased my Suzuki from WEST COUNTY POWERSPORTS those guys were very nice there....

Check into a place in columbia MO. called PROCYCLE there is nobody that can beat there prices....
My next bike will be bought there.....

 

man u'll love that place,gets crowdy at times always make sure u look every direction before u start turning.get your self a cooler of soda water eats and have fun ..every possible riding there..we like to drag race alot !!! great time

 

forgot to anwser your question..

It take about 45 mins from arnold to get to St. Joe state park
Not to bad....

 

BB & Matt, thanks again...

Matt, where in Arnold are you? I am very close to 55 and Richardson behind Schnucks about a 1/2 mile. Everything sounds great (and looks, at least from the parking lot...) out at St. Joe, I can't wait to ride there! As far as the atv purchase goes I def want to get ride time on at least 3 or 4 but I have heard a lot of good things about the KQ, especially on the features with that price. I don't need to jump 15 ft in the area and go through 5 ft of mud but I want a sporty type of ute that will kind of do it all....Don't worry though, I will def be testing a lot of them and negotiating a good price. I know EXACTLY where West County Power Sports is in VP; I am originally from Fenton. I hope I am NOT hurting your feelings or anything but they just seem a little shady in there! They were nice but shady....it is just a feeling I get. Have you been in Chesterfield Power Sports? My feeling there is one word.....expensive.

I have NO Problem driving to Columbia, MO if they are nice, have good quads to choose from and have the best price! Any other advice in this category is def much appreciated!!!!!!!!!

 

St. Joe is an Awesome place to ride. We had a blast there on labor day weekend. I ride a Utility and my daughter rides a sport and we both enjoy St. joe. There a place called Suttons bluff near Salem Mo, it's a Trail riders Dream come true. It's run by the U.S. forest service. Do a search and find there web site for better directions. About Procycle, I have bought 2 from them and no more for me. They will beat everybodys price until you add up all the last and I mean last minuite add ons that they come up with.
I called them and asked for the Bottom line, Out the door price 3 different times and when it was time to sign I get a $65 document fee, $150 set up fee, $25 calabration fee, ect. I asked the salesman who told me 3 times the price "WTF is this" He left and never came back,knowing I was from out of town and would still take the atv. I saw a bumper sticker with "PROCYCLE SUCKS" I now know why. Here's there web site http://procycleusa.com/index.cfm?page=newvehicles
Just be carefull when dealing with any dealer and ask them to write it down.

 

camokodiak, thanks for the info. When it comes to business, I am all business as well and would have no problem turning around and walking out and driving 2 hrs back home....then telling everyone not to use a particular dealer. When I was 22 I bought a brand new waverunner from Surdyke in Festus. The price was settled and included the trailer, cover, and fire extinguisher for the front compartment. As excited as I could possibly be, I drove down there (about 45 minutes to an hour) after work to p/u my brand new seadoo....sitting down to do the paperwork the salesperson thought he was dealing with some young punk. RIGHT before I signed he said...."cover? oh that is $300 more!" I looked at him and said that is NOT what we agreed on and he refused to fix it. I stood up and said that I was leaving...as I picked up my check for $5300. That was 9 yrs ago and I will never forget that and how shady those people are. I HOPE my atv buying experience is a good one and if not I have no problems leaving.

I looked at your procycle link, but I thought it was an article about them or something. Not to say that this would work 100%, but I would tell the salesman that I need the bottom line price before I drive 2 hrs and that he better think about that and call me back with it. Then when he calls back I will tell him one more time that if I get there after driving 2 hours and the price is even a $1 higher not only willl I not buy it but I will tell every single person I ride with, know, and communicate with on these forums the ENTIRE story about what I needed from you and how serious about it I was. I think that being here in St. Louis we don't have much to choose from. The nicest store around here is Chesterfield Power Sports (west of St. Louis on 40) but I have no idea how their sales people are. Another nice showroom was Victory Lane in Dupo, IL but they moved to Swansea (just east of downtown St. Louis in IL) and I haven't been to their new store. Neither of these mentions were to say that they do good business, I just mentioned both because of their larger selection and showrooms.

I have heard of a GREAT place in TN called Abernathy's (do a search here for dealers) and everyone on here pretty much raved about them.....I would consider the drive over but they don't sell Suzuki so that's out IF I buy a KQ. When I get close I will probably post a St. Louis area ? of who bought (the quad I want to go with) what and where and how was the experience.....

 

Stocks, if you want a fast utility quad then try Elli's Cycles over in O'Fallon IL. They have Bombardiers and I rode an 800 and it was the quickest 4x4 I've ever been on. Give it a try. 618-628-2466. Ask for Chris. He'll tell you the real out the door price. He also sells Arctic Cat, I own a 400, and they are about the most heavy duty quad made.


Hey, did you notice that if you put the word " tough " in your post it will create a link to Polaris? What a skank trick to do to a post. Do a quote and check the post.....no HTML around the word tough. hmmmm