Maybe its time to look at this from another angle…..like over our shoulder…

“ Minnesotans for Responsible Recreation, MRR, was founded in 1996 to unite the voice of Minnesotans concerned about the noise, fumes, danger to others, and environmental damage caused by off-highway vehicles..... “ http://www.mnresponsiblerec.org/

I rode my 500 HO across the lawn from trailer to garage – the stock Polaris’s aggressive tread was enough to tear up the sod and chew up the dirt driveway a good amount just by just making a slow and simple turn. It made me start thinking that maybe we have met the enemy – and it is our own tires.

Every year we see more aggressive tread, higher traction lugs, mud-diggers with tractor treads that scoop away the earth with each rotation. “Do we need this?” I started to ask myself.

Challenging myself to take a real look at my ATV usage, where I ride and the terrain I ride on – the answer begins to lean towards…..no.

Here in Minnesota we have lost the ability to ride in the forests – other then on designated ATV trails (read few and far between). Cross country travel is prohibited and carries hefty fines, and even confiscation of the ATV – so I’ve heard.

I looked at the tread on my daughters 90cc sportsman, A fairly moderate knobby design that leaves a noticeably minor track in the ground – even with me on it. Emily has been on the same trails, mountains and rocks as my 500 and the wifes 325. She’s been through the swamps and up the hills and through the same woods on nearly every ride. Yes there are limitation with her small tires and minimal ground clearance – but the traction she needed was there.

The question of what would it be like if we were to switch to more “turf /earth friendly” tires began to form.

Would the restrictions be lighter – or lifted? Would they have been needed to begin with?

Would the environmental whackos have less to complain about?

Would the butt heads who ride for the seemingly purpose of causing destruction – do less?

Those are interesting questions to ponder. If I needed to change my tires to get back my privilege to ride in the forests, to be more welcomed by the public and to do less damage to the areas I ride on…would I?....

Would you?

 

it's hard to say,

mabe i would change them...
if it opened up more places to ride...

 

I don't think that the big problem is damage caused by an agressive tread pattern, the problem is more the high horse power which leads to lots of tire spin and damage to the surface. What fun would it be to "crawl" across the ground?

 

It will eventually end up with the certain few that have to ride aggressively or ride off the designated trail, that in turn will tear up the lands and ruin if for all. The only way to keep trails is to be responsible riding on them. In Vermont we can't ride on any state land.

 

Sounds like a band-aid on a bullet wound to me.

I generally think that people are still new (and scared) to the whole ATV concept.

Some of these states need to wake up and realize how valuable a well organized ATV club can be. (to their state)

 

Or maybe, we could just carry our atv's thru the forest.

 

NO!!

 

Dont you guys understand that this goes much deeper than just tires? If we had slicks on our ATVs these people would still want us banned. They would just come up with something differante to complain about.

WhoDaitInTheMud I am from Shafer, good to see another local boy on this from. Maybe we could ride?

 

they are worried about alittle tire track,while wall-mart wants to build a super store between twharbors and duluth,at least we are mostly on rideing land and we stay off the nortshore here in mn from what ive seen but if a atv were to ride on it the
goverment would blow a nut but wallmarts can go take the so called"preserved wildlife" and build a store?
damn republicans

 

i know tthat was totally of subject but oh well!