Would you prefer a street legal ATV to a DS?

[CodeMonkee]

I don't like ATVs on the road or off, at least not when compared to a bike.

[Tripl Nikl]

Originally Posted by bk brkr baker

Quads are considered leagal to ride on the roads in Harlin County, Ky. because they want to encourage "Adventure Tourism'...

I know how they roll in Harlin County!

Originally Posted by JamesG

Food for thought:



One is street legal. The other is not. Can you see why?

DUDE!!! That's a great side-by-side shot!

And it also proves why, if/when I ever get my Bronco done I'll have to sell it and get a clapped out Sammy to built into a real 4x4. I'd look like a gorilla on a clown bike in it, but look at that--it'd totally wheel anywhere you could get access to around here (western Washington).

[Big Bird 928]

Originally Posted by Tripl Nikl

And it also proves why, if/when I ever get my Bronco done I'll have to sell it and get a clapped out Sammy to built into a real 4x4. I'd look like a gorilla on a clown bike in it, but look at that--it'd totally wheel anywhere you could get access to around here (western Washingtong).

Sammy's will alot of times fit in a toy hauler too. measure to be sure, but I have fit them before!

[Tripl Nikl]

Originally Posted by Big Bird 928

Sammy's will alot of times fit in a toy hauler too. measure to be sure, but I have fit them before!

Sammies got real rare after that Consumer Reports hit piece. If I found one with a blown motor and/or tranny and--hopefully!--with a rotted soft top so I could argue the price down. I could totally see it!

Strip it out, drill holes in the floor, Rhinoline it, mount hard plastic seats in it (glue closed cell foam on them for "comfort"). Basically, keep whatever is needed to run it legally and ditch the rest.

Rain?! Here's an umbrella. Heat? Wear a coat. Wind? Here's some goggles. Damn this thread!!!!

[XpressCS]

Wish I could find a Sammy for a decent price around here. But a Jeep works just as well sometimes

[CodeMonkee]

Originally Posted by XpressCS

These 'tendencies' are nothing more than fallacy. A dirt bike can ruin a trail equally as well as a quad.

It all depends on how much you spin your tires.

Larger tires, 4 of them, much wider and heavier vehicle, the tendency for them to get stuck in places (especially low spots and hills) where a good dirt bike just sails through, and the tendency for the quad riders to open new trails or go around hard spots. I have observed all of these facts and tendencies of ATV riders first hand in various riding spots when the ATVs go off the road and onto trails where only bikes were before. The difference was stark once the ATVs started using the trails.

I believe the local ATVs, who lived close enough to one spot to just ride from their house onto the DNR land, to tear up the trails the dirt bike riders had been using for years, was one of the major reasons the DNR closed the area to riding - and I don't blame them, it was getting pretty bad.

ATVs need a place to ride too, but the facts of their much heavier weight, larger tires, twice the number of tires can tear up trails, especially difficult trails, much faster and worse than a dirt bike. Combine that with some riders in every crowd (bikes or ATVs) who don't practice good stewardship, who don't care how much they tear up the land - indeed who seem to relish tearing up trails - and you get bad results.

[XpressCS]

Keep in mind not all quads are 4wd, most are 2wd.

I prefer to ride on 3 though. Quads are heavy, bulky, have piss poor cornering abilities, and most importantly, tipsy. I have never rolled on a trike, I've rolled every single quad I've ridden (I have ridden many), because they're just clumsy. You can't slide them just right.

I'll take this any day of the week:



BTW my Tecate weighs 290lbs with a full 3.1 gallons of gas. Most dirt bikes with the same power specs weigh around the same.

[bk brkr baker]

Originally Posted by Tripl Nikl

I know how they roll in Harlin County!

Yeah , There's nothing like a TV show ,shot in California,with non-Kentuckians as the actors to give an accurate depiction of life in Kentucky.

Oh,I'm a Justified fan anyway.

[Hardware02]

Originally Posted by ysr612

unless a quad has a differential it will always be more harmful, as when turning a corner one wheel is always draging.

Mine has a lockable rear diff. Controlled by a handlebar switch, the open diff position is labelled "Turf" mode. I can plow snow in rear-wheel drive alone without even locking in 4x4.

I've also hauled ~300 lbs of crushed rock in the dumping bed across a wet lawn in Turf mode and not harmed the grass, even making tight turns around trees & bushes.

[CodeMonkee]

Originally Posted by Hardware02

Mine has a lockable rear diff. Controlled by a handlebar switch, the open diff position is labelled "Turf" mode. I can plow snow in rear-wheel drive alone without even locking in 4x4.

I've also hauled ~300 lbs of crushed rock in the dumping bed across a wet lawn in Turf mode and not harmed the grass, even making tight turns around trees & bushes.

This would be what I would want some kind of ATV for, but I wouldn't use it on my trails (on property) because they are too narrow and too steep for an ATV.

I would like something that was an ATV/tractor cross. Yes, I've seen vids of ATVs pulling rotary plows and such, still not sure that they are good for that. Plus almost all of my property is sloped such that an ATV would have to be used carefully in that mode.

[Aghartha]

Originally Posted by Poacher Bob

Some where there's a mt. biker bitching about how dirt bikes ruin THEIR single track...

I can fuck up a trail on my mountain bike quicker than I could on an ATV on some days.

Everybody whines about everyone else, then they go out on a rainy day and trash some nice single track.

[MightyMouse]

Wish I could find a Sammy for a decent price around here.

Instead of a Sammy, consider a 1999 or older 2-door Suzuki Sidekick or Geo Tracker. Much easier to find in good shape than a Sammy, cheaper prices, and with fuel injection and more horsepower. Still lots of aftermarket parts for it, to make it into anything you want.

[Keithert]

Originally Posted by MightyMouse

Instead of a Sammy, consider a 1999 or older 2-door Suzuki Sidekick or Geo Tracker. Much easier to find in good shape than a Sammy, cheaper prices, and with fuel injection and more horsepower. Still lots of aftermarket parts for it, to make it into anything you want.

I've had two Trackers and agree they are quite capable. Plus wheeling a rig that is only worth a grand is quite freeing. I haven't wheeled my Wrangler as much because it's worth so much more.

That pic of a Sammy next T9 a Razr showed how similar in size they are. A Tracker is a fair bit larger.

[Poweranger]

I have been trail riding ATVs for over 20 years now and NO I do not like riding on the road. I prefer the road bike for that. It would be convenient to have the ATV plated and able to hit any gas station, restaurant, ect. along the trail or to mix up trail systems using the road. Lucky for me I live in Michigan and we have a great trail system. Over 3000+ miles and growing. Not only that a new state law a few years ago allows counties to open their roads for ORV use with certain restrictions making services available to non licensed ATVs and dirtbikes.

I also see lots of ignorant statements surfacing from the elite two wheeler crowd in this thread. Not surprising I have meet many on the trail that think the same way. I have never seen ATVs tear up a trail any more than a bike. In Michigan we have three separate trail designations. The CCC pushed and succeeded in passing a state law making it illegal to ride a ATV on any designated motorcycle trail maintained at 24". While I think it was a BS move to push for a law like this I do not condone riding on trail not designated for your type of vehicle. The problem is not all the "single track" 24" trail is actually 24" and can easily be mistaken and riden on by wider vehicles. If you are not familiar with the trail system I could see someone actually making an honest mistake and end up with a ticket because some elite two wheeled riders pushed for a law to favor their group. All offroad users should stick together to keep riding areas open whether you drive a Jeep, 3 wheeler, 4 wheeler, or 2 Wheeler. Its the ass wipes that ride off the designated trail system and tear up the land that ruin it for everyone. Not just the so called Quadtards.

[wyowillys46]

The problem isn't necessarily ATVs. It's the overabundance of idiots that pilot them. The fact that they take minimal skill to operate, ensures a certain crowd gravitates to them.