Dirty Turtle Riding Area

Here’s a perfect example of off-road enthusiasts not submitting to suburbia and keeping the passion alive. Tired of driving several hours to partake in the sport they love — off-roading – a “band of OHV brothers,” so to speak, instead figured a way to transform 270 acres of land outside of Bedford, Ky., into a riding area. That park, which opened April 10, 2010, is called Dirty Turtle Offroad.

The Dirty Turtle Offroad facility is open to all types of off-road machines. (Courtesy of DTOR)

The DTOR site says “Over the last few years some great, local off-road riding areas have been closed. We have wheeled throughout the U.S., and must say the best place to off-road is right here in good ole Kentucky. With the help of some fellow friends, it was decided it was time that folks within 1.5 hours of Lexington, Louisville, and Cincinnati [Ohio] have a great place to enjoy their off-road toys. TEAM DTOR is comprised of a few folks who wanted a place to ride their quads and enjoy their 4x4s without having to spend all day driving just getting to the trailhead.”

The park, which is open to all types of off-road vehicles, claims to have some of the “finest and meanest trails in east of the Mississippi.”

I love that a group of riders took the initiative to bring off-roading fun closer to home. This looks to be the perfect example of “If you build it, they will come!”

For more info, visit Dirty Turtle Offroad.

Action Alert! CPSC to develop rules for SxS's

Action Alert!  Side by Side owners and enthusiasts need to stand up and be heard.  Now I don’t have a huge interest in (ROVs) Side by Sides but here is a link to a preformed response that will be sent to the Office of the Secretary, CPSC. Personalize the message all you want. The Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA) have made it easy to take just a minute or two to voice your opinion.  Follow this link to the Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA) Link to personalize your message

ATV Trails: Knott County, Kentucky

My good buddy Bill Reed, who I met roughly five years ago while visiting the Hatfield McCoy Trail System and has been an ATV Sport test rider, was manning the Knott County, Kentucky, booth at the 2010 Indianapolis Dealer Expo. Seeing the West Virginian in a booth that represented the state of Kentucky drove me to ask him a few questions. The first and most obvious question was “Why are representing Kentucky?” Another, “Are you moving from West Virginia?”

Reed’s answers explained everything and stated that he decided to sell his little motel in Gilbert, W.Va., and move the entire family to Kentucky to assist with the creation of OHV trails in the southeastern Kentucky county, which is known as “The Elk Capital of the East.”

The Knott County OHV system is scheduled to open (tentative) this fall. Of the four riding areas, only No. 1 Mine Made Paradise Park — which features a training center — is slated to open this year. The remaining three trailheads (No. 2 Fire Trail, No. 3 Brushee Fork Trail and No. 4 Red Fox Trail) are slated to open in 2012.

Mine Made Paradise Park has literally hundreds of miles of trails for ATVs, side-by-sides and dirt bikes on only a small portion of the 43,000 acres of privately owned land. The trails are professional designed and marked. In order to appeal to a wide variety of users, the system will also feature campgrounds and cabins (to open soon). The on-site Training Center is dedicated for closed-course ATV and motorcycle training and is the lone facility in the Appalachian region, according to Knott County.  For more info on the Training Center, visit www.kcrtc.com or call (606) 233-0080.

Growing In Glamis, Aboard Yamaha SE Quads

Riding the 2010 Raptor 700R SE at California's Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (Glamis).

Back in 2007, when I was still new to  ATV Magazine and ATV Sport, our staff took a trip out to the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA, a.k.a. Glamis) in extreme Southern California for a 450-class sport quad test. I had been riding my whole life, but had only ventured outside of the Midwest to ride a few times at this point – to North and South Carolina, Oregon, Kentucky and West Virginia. Everybody said I just had to ride in the dunes. From the descriptions I heard, I was very excited and a bit intimidated by such an alien riding environment of towering dunes, stadium-sized sand bowls.

Back in ’07, we were there to ride the newly-expanded fleet of 450cc sport quads including: Yamaha YFZ450, Suzuki LT-R450, Honda TRX450R and Kawasaki’s new KFX450R. We also had a few built-up machines out there, which I really had no business riding for my first visit, in such fast company.

I learned all the basic techniques before my first ride: don’t stop at the bottom of a hill, turn out (back downhill) if a hill climb isn’t going your way, maintain speed on off-cambers to keep the quad planted, look out for witches eyes (quad-swallowing divots created by shifting wind patterns) and, most importantly, don’t go off on your own unless you’d like to become a well-dressed stick of beef jerky. [Read more]

The Maine Attraction

I’ve got nothing against cities, but I think rural areas usually make for a better vacation. Even though I grew up in the countryside and really enjoy the rural lifestyle, I live in a city and have been a resident of Minneapolis for nine years now. Luckily, I get to spend a lot of time in some of the country’s most rural places through my ATV Mag travels, some naturally spectacular areas. I just returned from one destination that really had an impact on me – Maine’s isolated northwestern edge near Jackman.

Flying into Portland, Maine was spectacular, with all the tiny islands, big bridges and old buildings really painting a nice postcard to see through the plane’s window. One of my close friend’s, Meghan Howard, lived here for a year for school, so I had a list of places to check out, mostly down by the waterfront. Portland is the lobster capital of the world, after all.

After grabbing my rental car, I drove into downtown, walked by the water and grabbed a cup of lobster bisque, but then realized the time and knew I had to get on the road for Jackman.

One of the best view's from our first day's trip to the historic Pittston Farms.

The drive up was also a picturesque experience, with all of rural Maine’s tiny churches, small town charm, rushing rivers. After two hours things started getting really rural north of Augusta, with signs warning motorists of moose crossings.

Pretty soon my four-lane freeway was a two-lane highway, winding along through the trees with very few houses and even fewer towns. My destination was the Brown Moose Motel in Jackman, where I would meet up with Kevin Cavanaugh of Maxx’s ATV Rentals the next morning to do some riding.

Breakfast was found (every day) at the Mama Bear’s Den cafe across the street, and the riding Kevin and his sons-in-law Nigel and Mike showed me, was unique and spectacular. Most trails were wide paths abandoned from logging use, but some were very tight and technical, crossing many rivers with cool names like Penobscot. [Read more]

Best ATV Hunting/Fishing Destinations

Our upcoming September issue of ATV Magazine (mails out July 14th, newsstands August 4th) is our annual hunting issue and it’s packed with great stories, including a hunting-type build project on our new camo Grizzly 550 with power steering.

Putting it together, we spent a lot of time thinking about the greatest ATV hunting and/or fishing destinations – where a quad is a part of the journey, and not just for driving across a parking lot.

We’ve done turkey hunting in Oklahoma, lots of deer hunting and the Sept. issue has a great feature on bear hunting in Canada. But, what’s the greatest ATV hunting or fishing trip you’ve been on? Or, do you have one you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t found the time for?

I’m hoping to put together a fly-fishing trip in western Montana (potentially at the posh Resort at Paws Up) with the president of St. Croix Rods, Paul Schluter. He’s an old friend, and it’s a great excuse to try some awesome, top-end rods, do some riding and learn more about fly fishing.

We’re always looking for our next destination. What’s your ultimate ATV hunting or fishing trip? Where would it be, and what would you hunt?

America's Best ATV Riding

We’re doing a story in the upcoming (July) issue of ATV Magazine about the 25 best (and our favorite) ATV riding areas throughout the country – based on our team’s experience, uniqueness of terrain, quality of the trails, regional amenities and miles of available OHV riding.

Some of the locations on the list include Southern California’s Imperial Sand Dunes (of course!), New Mexico’s Carson National Forest, Grand Lake, Colorado, Coal Creek in Tennessee and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan – among 20 others.

Where do you all recommend? What are your favorite riding areas, and why? We are always looking for new places to check out, so comment or e-mail and let us know where you like to ride.

Follow the conversation at the ATV Magazine/ATV Sport forum at www.atvmagonline.com/forum.cfm.

Good News: CPSC Making Progress On Lead Youth ATV/Motorcycle Ban

Finally! After all of this hand-wringing, petition signing and lost sales over the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that has banned youth ATV and motorcycle sales due to their lead content, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is finally taking steps to delay enforcement of the law, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

While it’s definintely cause to take a deep breath and optimistically hope we’re seeing the light at the end of this, it’s still gravely important to keep on top of this and write any/all legislators you can about this. Learn more and get involved at www.mic.org/stoptheban.cfm.

From the AMA:

PICKERINGTON, Ohio –The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has voted to deny a petition to exclude youth-model motorcycles and ATVs from a law that bans their sale because of possible lead concerns–but has cleared the way for a second vote by month’s end to delay enforcement of the law, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

Because both members of the commission have said they favor a stay of enforcement, the move almost certainly will stay the execution of parts of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) within the agency.  On Friday, commission filings in preparation for the vote indicated a stay could be as long as two years, possibly expiring May 1, 2011. A planned second vote on that timeframe was expected by the end of April.

In addition, it’s not clear whether state attorneys general, who are also charged with enforcing the law, will also stand down.

“Clearly this latest move shows that the CPSC realizes that youth-model motorcycles and ATVs have no business getting caught up in a law aimed at children’s toys,” said Ed Moreland, the AMA’s vice president for government relations. “We’re heartened that both commissioners favor a stay of enforcement, and it appears that this could clear the way for dealers to sell youth-model motorcycles and ATVs–an important consideration for riders and motorsports businesses alike as the riding and racing season ramps up.

“However, this vote doesn’t solve the larger, long-term issue, which is whether or not youth-model motorcycles and ATVs will be exempted from the CPSIA,” Moreland noted. “We believe they should be excluded, and we will continue to work with our partners in the industry and our friends in Congress to make that happen.”

Acting CPSC Chairwoman Nancy Nord went on record on April 3 favoring a stay of enforcement. On April 16, Commissioner Thomas Moore agreed.

“It is clear from the post-enactment statements of some Members of Congress who were

Conferees on the CPSIA that they believe the Commission has the authority to make sensible

allowances for these vehicles as long as child safety is not compromised,” Moore said in his statement. “Given the extremely restrictive language of the law, the only avenue I can see is for the Commission to establish an enforcement plan that follows, to the greatest extent possible, the Act’s intention for future production, while providing relief to the industry and the riding community for vehicles already manufactured and those manufactured during the stay.”

The full text of Moore’s statement is below.

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE THOMAS H. MOORE

ON THE PETITION FOR TEMPORARY FINAL RULE

TO EXCLUDE A CLASS OF MATERIALS UNDER SECTION 101(b) OF

THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2008 (CPSIA)

April 16, 2009

I am aware of the speculation that has surrounded my vote on this issue. My staff has spent the time since the ballot came to the Commission working on what I believe is a good solution for the riders of youth motorized recreational vehicles, building and expanding upon the initial position taken by Acting Chairman Nord. The direction my colleague and I are giving to the staff today balances the Congressional desire to protect children from unnecessary contact with leaded components in these vehicles with the need to protect those same children from the potential for physical injury related to riding inappropriate adult-sized vehicles, or riding vehicles either in need of repair or less structurally sound than the ones currently on the market.

It is clear from the post-enactment statements of some Members of Congress who were Conferees on the CPSIA that they believe the Commission has the authority to make sensible allowances for these vehicles as long as child safety is not compromised. Given the extremely restrictive language of the law, the only avenue I can see is for the Commission to establish an enforcement plan that follows, to the greatest extent possible, the Act’s intention for future production, while providing relief to the industry and the riding community for vehicles already manufactured and those manufactured during the stay. There are compelling safety arguments that justify a stay of enforcement.

It is ironic that I am defending vehicles that I consider to be dangerous for children under 12 to ride and which contain accessible parts with excess levels of lead. However, the alternatives appear to be more dangerous. American parents seem to be willing to accept the risk for their children riding these vehicles, so it is the agency’s task, at this stage, to ensure that the vehicles are as safe as possible. One safety rule the agency has stressed is keeping children off of adult-sized ATVs.1 To the extent that new children’s ATVs cannot currently meet the lead limits in the CPSIA, there is the likelihood that parents seeking new vehicles will buy adult-sized ATVs for their children to use. We have also been notified by one ATV manufacturer that they are simply relabeling their Y-6+ and Y-10+ youth ATVs as Y-12+, removing the speed limiting device and continuing to sell them. Thus the vehicles that are more accurately sized for younger children will be less safe because of their ability to attain higher speeds.

The other part of the safety equation that helps balance an enforcement plan against the increased lead exposure it allows, is based on the assertions that certain vehicle components cannot be made with lead below a certain level without compromising the structural integrity (or another safety element) of the component. The enforcement plan of the Commission must require concrete data from the manufacturers on this point to justify their continued use of lead in excess of the applicable lead limit.

The industry has pointed to the European Union’s RoHS and ELV Directives as a guide for what lead reductions or substitutions may be technologically infeasible for their youth vehicles. While we might not need to allow the high lead limits allowed in those Directives for all components, there is guidance to be taken in how the European system is administered. They set an expiration date for their exemptions. Prior to that expiration date it is up to industry to come in and make their case that it is still technologically infeasible to reduce lead to a level at which an exemption is no longer required. The evidence considered is strictly limited to technological feasibility, not on the higher cost of a viable substitute. The guiding principle for this agency’s determinations has to be the safety of the children riding these vehicles.

I believe a stay of enforcement issued by the Commission should:

–relieve all makers, sellers, and distributors of youth motorized recreational vehicles made to date and through the expiration date of the stay from enforcement actions for failure to meet the lead limits of the CPSIA;

–allow those vehicles to be repaired, sold, traded, and otherwise used as they have been;

–allow the sale, distribution and installation of replacement parts that are comparable in lead levels to the old part being replaced until such time as those parts can be brought into compliance;

–expect industry to bring their vehicle components into compliance on a

reasonable schedule, to the extent that is technologically feasible, and to provide us with the detailed information we need to make informed decisions about those components in the future.

The Commission simply cannot ignore the safety tradeoffs that could arise by not providing this relief but it must also work with industry to bring the non-complying components of these youth vehicles as close to the lead limits established by law as is currently technologically feasible, to the extent those parts cannot be made inaccessible. The Commission also needs to let the riding community know that they can continue to use the vehicles they own as they always have.

I believe the approach taken today by myself and Acting Chairman Nord of directing the staff to draft a Federal Register notice containing concrete elements of a stay is the reasonable approach that the Congress is looking for us to take. I anticipate that the Commission will vote to approve it in the near future.

1) Most of my discussion is focused on the ATV industry as they present the greatest (lead and non-lead) safety challenges. However, the enforcement program will also apply to children’s off-road motorcycles and snowmobiles.

Preparing Your ATV for Transport

With the holidays right around the corner many of you are gearing up for a winter vacation, and whether that means a hunting trip to Montana with the boys or a family excursion to George Washington National Forest, either way you’ll be hauling out the ole’ ATV for a little fun. As weather conditions make roads slick and travel precarious at times, it is important to adequately prepare your ATV for shipping in order to minimize the opportunity that it is damaged, an ensure that you will be compensated in the event that it is. While these steps are designed to help you prepare your ATV for a shipping company, they can also be useful if you are planning on hauling the vehicle yourself.

The first step in preparing your ATV for transport is full-body wash. As you scrub, note any existing scratches, dents, dings or other imperfections and document them with both a written account and by taking photos. Be sure to date this documentation. Next, gather any records you have of past body work that has been done to the vehicle and assemble this information into a comprehensive description of the vehicle’s current condition. When you hand over the ATV to the carrier it is a good idea to briefly go over this information with him so both parties are aware of the condition.  

[Read more]

2008 High Lifter Mud Nationals Slide Show

High Lifter’s annual Mud Nationals is the largest ATV event you’ll find anywhere across the country. More than 14,000 racers, riders and fans converge on the sloppy grounds of the Mud Creek Off-Road Park in east Texas every April. 

Get Dirty!

Take it from us, the Mud Nats has an enormous, wild crowd and it’s hard to wrap one’s mind around all of the unbelievable things you’ll see on the grounds. Crazy modified machines, a variety of different mud bogs and even crazier people, and everybody’s driving some form of all-terrain vehicle.

Everything about the Mud Nationals is big, and that¹s why we’ve called it the World Series of the ATV world.

CLICK HERE FOR SLIDE SHOW

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