ATV-ing

Ok, so im looking at some form of powersport and a quad/ ATV seems to be a year round ticket.

Any advice? What should i bee looking for? is this for me even?

Im in ohio and actually dont even know of where to go.

Im a noob. help

Where do you plan on riding?

Trails?

Mud?

Sand?

2 wheel?

4x2?

4x4?

6x6?

just about any old 2wd quad can really be woken up with a new model Sled engine btw.

I too am from Ohio and though I have never owned an ATV my very first thought is, "where can you legally ride it?"

Aside from owning you own farm land I suspect then that you will be loading it into a pick-up truck, van or trailer to actually use it (legally.) The support vehicle costs then have to be factored into the budget. Both the time budget and dollars budget get increased. Suddenly, cheap fun takes more time and costs more dollars.

In my experience, unless you have a group of friends that ride, you will not use a quad much.

ManofFewWords wrote: In my experience, unless you have a group of friends that ride, you will not use a quad much.

I think this is super sound advice. It goes for many toys.

Where in Ohio are you? I am in Pittsburgh, and I go out to Mines and Meadows. This is an ATV park near Beaver Run Race track in Wampum PA. It is about 10 minutes from the Ohio state line. For $25 you can ride all day legally, and have access to a pressure washer, medical aid and repair services. They also rent quads, so I can always bring a freind along. If you are close by, or there is somehting similar in your area, then a quad is a lot of fun.

There are a lot of trails near me that you can ride on once you know what the cops tolerate and what they don't. Most trails are there because someone lives close by and has made the trails, so getting to know a local and asking questions about the area can be a big help. Riding with respect is also a big help! My father has a quad and we go out together sometimes, but having a friend to ride with would be a real benefit. There are a bunch of kids who ride out from my neighborhood and come back muddy, so I will have to get to know them and have them take me out to their spot! (I live in the woods though)

As for transportation, I use a Harbor Freight Trailer that cost $230, plus wood and registration and a trailer hitch for my mini-minivan, so say under $500. Add in $1500 for the quad, and it was a pretty good deal.

I had never been on a quad before. My son bought one, and the price was right, so I bought one too. I hate it. I have absolutely no interest in riding it. We do have acreage, and the wife wants to use it, so its not all bad. We bought these after some research, and you might be smart to start out with something similar, just in case you like it as much as I do.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190284481615&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=009

They're fine, and supposed to be quite reliable.

I have friends that ride, but I'm on the fence about getting one. Maybe in the future, but there is nowhere around here in central Ohio that I can ride legally.

I wouldn't mind hitting the Hatfield and McCoy trails in eastern KY though.

The main object is to get my Family outdoors. Motorsports outdoors would be a bonus.

Me, I am not a couch fan. (Couch is a dirt biker term for quads.) If you do go the quad route, do yourself a big favor: get a shaft drive version. Chain quads are HELL on sprockets and chains. Even the hi dollar sprockets and chains just don't last.

another option is a 2-seat mini-buggy. probably alot more fun

I went to school with the guy that builds (or used to, his parents owned the shop) this

http://www.xtc-motorsports.com/xtc1300lt.htm

yep..... Busa powered buggy

The Allegheny National Forest in NW PA has miles and miles of trails and all you need is a DCNR permit and a few bucks. Also not far from Ohio.

check state and national forests and parks for public trails. also if your mudding and or climbing over stuff an automatic is pretty sweet, as is permanent 4x4. If you wanna go fast then a 2wd might be all need.

Pinchy,
You have some cool choices in your neighborhood. Michigan has some cool stuff as well but it is even farther away. In general, I find that Ohio is not very Off-Road friendly.

-John

Jensenman wrote: Me, I am not a couch fan. (Couch is a dirt biker term for quads.) If you do go the quad route, do yourself a big favor: get a shaft drive version. Chain quads are HELL on sprockets and chains. Even the hi dollar sprockets and chains just don't last.

+1

Quads feel like big, heavy, poor handling dirt bikes to me.

In some awesome parts of the country, they can be registered and made street legal.

Tommy Suddard wrote:

Jensenman wrote: Me, I am not a couch fan. (Couch is a dirt biker term for quads.) If you do go the quad route, do yourself a big favor: get a shaft drive version. Chain quads are HELL on sprockets and chains. Even the hi dollar sprockets and chains just don't last.

+1 Quads feel like big, heavy, poor handling dirt bikes to me.

+2

and they do more damage to the environment

suprf1y wrote: I had never been on a quad before. My son bought one, and the price was right, so I bought one too. I hate it. I have absolutely no interest in riding it. We do have acreage, and the wife wants to use it, so its not all bad. We bought these after some research, and you might be smart to start out with something similar, just in case you like it as much as I do. http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190284481615&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=009 They're fine, and supposed to be quite reliable.

For some reason I decided to buy a cheap ($800) chinese quad for my then 10 year old. I am not kidding when I tell you that he nearly destroyed it in less than 2 hours. I had to fabricate a complete new swing arm, replace the bent rear shock with one off of a kx60, the front wheel "bearings" are shot, etc. The actual metal these things are made of is of such low quality you have to see it to believe it. He learned to ride at 3 years old on a new 2000 Suzuki Jr50 which is still going strong, and we also have an 84 Suzuki LT50 quad which cannot be killed. I got him an 04 Suzuki JR 80, and it runs like a top as well. You get what you pay for.

We bought a $400 mini 110cc quad that my (20yr old) son has tried to destroy for the last 6 months. It still runs fine with the only issue being the muffler falling off. The latest ones we picked up are even better built. Not sure what you bought, but these things are fine.

Monkeywrench wrote:

Tommy Suddard wrote:

Jensenman wrote: +1 Quads feel like big, heavy, poor handling dirt bikes to me.

+2 and the do more damage to the environment

I don't want to go off and sound like a seirra club member, but this is completly true. I used to ride dirt bikes alot, and if I ever move to somewhere with convienient acces to legal riding areas I hope to start ridding again. I have personaly seen trail areas that were used frequently and hard by 2 wheelers destroyed, literaly sections rendered impassable, in a season by 4 wheel ATVs.

If you remove the deck a riding mower can go most places a quad can, though a bit slower. Wear a hardhat and orange vest and the cops will leave you alone while they chase the dirtbikes and quads out. I get very board sometimes.

HappyAndy wrote:

Monkeywrench wrote:

Tommy Suddard wrote:

Jensenman wrote: +1 Quads feel like big, heavy, poor handling dirt bikes to me.

+2 and the do more damage to the environment

I don't want to go off and sound like a seirra club member, but this is completly true. I used to ride dirt bikes alot, and if I ever move to somewhere with convienient acces to legal riding areas I hope to start ridding again. I have personaly seen trail areas that were used frequently and hard by 2 wheelers destroyed, literaly sections rendered impassable, in a season by 4 wheel ATVs.

I won't go into all the nuances of 'environmental destruction' but I will say what most folks consider to be such is nothing more than unpleasant to look at. It's not true 'destruction'.

Having said that, as a former OHV trail manager yes the average backwards ball cap wearing ATV yahoo can undo a day's worth of trail repair in less than 30 minutes. If he's got a six pack in him, cut that to 15 minutes.

In Ohio you can ride it legally on any secondary road. I live about 2o min south of Akron and we rode all around here when we were kids. Now we all grew up and bought land about 45 miles south of Canton. There are 100's of miles of trails down there.

Jensenman wrote:

HappyAndy wrote:

Monkeywrench wrote:

Tommy Suddard wrote:

Jensenman wrote: +1 Quads feel like big, heavy, poor handling dirt bikes to me.

+2 and the do more damage to the environment

I don't want to go off and sound like a seirra club member, but this is completly true. I used to ride dirt bikes alot, and if I ever move to somewhere with convienient acces to legal riding areas I hope to start ridding again. I have personaly seen trail areas that were used frequently and hard by 2 wheelers destroyed, literaly sections rendered impassable, in a season by 4 wheel ATVs.

I won't go into all the nuances of 'environmental destruction' but I will say what most folks consider to be such is nothing more than unpleasant to look at. It's not true 'destruction'. Having said that, as a former OHV trail manager yes the average backwards ball cap wearing ATV yahoo can undo a day's worth of trail repair in less than 30 minutes. If he's got a six pack in him, cut that to 15 minutes.

Any road in a wild area does cause damage. They are channels for erosion and some species will not cross a road of any sort which can be a serious problem if that separates a community. Habitat fragmentation is one the biggest threats to the environment. [/filthyhippy]

It's always seemed to me that serious off-roaders tend to be very in tune to the environment and want to have as little impact as possible-- much like serious hunters tend to be very aware of the environment and natural ecosystems.

Drunken yahoos, on the other hand, are an entirely different story.