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Who here rides a ATV of Dirt Bike? I ride a Kawasaki KFX 90 4 stroke.

Almost convinced my parents to allow me to take my uncles old Honda sports motorcycle, not an ATV or a Dirt Bike. If it hadn't been for my uncle having an accident last January I probaly would have managed it

I once asked about atv's in this forum and got flamed for some reason.

I went quadbiking in turkey, was great fun, wooming through dirt tracks, into forests, then on the other side just pulling out into the middle of a main road, then zooming down into a dried river bed, was awesome

I'd like to have one, since they're so much cheaper to own than cars, but i got sorta put off when a friends dad whos in the police force told me how they're even more unsafe than motorbikes.

It's cos in a car, you're protected by the shell of the car. on a motorbike, you sort of fly away from the scene, on a quad bike, because of the way you sit, you don't fly away as you would on a bike, and you don't have the protective shell of the car, so you're screwed in an accident. I'm a safe driver myself, but it's a case of trusting road users around me too.

I went quad biking in north wales a couple of times about 10 years ago. They had a beginner, intermediate and advanced circuit. We went as a family the first time on the beginner circuit, zip up some hills and over some fields then onto an off-road oval and finally onto another oval which was across a valley (so kinda dip down and up). Was awesome fun, and the whole family enjoyed it.

Then later, I wanted to try the intermediate circuit, but only my dad was up for it, so it was me, him and some other people. That was basically through the woods and up and down some steep hills, plus a crawl along a really thin track with a 50 foot drop down one side. The track was only a tiny bit wider than the quad itself! All was good, but on the way back my dad drove off the cliff! He ended up doing his back in and the quad ended up in a river at the bottom somewhere.

Anyways, so I was the last remaining survivor, so I decided to try out the expert track the next day, and nobody else would go ... so it was just me and guide. All was good. Lots of really tough terrain along the sides of cliffs, up steep hills which meant you had to flaw it and lean forwards or end up tumbling back down. Was KNACKERING, but cool.

On the way back, we went across the side of a mountain. The track was pretty wide (about twice as wide as the quad), but there was loads of felled trees and logs we had to scramble over the whole way. I ended up shimmying to the end of the cliff and the logs started rolling, locked up the brakes and was face first with a pretty much vertical drop into a rocky chasm. The guide was quite far ahead of me and had disappeared, so, facing my impending doom, I put it into reverse, hooked one leg over ready to leap off, and then throttled it backwards slowly, pushing a few logs over the edge, then calmly continued before the guide saw I'd almost killed myself.

Now I know why you fill in those disclaimers voiding their liability for your death. Good fun though!

I ride in the sonoran desert, around Maricopa County near Phoenix AZ

no one else?

Been riding for 5 years now, started in 2002. I'm 42, and becuase I'm older, I maybe started out with a different prespective. One thing: You have to handle an ATV almost like a snow mobile. They just don't always go exactly where you want them too. So there is some risk with narrow trails no matter how slow you go.

Other thing: No matter what trail rating system there is, YOU have to take responsability for yourself and only go where you feel you can go safely. Trail ratings don't take into consideration that rain last night that washed a gully accross a trail. YOU have to make the decision for yourself all the time!!! I have riden advances trails and I have had to turn around on what was supposed to be easy trails.

After riding regularly for 2 years, I was totally unprepared for what I would experience in the mountains on my first trip there. 10 times more difficult! Anyone who takes a newby out on trail for his first ride should be watching the newby VERY closely and NEVER takking them down trails that are barely as wide as the ATV. That's just stupid. In fact a good outfitter provides two guides, one to lead, and one to follow...

@Fallout: Your guide deserved to be pushed over a cliff for takking you and your family thru those expereinces. While riding my ATV every weekend, sometimes both saturday and sundays, I have only once been injured and the was a minor sprained ankle because I did something stupid, driving fast thru some grass too high to see hidden rutts. I also rolled it over once and that was on a trail that looked too difficult, too steep, but I though "Well, its marked easy" so I plowed ahead not really thinking until it was too late. Luckily, even that resulted in no injury to me and only cosmetic minor damage to the ATV.

The only REAL danger on an ATV is because they are soooo much easier to handle and ride than a dirtbike, people tend to do much riskier stuff. I do not know one dirtbike rider who did not fall several times on their first attempt to lean to ride. I do not know one dirtbike rider who was not injured at least a little bit on thie first day learning to ride. On the other hand, lots of ATV riders never injur them selves at all. My injury was after I had been riding for a month and started to let my guard down and do riskier stuff. (Stupid stuff).

Another thing that's really important: ATV tires handle very badly (way too grippy) on pavement. Go slow on any paved roads and go cautiously. Never try to turn sharply on pavement. It can and possible will roll over.

So to answer the point of this thread: I currently own a 2004 Yamaha Kodiak 450 with 4wheele drive. I really like the power it has becuase momentum helps you get past a lot of stuff on the trail. I ride in NJ and PA and go to WV and Tn for my vacations in the mountains.

my brother rides a KX 85 and did not wreck on day one, now my dad stalled his bike when braking so fell over. Thats good advice vidiot.