Dirty ride location/costs opinions?

[Kitt]

I'm curious about a few things:

1. On public property, do you ride at will/first sight of sunshine, or do you wait for the ground to firm up so you don't cause ruts/damage. Do you advocate other's do the same?

2. Do you keep public ride spots hushed in fear of losing your spot?

3. Have you had a local ride spot taken from you?

4. What is a reasonable price to pay per ride/per season for a closed loop?


Curious where people lie on this! Always frustrates me when others go romping through limited access trails when they are wet/have ridiculous exhaust systems/leave trash behind. Also curious what reasonable rate is for hassle-free riding, as I provided it to several "regulars" but usually foot all the cash (equipment, fuel, land tax, soil, insurance). I am pleased with the amount of help I get each year - but could stand to mandate a fuel/maint fee to help with normal upkeep.

I am also an advocate of trading ride spaces/seat time with other local home-track owners... Not everyone is comfortable with others riding their land, but there is an excellent track to rider ratio here in the sticks that we should be taking advantage of!

[Paul_E_D]

I wait for the ground to firm up at my public spot. I only share the location with people I respect. I pack out massive amounts of trash each year and do what maintenance I can.

How much for your spot? Hmmm. If you start taking money, I think your liability changes... BUT it's worth money for sure. What about a non-profit club with dues or something?

[Kitt]

I wait for the ground to firm up at my public spot. I only share the location with people I respect. I pack out massive amounts of trash each year and do what maintenance I can.

How much for your spot? Hmmm. If you start taking money, I think your liability changes... BUT it's worth money for sure. What about a non-profit club with dues or something?

I am going to sell locations of your track... $10 anyone? anyone? comes with free trash removal!


I would do an annual fuel contribution for regulars only probably... not into charging people who visit once in a while. The liabilities wouldn't change with the policy I have unless it was an established business... I used to ride out in the berkshires at a guys place for $10/15 a ride one night a week... was an excellent track, but not sure what he had for insurance.

To explain the moto party - that $ gets donated or used for the food. Last year it cost me about $500 in food & bathroom, and we recieved about the same for missions trip donation (thanks again everybody!). This year could be quite different... considering getting some live music and having a bigger bash sat night for our non-riding friends.

[Paul_E_D]

I am going to sell locations of your track... $10 anyone? anyone? comes with free trash removal!


I would do an annual fuel contribution for regulars only probably... not into charging people who visit once in a while. The liabilities wouldn't change with the policy I have unless it was an established business... I used to ride out in the berkshires at a guys place for $10/15 a ride one night a week... was an excellent track, but not sure what he had for insurance.

To explain the moto party - that $ gets donated or used for the food. Last year it cost me about $500 in food & bathroom, and we recieved about the same for missions trip donation (thanks again everybody!). This year could be quite different... considering getting some live music and having a bigger bash sat night for our non-riding friends.

Yeah, I always wondered about that guy in the berkshires, and how he got away with charging people. I guess it would be fine til someone sues, or worse...

I was just meaning to say look into the liability. No need to put your neck on the line if there's another way to do it.

[typeone]

1. Wait until it makes sense. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
4. $15-30 per-ride, depends on quality.

Littering is wrong, period.

[Kitt]

Yeah, I always wondered about that guy in the berkshires, and how he got away with charging people. I guess it would be fine til someone sues, or worse...

I was just meaning to say look into the liability. No need to put your neck on the line if there's another way to do it.

I can talk more over the details but will opt out of posting them online!

I planted the seed about stimilon with meg....

[Paul_E_D]

I can talk more over the details but will opt out of posting them online!

I planted the seed about stimilon with meg....

Dooo iiiittt!

Jus think of it as moto compund weekend at someone else's place!

[TTD]

It's a shame something like Hatfield-McCoy system couldn't get off the ground around here.

www.trailsheaven.com

In state residents pay $26.50 per year / out of state pay $50.

It's amazing how much money the trail system has brought in to that area... and the concept is being repeated in lots of places.

[Kitt]

It's a shame something like Hatfield-McCoy system couldn't get off the ground around here.

www.trailsheaven.com

In state residents pay $26.50 per year / out of state pay $50.

It's amazing how much money the trail system has brought in to that area... and the concept is being repeated in lots of places.

I know we have advocates here that try to push the VAST trail system to have a summer wheeled vehicle adaptation. Maybe global warning will earn us more supporters?

[Kitt]

Dooo iiiittt!

Jus think of it as moto compund weekend at someone else's place!

So somebody will cook for me, hand me pain killers when I need them, Make sure I'm hydrated, and change the jump faces when I complain?

Peeeeeeeeeeerfect.

I am pumped... but should I be bringing a 250? May not have one by then!

[Svenny]

There used to be a couple of places near me where you could pay to ride if someone in the know brought you in, I think they were $25 for the day on the honor system. But they are both gone now...one lost their battle with local gov't and the other closed up after a rider crashed and died from his injuries.

It's a shame something like Hatfield-McCoy system couldn't get off the ground around here.

www.trailsheaven.com

In state residents pay $26.50 per year / out of state pay $50.

It's amazing how much money the trail system has brought in to that area... and the concept is being repeated in lots of places.

"March 6, 2013
STEWARTSTOWN, NH — The likelihood that completing a 1,000-mile-long interconnected ATV trail system in Coös County — now branded “Ride The Wilds” — in time for summer riding is now so great that an all-day Grand Opening will be held on June 15 at Coleman State Park."

I have been going to Jericho State Park for about 3 years now, not as much single track yet as I would like but the trail expansions are finally starting to pick up steam (http://www.avatvclub.org/)....and it's a great place to bring my 12 year old (or the whole family). They opened up about 20 camping sites last fall...the first of about 150-200 sites planned. They have 6 cabins, 9 pull throughs, and some tent only. They are currently working on the electric and piping systems so it is dry camping at the moment (they do have water up) but they are doing a beautiful job and I am happy to make the drive and spend my $$ there...they are much more appreciative and off road friendly than SE Mass is.

http://www.nhstateparks.org/explore/...tate-park.aspx

some pics
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=0d72ad5d45


Matt

[ZX-12R]

Hopefully the powers at be in the North Country work with the landowners to allow trail bikes on the trails up there. Right now just about everything North of Jericho is for ATVs only.

[Svenny]

I hope so too...
I talked to one of the Jericho folks for a while last year and he told me they were working on adding a crap load of more single track to the Jericho system, but I know they have had "issues" with timelines since the whole project started. I think they were supposed to have sewer, water and electric ready for 2013, but it looks like 2014 now...

[R7]

I'm curious about a few things:

1. On public property, do you ride at will/first sight of sunshine, or do you wait for the ground to firm up so you don't cause ruts/damage. Do you advocate other's do the same?

2. Do you keep public ride spots hushed in fear of losing your spot?

3. Have you had a local ride spot taken from you?

4. What is a reasonable price to pay per ride/per season for a closed loop?

1. Have I in the past, yes..as I'm sure many others have done as well. Would I go out early now, with wet condition, No. Public riding spots in these parts are few and far between. A little respect to the trails is the most important thing to keep them open. Having my own trail system, I can see the damage from early riding first hand...even with just 2 or 3 bikes for a half day.

2. A public riding spot that's 100% legal, no. There's no real need to keep those quiet...plenty of sources of information available to those who do a basic search. A "tollerated" but not legal public (can you still call that public? ) riding area..keep them quiet and don't draw unwanted attention. Every place that was tollerated in the past, that I would go riding at because I saw it on the internet somewhere, ended up getting shut down.

3. Yes, I've delt with it many times. Local and not so local.

4. There was a club that tried to form near me a few years ago and there were a few pricing options, depending what you wanted to ride. At the time, I bought a season pass to the MX track and a trail system and it was $600. Access was pretty much unlimited while it lasted. You could also buy a season trail pass for $300 for the year, no MX. Or just by the day was $25.
It's a hard call though, once people start forking over coin, they get pissy and bitchy about everything...saw this mostly with the MX guys at that place.

The barter system is the best/safest way IMO

[gregp]

1. On public property, do you ride at will/first sight of sunshine, or do you wait for the ground to firm up so you don't cause ruts/damage. Do you advocate other's do the same? - I ride when I can, but I do try to avoid unnecessarily tearing a place up. Tread lightly. Definitely.

2. Do you keep public ride spots hushed in fear of losing your spot? - Emphatically, YES!

3. Have you had a local ride spot taken from you? - Yes. Several.

4. What is a reasonable price to pay per ride/per season for a closed loop? - Depends on the loop/area. $5 for a small sand pit - LOL, maybe $10-20 for a decent 6-10 mile loop. A NETRA event costs $35-45 for 100-ish miles. Crow hill style track?? I haven't been there in 5 years or so... I think it was $25 a day? I do think that once you start charging riders, things can get complicated, even if you don't want them to (somebody gets hurt, incorrectly answers a question at the Hospital, and it all goes downhill from there).

[R7]

Hopefully the powers at be in the North Country work with the landowners to allow trail bikes on the trails up there. Right now just about everything North of Jericho is for ATVs only.

I see comments like this often for the trails up in Maine. In a lot of cases, it's the landowners choice what has access to their land. The ATV clubs are doing the majority of the work to get land access, then doing the trail work to get them open. I would bet if the trail bike community had a stronger showing in those areas as far as clubs go, you'd see things change.

[ZX-12R]

I agree with you completely. ATV's are more prevalent up North and to a much larger degree are used as tools (vs toys). When almost everyone has an ATV, it's much easier to get everyone to cooperate on the land access issues.

[typeone]

"March 6, 2013
STEWARTSTOWN, NH — The likelihood that completing a 1,000-mile-long interconnected ATV trail system in Coös County — now branded “Ride The Wilds” — in time for summer riding is now so great that an all-day Grand Opening will be held on June 15 at Coleman State Park."

I have been going to Jericho State Park for about 3 years now, not as much single track yet as I would like but the trail expansions are finally starting to pick up steam (http://www.avatvclub.org/)....and it's a great place to bring my 12 year old (or the whole family). They opened up about 20 camping sites last fall...the first of about 150-200 sites planned. They have 6 cabins, 9 pull throughs, and some tent only. They are currently working on the electric and piping systems so it is dry camping at the moment (they do have water up) but they are doing a beautiful job and I am happy to make the drive and spend my $$ there...they are much more appreciative and off road friendly than SE Mass is.

we love camping up at Coleman SP. great spot right on Little Diamond Pond. now that i have a little boy, can't wait to bring him on some trips north. hope the trail system continues to build up there.

from our last trip...

[breakdirt916]

1. On public property, do you ride at will/first sight of sunshine, or do you wait for the ground to firm up so you don't cause ruts/damage. Do you advocate other's do the same?

public in CA - if it's a small place, they close after rain. Big places (desert, rolling hills with over 130 miles of trails) are open all the time, and you can go whenever you want.

public in MA - franklin - I just went whenever, but I started to see what "tread lightly" means

2. Do you keep public ride spots hushed in fear of losing your spot?

of course!

3. Have you had a local ride spot taken from you?

not one that I rode on - most places were there when I was a kid, and disappeared when I got a bike as an adult

4. What is a reasonable price to pay per ride/per season for a closed loop?

$15-$30

[Kitt]

Anyone remember river's edge? had some moto-like tracks and other loops... 100 acres or more. It's for sale! Who is going to buy it and give us a spot!?

[TTD]

Anyone remember river's edge? had some moto-like tracks and other loops... 100 acres or more. It's for sale! Who is going to buy it and give us a spot!?

what town/state is that?

[Kitt]

Canaan NH

[typeone]

we started planning a trip to Rivers Edge a few years ago and never made it. hopefully someone buys it, seemed like a fun spot.

[Paul_E_D]

Go Tony, go!!

[TTD]

Too far north for me