ATV Florida Forum

Looking for feedback and input.

Would you still attend the Apollo Motorcycle Club Pumpkin Run if Side by sides were no longer permitted to participate?

That would be a tough call.
With my family, one of us has to drive a rhino.
If SXS were eliminated, Someone is staying home.
I drove the Rhino this year and previous years and have had no problems with the trails.

If there was issues with side by sides its not the machine it the operator.  Ban the careless and reckless operators and bike, quads and Side by sides can ride in peace.

The problem is probably the size of some of them.
They are getting so wide and the horse power is off the charts on some of them.
Hug tires 33-36" digging graves for the poor ole ATV guys.
Merely speculating.

Banning side by sides would probably make me want to come more. I agree, it's the drivers that are the problem, but they will never change and if you run into one of them, it's almost like hitting a car. It's only a matter of time till somebody's going to get really hurt bad. Larry

Thanks for the input. The idea is being kicked around to ban Side by sides, and over aggressive tires in general. Trying to get an idea of just how much smaller this event will become before it's just not worth doing.

I think the bigger question is what you would consider over aggressive tires. Depending on this, it could wipe out 50%+ of the people who attend.

I agree with asmart82. I drive an ATV and my tires would probably be considered aggressive. If I couldn't attend with these tires, then I wouldn't go.

What is the problem here?  Is the land owner complaining about the property getting dug up or what?

There are a few members in the club who believe that the property is getting destroyed by the side by sides and over aggressive tires. Considering imposing Ocala OHV trail limitations on tire lug size.

Not sure how we could possibly regulate this with pre-entries,...pretty much a no win situation.

I'm sure there will a lot of heated discussion on this topic in the near future. I'll keep you posted.

I have a pretty much stock Can-Am Commander side by side with an 800 cc engine. I ride sometimes with ATV's that have 1000 cc engines and 30"+ mud tires. Who do you think is harder on the trails?

If safety is an issue than ATV's should be banned instead of side by sides. I have yet to see an ATV on the trails that I ride on in ONF that have seatbelts and a roll cage. Often the ATV riders are only wearing t-shirts, shorts, tennis shoes and about half of them aren't wearing helmets. I know there is a company out there that makes a single seat ATV with a roll cage but I have yet to see one on the trails and I ride ONF 1 to 3 times a month.

ATV riding in FL just plain sucks.  If you never left FL and never rode in another state, you don't know what your missing.  Ive been riding up in NY til I was 18 then have been riding here ever since.  Croom has improved but when they don't maintain the trails, the place sucks.  I jumped on the SxS train and bought a Maverick only to realize the only place to ride them legally without being deeded to some property is ONF and that's 3 hours away.  When I almost ran over a 8 year old on the centennial trail with my Maverick, I was done with it.  I sold it and have stuck with my quad.  Now that everyplace is taken over by a-holes and aggressive riders and SxS, I have decided to give the whole sport up.  As soon as I sell my outlander, I'm done.  It's a shame the way Florida looks at OHV and it's a bigger shame that people Abuse the sport.  As I stated on here before, the SxS world has gone totally insane.  The price for a top of the line unit will set you back more than a car and in some places, more than a home.  I guess there are a ton of rich people in the world to buy this crap.

All but one of my ATV's have Outlaws. I think they would be considered aggressive tires.
The RULE regarding tires on the trails in ONF reads like this:
"Users are encouraged to keep tread depth to a maximum of 1 inch. This will help prevent soil displacement and reduce trail maintenance costs"
I say let the rule be adopted and enforce like helmet rules.
Never had any issues with our outlaws riding ONF.

Just did 50 miles in northern end of Ocala. Wont ever go back because the side by sides have destroyed the trails. Fortunately they don't ride wandering grass.

Do not like Ocala just to many issues at that place, stay safe.

Instead of banning side by sides..... we are taking a completely different approach and gearing the entire run to accommodate them. This years run will be a party to remember, a run designed for side by sides with 4 wheelers and dirt bikes welcome.

Please see my post in Group rides and Events for more info.

AMC