Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Best and Worst ATV storys

I know you got em. So let's here em.<P>Here is one of my worst.<P>Last September on the way to moose camp I was crossing this river (river to remain secret). After crossing 3 channels and some deep and quite swift stuff. I was about 2 feet from the bank when all the sudden the gravel bar underneath me started to wash out. Of course it washed out on the current side and I was grabbed by said current and started to float. My Polaris 6X6 is quite top heavy. I did not stay upright for long. I was going down with my rig (I didn't let go of one handle bar). I somehow managed to keep my head above water. At one point I thought I was going to loose it and let go. At this point my partner dove in and we grabbed a tire. Both of us up to our necks we managed to pull it to the shore and used his winch to upright it. Pulled it out of the river and set up camp. Fished my stuff out of the river (sleeping bag and food in a water tight box). Got the thing running the next day about 2 hour of work draining the engine, exhaust and transmision (belt housing for polaris people). Used some starting fluid and got it running. Thank goodness for 2 stroke. After is was all said and done the only things lost were some cargo straps and a little of my ego.<P>6X6

6X6: I'm afraid I don't have any kind of stories to tell yet. I'm still just learning on mine. But by the way you tell the story. It sounds like you guys are lucky one or both of you didn't get hurt. And just plain damn lucky that you were able to retrieve the ATV with no damage. To bad your wife wasn't along to take some pictures.<P>Phil

Greyghost,<P> I tell I feel lucky to still be walking this earth. <P> I did some Damage to the engine (starting fluid and silt from the river) It doesn't run as well. Lost some top end performance. I consider that minor.<P> Worst of all I came home with NO MOOSE!<P>PS My wife would not have liked that she is not very hardcore. She would have freaked out when I flipped in the river.<p>[This message has been edited by BigBoss6X6 (edited February 09, 2001).]

I've got a good one -<BR>While home recovering after hernia surgery, I get a call from my mother. Dad got the ATV stuck on what he thought was a frozen swamp. He then got his GMC stuck trying to drive out to the swamp to yank out the atv. Called a wrecker, wrecker driver got stuck. They gave up that night. Luckily the temp hovered at 33 deg. that night so nothing froze in the mud. With atv, Z-71, and wrecker stuck, 2 more wreckers came the next morning to winch, pull, and come-a-long everything out. Exercising a few patients would have saved a lot of trouble, and money...<P>Buckshot<BR>'99 Sportsman 500<BR>'01 Sportsman 500 H.O.<BR>'01 Sportsman 90

Well I finally got an ATV story. O'l Berts Mega Mall even screwed up the registration on my new Polaris. So yesterday I had to go to DMV to get it fixed. I was real surprised that AAA or Auto-Club didn't handle the registrations for ATV's. Anyway back in December the local DMV, in Rancho Cucamonga had it's roof fall in from the rain. So I was told to go to the one in Covina, about 25 miles from my house, couldn't even get in the parking lot, and a line of people clean out the door and down the street. So I tried the one in Pasadena, or maybe it's Rosemead, same thing. So then I go about 70 miles in the oppisite direction to Norco, damn same thing, but this time I decide to rough it out. I wait in line for about 30-45 minutes, and some woman comes up hands me a handfull of papers and tells me to get out of line to fill them out. Then I get back into line, the end of a now very long line, and it takes me 90 minutes to get to the front. I had to maintain my cool, because I wanted to get Off Road tags for my pickup, and trailer too. As it turns out they don't issue tags for trailers, but I got the tag for my pickup for $21, and they didn't charge for the ATV. The whole thing took me all day.<P>So I suggest to any one else! Don't go to DMV on a Monday, and once you pick one. Stay there till you get done. It doesn't do any good to try to beat the odds. There all the same.<P>Phil

Phil,<P>you mean you have to register your ATV? Here in Georgia its considered an off-road vehicle. No registration neccessary. badger.<P>------------------<BR>Keep the traditions alive, take your child hunting.....

Yup, California's got allot of screwey laws. Registration, and a sticker they call a license for $21 dollars, and it's good for 2 years.<P>Phil

You also need to register atv's in Colorado if you want to use them on public land. BTW phil your registering in CA is ok for Colorado as well. tom

Took the ATV out, today with my son and some guys from work. First thing learned, this is not a dirt bike. Everybody else was riding a dirt bike, and I guess I just kind of got into the same spirit of things. We just went to some local, large vacant field alongside the 15 freeway, where the boys had kind of built a track. Probably less than 100 acres. Anyway I had been riding around all day. Just learning the do's and dont's of this ATV. Had just been riding around the trails and through the trees, and seeing how fast I could actually get this thing to go. There was a lot of sand but did get it up to about 50 before chickening out. Some how I got onto some trail I hadn't been on yet, and wound up going over a wash-out. Approximately a 3 foot straight drop. This thing was completely invisable untill you were already going over it. Was only going about 15 and riding up over another hump, and there it was. No way to stop or turn. So I was going over, a 230 pound rider, on a 700+ pound ATV. Wasn't going fast enough to come down on all 4's, and going to fast to just roll over and flip. Which was what I thought was going to happen. As it turned out I came down hard on the 2 front wheels at what looked like allot more than a 45 deg. angle, and the thing righted itself. I felt that hit all the way up my spine, and now feel lucky. Got over confident, could of killed myself, or damaged the ATV. Neither of which happened.<P>Phil

Glad you're OK Phil, could have been a painful one. I went dirt bike riding yesterday. Spent the day on a somewhat hopped-up KDX 200. Did about 35 miles of mountain trail riding (narrow, rutted, whoops, roots sticking out of the ground, mudholes etc.) Felt like swallowing a bottle of Geritol this morning . Those guys who think they are in shape, try it. You'll discover muscles & body parts you didn't know you had... <P>------------------<BR>Keep the traditions alive, take your child hunting.....

No exactly what you mean, my arms felt like marshmellows all day today!<P>Phil

Best story... I took this awesome babe out for a ride one hot summer day. She wore this tiny pink bikini that looks as though it were too small, but it fit her like a dream!<BR>Bad story... My old lady woke me up from the above dream, and said, "Get up you lazy bum, and take out the trash!" <BR>Actually, I do have a bad one... I borrowed a Foreman the other year, and went out for a rise, and as i was crossing this stream that looked shallow, it had a deep spot at the other side, current had ben erroding away the embankment. The wheeler decided it wanted to float, arse upwards, nose sunk! I had no choice but to jump in up to my hips and muscle the thing out. Being a weakling, i walked home instead. Two brothers and I returned and towed it home. After a good cleaning, draining, oil changing, I returned the Foreman. <BR>The best... whenever I head down the coast for a ride(searching for mastadon icory tusks), it turns out to be a good time. ~~~Suluuq

Hey Badger! Need a riding partner? I live in Douglasville and we all could use more riding partners.<P>How about this: In Hawaii, you must register BICYCLES! My bicycle costed me $15 to register, whereas my out of state permit for my truck costed $5!

Took the Polaris to the Off Road Park, up in Azusa Canyon today. Lot better area to ride in, and allows you to cross the river in two places. No accidents this time, even with the rougher terrain. Must be getting experienced (Grin). The 11" clearance on this Polaris sure comes in handy, the crossings in the river were at least 18" deep, with rolling rocks the size of basket balls, no problem didn't even get wet. My boy took his dune buggy, and dirt bike. He popped a tire and bent the rim on the dune buggy, finished his day. But we got a good 4 hours in. Felt like it was 100 degrees up there.<P>Phil<P>Phil