Bbro
09-16-2008, 10:34 AM
Hey all!
I'm new to this forum and still a bit of a ameature to ATVs. I have ridden one most of my younger life (30 yrs old now) but it has only been "light" riding I have done, i.e. flat trails, no mudding, no aggressive hill climbing, etc.
Back on Christmas Eve last year (2007), I attempted to climb a rather large, steep and intimidating mountain-side trail. Well, with my inexperience in traversing such a trail and being overly confident, I started up it "balls to the walls" so they say. Well, one split-second error let to another and next thing I know the quad flipped over on top of me, my head hitting a rock (which was BY THE GRACE OF GOD was covered over a little by a layer of leaves which padded the impact of my noggin' against the rock). Oh and the quad which I was riding was my dad's Foreman which ended up tumbling end over end about 7-8 times down the mountain side. (Plug for Honda Alert! After ALL the tumbling and such it was only a little flooded, cranked right up and rode over 3 miles the back way home).
THEN I purchased an 07' Honda 420EFI. The VERY FIRST day me and my dad (who has been riding ATVs since he was just a wee little lad) went riding, I ended up flipping my new quad!! (Shall omit the cause of this incident as it will surely lead to unwanted jeering and ridicule).
SO NOW, I am about as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs when I go riding where there are steep inclines to be navigated. My dad isn't phased with this as he is somewhat of a veteran with ATV riding. But I just can't seem to shake the fear I have now acquired from my incidents earlier this year.. And honestly, I hate taking my quad up a steep hill side.. I'm not a small fellow by any stretch of the imagination so I feel rather ummm.. Top heavy. Which adds to the unfavorable odds of my head meeting tera firma (but I do wear a helmet).
Is this nervousness/fear rational? I have gone up a steep trail several times since then (praying to the Good Lord all the way), BUT I have also had my dad take my quad up a couple times instead of myself on the ones that I had a bad feeling about. Will this fear pass? And are quads really designed for steep or not so steep hill climbing? To me, it seems the center of gravity, short build and narrow well base is not a good design for this type of riding on a constant basis? I know that accidents will happen to you if you ride ATVs long enough.. But dang, IF I can avoid them at any measure I will!
Thoughts, comment, suggestions, ideas? :ermm:
I'm new to this forum and still a bit of a ameature to ATVs. I have ridden one most of my younger life (30 yrs old now) but it has only been "light" riding I have done, i.e. flat trails, no mudding, no aggressive hill climbing, etc.
Back on Christmas Eve last year (2007), I attempted to climb a rather large, steep and intimidating mountain-side trail. Well, with my inexperience in traversing such a trail and being overly confident, I started up it "balls to the walls" so they say. Well, one split-second error let to another and next thing I know the quad flipped over on top of me, my head hitting a rock (which was BY THE GRACE OF GOD was covered over a little by a layer of leaves which padded the impact of my noggin' against the rock). Oh and the quad which I was riding was my dad's Foreman which ended up tumbling end over end about 7-8 times down the mountain side. (Plug for Honda Alert! After ALL the tumbling and such it was only a little flooded, cranked right up and rode over 3 miles the back way home).
THEN I purchased an 07' Honda 420EFI. The VERY FIRST day me and my dad (who has been riding ATVs since he was just a wee little lad) went riding, I ended up flipping my new quad!! (Shall omit the cause of this incident as it will surely lead to unwanted jeering and ridicule).
SO NOW, I am about as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs when I go riding where there are steep inclines to be navigated. My dad isn't phased with this as he is somewhat of a veteran with ATV riding. But I just can't seem to shake the fear I have now acquired from my incidents earlier this year.. And honestly, I hate taking my quad up a steep hill side.. I'm not a small fellow by any stretch of the imagination so I feel rather ummm.. Top heavy. Which adds to the unfavorable odds of my head meeting tera firma (but I do wear a helmet).
Is this nervousness/fear rational? I have gone up a steep trail several times since then (praying to the Good Lord all the way), BUT I have also had my dad take my quad up a couple times instead of myself on the ones that I had a bad feeling about. Will this fear pass? And are quads really designed for steep or not so steep hill climbing? To me, it seems the center of gravity, short build and narrow well base is not a good design for this type of riding on a constant basis? I know that accidents will happen to you if you ride ATVs long enough.. But dang, IF I can avoid them at any measure I will!
Thoughts, comment, suggestions, ideas? :ermm: