What happened??

[wishmasstir]

I haven't been on this forum in a while but I just got back on to start looking for a 450 and there is NO TRAFFIC on here compared to how it was a few years ago... what gives?

[DragonGunner]

Popularity of the sport, failing economy....have all takin its toll.

[zyoung04]

I blame it on facebook and stuff like that. It a lot easier to interact with someone over Facebook or Twitter than it is on here. Those buy/sell/trade things are constantly full. Just like the seller section was here years ago.

There's 20 times more goons on those groups but you don't have to wait....wait...and wait for a person to reply back when you find one that has nice stuff and is easy to work with.

[CJM]

My issue is FB is full of kids and those groups look like an unorganized mess to me.

[rearguard]

I hate facebook, using less and less of it everyday, should be free of it soon.

[blacknblue#2]

I deleted my Facebook while back and don't miss the drama one bit. And if I wanted to see an animated picture sequence of your child walking across the room I would rent a Disney movie. As for the forum its a little bit of everything stated above. The sport of quads is dying, the economy sucks and everyone likes to be a know it all on facebook because all their friends can see them acting like a know it all. This site took off 14 years ago when the 400ex was flying off showroom floors faster than condom sells In a discount whore house and people wanted to talk about them, they were new ppl were doing different things with them and there was only one place where everyone was interested in hearing about what hill you climbed Saturday or what jump your buddy broke his axle on.....exriders was the only place guys could tell their stories and everyone listened, their wives and girlfriends didn't care about that creek crossing you went thru. Now no ones buying new quads. Its either overpriced side by sides or way overpriced bikes. Now there are sites all over the web that ppl can go to and talk to ppl more local to them. For example I spend a bunch of time on the Hatfield McCoy forum board, while I'm pretty sure I'm the youngest guy on there I still enjoy it. I can tell stories and can relate to stories simply because im so familiar with the trails, when a guy tells about how rough trail 35 of the rockhouse has gotten I can relate to that. This forum has a nationwide base so when a guy gets on here and talks about running 80mph through glamis, I cant relate so I lose Interest real fast

[zyoung04]

If it wasn't for me being into dirt racing like I am I could probably do without mine. I don't deal or read anything unless it has to do with a dirt bike/quad, dirt cars, or cars and trucks. Yea I'll occasionally creep on the good looking female, I rarely read anything anyone says.

I've started a few fight on there cuz the pereon selling their machine thinks it's gold or has no idea at all what they have but that's just my nature. Just like the other day a guy was trying to sell a 05 honda 450r for 12k had pep or old works shocks...still had a headlight no nerf bars 18s on the back 20s on the front. NEVER RACED (which burnt me up) but was mx ready. I was quick to say I could tell it hadn't been raced but probably had been held wide open down the highway for miles and I'd buy one that's clean and been raced before I'd buy it. Ended up the boy never said anything back. The boy had a mop on his head and took 45 selfies so that was enough to tell me GOON.

What stuff I haven't bought new I have bought off of a forum, not this one cuz there is hardly ever anything for a Yamaha on here for sale. But I still read whatever is new and browse the place about once a night at work.

[trailrider894]

Well I have not posted in a year I'm sure... Largely in part that I have no where to ride anymore. I still have my 400 and it still looks as sexy as it used to, I just cant seem to find time to ride anymore. I recently got married and got a dog too, so that doesn't help much. The youth of the nation are straying away from MX and XC for the most part because its way easier to do just sit inside and play it on an Xbox 420 or whatever they have out these days. Parents need to kick there kids asses out of the house and give me a bike and say " see you at dinner time and don't come back any sooner ". My parents did that to me and it was awesome!!! But again, our culture has changed so this is what is to be expected. Its good to be back though, i'll be posting more often i'm sure.

[blacknblue#2]

Well I have not posted in a year I'm sure... Largely in part that I have no where to ride anymore. I still have my 400 and it still looks as sexy as it used to, I just cant seem to find time to ride anymore. I recently got married and got a dog too, so that doesn't help much. The youth of the nation are straying away from MX and XC for the most part because its way easier to do just sit inside and play it on an Xbox 420 or whatever they have out these days. Parents need to kick there kids asses out of the house and give me a bike and say " see you at dinner time and don't come back any sooner ". My parents did that to me and it was awesome!!! But again, our culture has changed so this is what is to be expected. Its good to be back though, i'll be posting more often i'm sure.

In my area its been replaced by drugs. From 15-18 I rode quads with a group of guys that rode every Friday-Sunday At 18 i went to work and bought a brand new truck and brand new quad. Then slowly over the next 10 years evolved into a family man. Teenagers from 15 and on up now want to do nnothing but inject some chit in their body. They figure its a rush with no physical activity needed. Just set in a chair and get a rush until you OD. Makes me a nervous wreck having two little boy's

[BlasterEaten250]

I think a thread that would thrive on here is "Let's see your dusty race quad" !!

Seems like everybody has gotten busy but still has their sweet rides from 5 years ago sitting in the back of their garage somewhere untouched. Maybe it'll come back around someday...this has happened before in the 90's and came back around in the early to mid 2000's. Just a cycle I guess.

[turdboy]

I'm glad some of you are against Facebook. I deleted my account years ago due to unneeded drama and just the plain stupidity of it. I think Facebook is for people starving for attention. Hey look at this picture of a cake I baked, I wonder how many likes I can get. F that! Dump fb and get out into the outdoors. Go camping, build a fire, chop wood, go riding! I check this site almost everyday but I don't know why. Some of the sections haven't had activity since 2010. I am a grown man with a family but I will always enjoy quads and Motorsports. It's a great hobby!

[zyoung04]

I'm glad some of you are against Facebook. I deleted my account years ago due to unneeded drama and just the plain stupidity of it. I think Facebook is for people starving for attention. Hey look at this picture of a cake I baked, I wonder how many likes I can get. F that! Dump fb and get out into the outdoors. Go camping, build a fire, chop wood, go riding! I check this site almost everyday but I don't know why. Some of the sections haven't had activity since 2010. I am a grown man with a family but I will always enjoy quads and Motorsports. It's a great hobby!

It's different I guess for you family guys. Being single and pushing 30 I need something to occupy my time. Like I said before it wasn't for keeping with my love of dirt racing I'd hang my facebook account up. But it helps pass time when I want a good laugh. But I still ride when I can. Most of the time I just go alone just to get out of the house and use riding as a stress reliever. Since all I do is work, sleep, and go racing on the weekends.

All that stuff listed there i do. I blow something up weekly for fun, I guess that counts as building a fire don't it?

[chronicsmoke]

Haha you guys wanna talk about drama go check out the dirtbike pages on FB, specifically the 'motocross and supercross adicts'.. so many kids bagging on quads and they ride a ttr115 and just argue with each other endlessly.

I've just been deleting people from highschool I don't talk to and people who send me invites, now the only activity I see is Moto related or from the people I actually ralk to regularly.

[fastredrider44]

I maintain my FB acct, but am not active on it. I don't see the point as I'm not an attention whore. As for this site slowing down, I dunno. But I could contribute a few photos to the dusty racebike thread.

[DnB_racing]

also most if not all of the 250r owners that used to be regulars on here, now are ALL on other forums,
there is still much interest in the old 250r..and still going strong, just on forums that are for the most part free from all the kids..(but still not exempt from the drama)..

which in my opinion if the bickering and constant attacks back and forth between a few members doesn't stop soon the close nit network of R enthusiasts will loose interest.
First sharing about the quads then caring about the quads will die then the companies supporting us will stop, and then NO MORE PARTS!!!

[blacknblue#2]

I know I may get bashed for this cause I know the aftermarket companies kept this sport alive thru the 90s but I think the aftermarket's helped kill this sport the last few years. When the sport boomed around 04 the aftermarket companies did too. On top of an already expensive machine ppl were spending an equal price to the purchase price for suspension to be competitive. While most of us (myself included) didn't really have the money for 800 dollar a-arms 2000 dollar shocks and a 500 dollar linkage we found the money because if not, the guy beside you at the gate who was setting on a 5 or 6 digit nest egg was gonna have that stuff. In the end it got old. Ppl started seeing the waste of money and lost interest in quads, again like myself. If I was 16 again.and know what I know now iI would have owned a crf450 when I bought my first 400ex in 02

[quad2xtreme]

South Fork is open to quads but really don't get many other than about 50 for races. Seems like people with sport quads race but don't practice. I sat down and figured out 95% of our practice riders are on bikes. We really do well with bikes. Probably the best thing for most would be to buy a 2-stroke dirt bike and just enjoy it. It doesn't have to be a crazy expensive sport...people make it that way...especially if you do get involved in racing. Riding is moderate expense level...racing is extremely, extremely expensive. We recently had a quad only Sunday practice with 12 quads. Another track 1.5 hrs away allowed quads too...they had 5. The previous day, we had 35 bikes. Usually on a Sunday we pull in about 45 bikes. We usually have 0-3 quads on any given practice day.

I think sport quads are dying a slow death.

[chronicsmoke]

If I was 16 again.and know what I know now iI would have owned a crf450 when I bought my first 400ex in 02

I feel the same way.. bought my 400 in 03 and really regret not just sacking up and getting a better bike. (first bike was a sketchy '86 IT200 lol)

[honda400ex2003]

it is definitely slower for sure! i have been on the site for a long time and have never seen it this slow. it was probably 4-5 months since i was on here last, up until a couple weeks ago.

for me, no internet except at work and fb doesnt really matter except for selling stuff. i wouldnt try to get a whole lot of good advice from there. havent been riding too much, until recently with the gf getting into it more. the past few years i havent really had much time to ride with other women and other hobbies. i just dont get online that much any more since i am busy outside in the garage at night and with the gf on the weekends riding and doing other things.

snowmobiling has taken over for my favorite sport, i tend to frequent the snowmobile forum i belong to instead now. just bought my first brand new sled that will be coming soon and still have 2 of them in the garage for riding. sledding is definitely the forefront, especially with the new one coming soon. ive met some good dudes from this site, Marc is one of them. Dallas, honda#4, is another. we dont talk as often as we used to but still chat every now and again. he is just as busy with life and family as i am. things change and people do different stuff. I didnt have an extra atv for someone to ride until this summer, so when i was with a gf, i didnt want to ride alone so i did stuff we could both do.

i still have my 400, along with 2 250r's and now a ds650 that the gf rides. just picked up the ds, was planning on selling it this summer to make some cash but she likes enough to make me keep it- cool enough to get her riding on it.

Im glad i am back into the sport a little more than i have been but even a few rides this year isnt as much as it used to be. i moved for work, closer to a bigger city, lost all my riding land as a result, just havent got back to where i have enough to consistently ride daily any more. probably wont for a long time either i dont think. I had it made when i was a kid, 20 acres of private and 200 of public to ride daily so it was really nice. lived on a lake too so i could fish whenever. i dont get to do any of that stuff too often any more unless i ride trails and trailer somewhere.

the new gf is great and likes to do that kind of stuff so that helps to keep me going. im hoping to get back on the atv trails a time or two still this fall and then ride the sleds as much as i can all winter.

keep it real,
steve

[rearguard]

Im still on a ATV honeymoon period after riding MX and PWCs for a looong time. If I could I would definitely have one of each in the shed, all would get equal saddle time[and forum time]. If that makes any sense?:ermm:

[CJM]

Yea it has been ages since Ive seen Dallas or honda #4 around. The golden age of this forum peaked a few years ago but these days most everyone wants a 450 or raptor or whatever. I still see plenty of 400s out on the trailb ut not as many as I used to.

To add to all of the stuff everyone else said: NJ still stinks, nowhere to ride but the various illegal pits and some stupid itty bitty 10 acre track they opened near the end of NJ that caters to dirtbikes and expects everyone to have reg/ins and all sorts of other junk.

Me Im just busy, got hunting to go do alot now since no school to worry about, tinker with my truck, work more, etc, etc.

[01boneless]

First time I've logged on in a long time and I see why. Every time I click on the favorite tab for this site its just smaller and smaller over here. I don't even have a bike anymore due to the economy,and just life I guess. Seems like the sport is just dying out not just quads bikes to....I know quite a few bike riders who have gotten out of the sport this year due to its just so dam expensive....

[Scro]

Cycling is in a boom around here at the moment. It's nice being able to ride your hobby from your driveway, and it's basically in the same shape mechanically when you return as the moment you left. Just lube the chain, and replace the tires every couple thousand miles, and it's good as new. I've still got my dirtbike for the winter, though. Both of those hobbies together are cheaper than having a quad...by far.

[rearguard]

Also the side by sides are getting popular, I know few pp that have gone to RZRs and similar from Quads.

[honda400ex2003]

same around wi, sxs's have taken over or 4x4s at least. not many sport machines around any more. the generation is getting older, no sport machines around for them any more. even myself included in the list, if it wasnt for my gf wanting to ride the ds more, i wouldnt be riding my 400 at all either. ive even been thinking about selling them to get a new 4x4 haha hate to let my white 250r and my 400ex go but the orange one could probably be gone without much worry.

steve

[honda400ex2003]

dallas is doing well, he has a couple little ones around now and just bought a house with his wife.

steve

[zyoung04]

same around wi, sxs's have taken over or 4x4s at least. not many sport machines around any more. the generation is getting older, no sport machines around for them any more. even myself included in the list, if it wasnt for my gf wanting to ride the ds more, i wouldnt be riding my 400 at all either. ive even been thinking about selling them to get a new 4x4 haha hate to let my white 250r and my 400ex go but the orange one could probably be gone without much worry.

steve

That's the way it is around here, but it's all JUNK Polaris. I'm one of the few around that have a sport quad and been asked several times when I'm getting one of those 2 seater jobs. Being a single guy I have no use for one and even if I was to get one it wouldn't be a Polaris. It's 90% sxs probably 8% utility quads 2% diot bikes and sport quads.

Years ago everyone had utility and sport quads in our group. Now it's mostly all sxs. While those guys are replacing bearings, bushings, and axles every couple weeks. I'll just stick what works for me. Had my yfzr for over 2yrs now and I've replaced is a fuse and I just put my first set of brakes on the rear.

[rearguard]

I have to say the Honda Pioneer 500 look very attractive, because of its smaller size, too bad I cant afford it atm so the old Kawasaki will have to do.