what's the worst behavior you've seen on the trail?

[scheckaet]

Tell us what you've seen and made you go: are you stoopid?
I'll start. this take the top of my list.
A year or so ago, we went riding in a place called cross bar ranch, south of oklahoma. Very fun place, lots of very rocky hill and quite a bit of acreage. Lots of fun.
It was the middle of the summer, temp were already above 95 around 10 am. We were getting back to the truck after our second loop to call it quit.
We saw a whole family wife and kids included and what I assume to be other "friends", unloading their ATVs and go.
-only some of the younger kids had helmet, did I mention how rocky that place is? Oh and the rocks are very sharp. Every time we go at least one of us gets a flat. what the $#@&?
-they had young kids on atv, barely old enough to sit on their atv which is fine on flat friendly trails, on those one...good luck
-none of the adults had helmet (i call that natural selection)
-the women did't seem to know how to operate their atv very well, they're in for a surprise . I guaranty they won't make it the 1st hill.
-they had about 1 bottle of water for 8 persons...did i mentioned it was already 95??? I drunk about 2 L/loop that day.
-the icing on the cake: they had 2 kids that couldn't be much more than 4-5 riding with both women...

I think we warned them about the hill climb, especially the kids and if they wanted any water, they said they were ok
I don't know if they ever made it thru but if they did, I guaranty they won't do it again like this.

[fuzzy]

800lb 4x4 ATV pretty much sums up all the dumbest things I've seen on a trail. Those things are for working on a farm, NOT for the trail. However, one of my most memorable KDX moments was passing 3 of them stuck in the mud....weaving through them and going right through while they were taking turns winching them out (and leaving gaping damage to the earth in their path).

[cragwl]

Had a kid plow into my son and broke his arm. We saw him comming and were making way for him. He didn't slow down, missed the corner and smacked right into my boy. He looked at us and said "#%$& you"

Next day we see his family out on the trail ,minus the kid. Dad was about a mile behind his younger kids, no helmet, finishing a beer. These are tight, high country, remote trails.

Next day we see broken arm boy in the campground with no cast or splint. We asked if he went to the doc, 'no' he replied. The arm was swollen double sized. 'My dad said they can set it when we are done camping.' Amazing

[scheckaet]

where is child protection when you need it...

[hbgod]

800lb 4x4 ATV pretty much sums up all the dumbest things I've seen on a trail. Those things are for working on a farm, NOT for the trail. However, one of my most memorable KDX moments was passing 3 of them stuck in the mud....weaving through them and going right through while they were taking turns winching them out (and leaving gaping damage to the earth in their path).

i wouldnt say that. me nd my stepdad usta ride polaris 700 utilities in the woods no problem. then again he has 40years experience and i pretty much follow most of what he does. its all in the experience i guess

[scheckaet]

it's all about the tool and how to use it. In this case the tool wasn't the ATV...

[gopack4749]

Back in 2004 I had an XR 600 and a buddy of mine who was on his first ride had a KLR 250. We were at NC Motorsports Park in Henderson, NC. Some bozo kid and his buddy rode in from the two lane highway by the place (must have lived near there) and I am betting they did not pay the $20 riding fee. Both of them were on a fast 2 stroke racing ATV. On the MX track every time they would pass us they would roost us on purpose. Mind you, my friend was on his first ride and kind of learning/being careful. Sure enough the ATV broke down and the kids had to call mommy to come and get them. Instead of telling them what I thought of them I let the kid call his mom from my cell. I showed some restraint that day.

[Julien D]

Wow. I guess we are pretty lucky up in western NC. About the worst thing is a few drunks on quads, just gotta watch out for 'em. Besides that its just the usual idiots pulling wheelies in the lot. Brown is worse, they run a pretty tight show at brushy. That's one of the reasons I prefer going there. 1 way trails!

[rbates9]

Just this past weekend we went to a ORV club that I belong to that has about 2500+/- acers. The club is about 90% four wheelers and then the bikes. The club also is ALL about safety and trying to get the atv sport a better name.

On Saturday they had an open ride to try to pick up new members. While we were riding the trails we came accross a tour group that consisted of about 12 four wheelers. The two that we could not belive was a pair of women (mothers we guess) that were barely riding their 4x4 quads with each of them carrying what looked to be probably 4 year old bobble heads riding on the back of the four wheelers with nothing to hang on to and getting flailed about. In the brief time that we were witness one of the women went off the trail and almost flipped the four wheeler over on it's side and the other wheelied up and just about went over backwards.

It is my belief that any child should not be in the woods until they are old enough to ride their own machine. Those people should be removed from the gene pool.

[cragwl]

What the heck! There the ones that get the bad press for us responsible riders. I hate it. Natural selection has been regulated by trail closers. Sucks.

[scheckaet]

it's gene pool by the way

[tirebiter]

Couple of years ago, on ADV rider, I organized a single ride trac up in Tahoe Ntl forest.
One of the riders was a total moron- wouldn't shut up, thought he was the best thing since sliced bread, etc.
Well, we put up with him (Pretty much tuned him out for the most part), Then he stops on the trail in front of my wife and declares "I gotta piss".
As he's whipping it out, my wife says the hell with this and motors on by.
At the next stop he gets all offended that my wife would actually pass him on the trail, like there was some sorta natural macho pecking order, and she violated it. The rest of the group looked at him with blank faces, all making a mental note to never, ever ride with that A hole again.
Since then, I've participated in several forum based group rides, but the wife? She prefers only riding with friends nowadays...

[sped66]

Almost got T-boned by a helmetless, drunken, hillbilly, quad rider at a public riding area that turns a blind eye to coolers on quads. I could smell the beer on his breath from 10 feet away & I was upwind. The only reason I avoided the collision was because I stopped at the intersection... he flew by doing 40+ & missed me by a couple of feet. As he was having a good laugh about our near miss he actually had the nerve to ask me if he could ride my bike & was fairly persistant about it when I refused. He has no idea how lucky he was that he didn't wake up on the trail choking on his own teeth, wondering how that cooler got shoved up his a$$.

[stipud]

not on the trail but...
i stopped at a cafe with my kdx on the trailer, and ran in to get a coffee and drink for my boy, on my way in i noticed a group of 4 boys, maybe 16 years old, and thought their looks at my bike were nothing more than envious...when i left, i got about 200 metres up the road and noticed my bike rocking about crazily on the trailer. after a hasty stop discovered my tie downs loose, and found my fork support about 100 metres from where i was parked. Obviously those young fellas thought it'd be funny, but the worst part, if the bike had fallen off the trailer and hurt or killed someone, it would have been my fault for driving with an unsecure load!

[kdx633]

I was riding at a motocross track here in Il last year,a pay to ride place,a legitimate track with rules on direction,cutting track etc. clearly posted.The quadtard club was there and everytime they came to the whoops they would leave the track go around them and re-enter on the blind side of double just after the whoops.I thought to my self these idiots are gonna get landed on .So I make it a point to tell them of the dangers of their behavior which was met with some smart ass remark about an old man(I'm 48).I think ok these guys are assholes and let it go.After a few more laps I see these clowns are still exiting the track but re-entering just further down the straight,a little better as far as their own safety not much for other riders on the track.Wait it gets better at the end of the fore mentioned straight is 180 sweeper berm about 8 -10ft.high.as i am clearing the double i see these clowns ahead of me cut back onto the track 1 of them does not make it back on the track and goes straight I figure he was headed off for some reason then it happens just as I enter the corner at a fairly good rate of speed here comes quadtard up over the back of the berm we missed a colliding by a fraction I wanted to kill the punk on the spot but instead cussed the bastard up one side down the other picked up my bike regathered my composure and started riding.Here come quadtard army riding up real close like waiting on the side of the track until i came around then pullin out in front me when i would pass them .After a this happening a couple of times it became clear what they were up to.The next go around they do it again,thats it lock em up drop the bike we gonna dance.The wormy little punk jumps off the atv like some kind of tough guy comes at me ready to swing I see the right hand clinch up arm go back I know whats coming I Block with a left middle block follow through with rt.elbow to the solaplexis clown double's over and I follow up with a left front kick to head(not easy in a pair of tech 8's)he was wearing a helmet.Down he goes his buddies got real quiet,up comes the track owner he saw the whole ass kickin go down as he was on his way down to the track because someone had already complained about the "tards".and to top it all off the asshole quadtard called the cops on me I will leave it at that.moral of the story 1.pay attention in english class so everything you write is not one sentence.2 don't mess with a person who's been a black belt longer than you have been alive

[KarlP]

I enjoyed that, Mr. kdx633


The boy and I were cruising on some Fire roads after running a bunch of miles on ST. We were heading home because it was raining lightly and not going to quit.
The section of road we were on was badly eroded and fully of mudholes from quadtards so we were using a narrow pass parrallel to it.
Stuck in one of the holes was a guy and a young girl on a quad. We stopped to watch and maybe offer assistance. The guy was screaming at the quad and jerking on the handle bars. The girl was standing off to the side. She looked up at us and just grinned and shook her head. When the guy stalled the quad and got off and started stomping his feet, she laughed, we laughed and the guy came completely unglued.

We left.

[scheckaet]

She looked up at us and just grinned and shook her head. When the guy stalled the quad and got off and started stomping his feet, she laughed, we laughed and the guy came completely unglued.

Bahhhh!!!
Got the feeling that's what my wife would do though

[kawagumby]

In california there's a helmet law so you don't see much helmetless people anymore, but before that law I used to see a father and his young son riding the trails with no helmets on a regular basis. You'd think that being the only people in a offroad park w/o helmets would clue them in. LOL....

I've been in head-in collisions where the guy coming at you fixates on you rather than the trail, I've gone completely off the trail and had one yahoo follow me and nail me anyway.

Not a trail issue, but I'm still p'o'd so I've got to say, the worst situation for me is driving to and from the trails. Just today coming back from a ride, about 11:00 AM I was run off the road by an arsehole who came competely into my lane around a turn... in his right outstretched arm and hand was a cell phone that he was obviously texting on.

Dam those things.

[frankenschwinn]

I was approaching a stepdown jump on a Downhill MTB track in AR at about 35-40 MPH. The landinf is blind. About 30ft from the lip up the jump I see a helmet and two wheels come up over the lip. The course was marked one way and no motorized vehicles but that was apparently meant for someone other that this jackass.

There seems to be a reccuring theme here... Quads...

[nearma12]

Last year I saw a group of Quads riding my usual OHV trails. (These trails are hilly and tight. It isn't the best terrain for any 4 wheeler.) The group consisted of 3-4 guys and 2 women. One of the women had a small baby strapped to her chest with one of those baby backpack things. This was a baby, not a 3-4 year old. It couldn't have been a year old yet. She was attempting to climb a fairly big hill when I saw her. WTF?