A ride experience for the books.

[chadk01]

This is kind of long, but I think worth the reading. I usually ride with Tony(Bone) at a couple diff tracks when I go riding. This weekend a buddy called and said he and about 8 others were going riding and wanted to know if I would like to join. I decided to go....why not, a new group of riders to hang out with. I had everything ready to go at my house when they pulled up. I look down the road and see 2002 4X4 Dodge Ram pulling a 24ft Flatbed Trailer. The truck had more after market parts on it than my bike does!! Anyway, this guy gets out of the truck and he barely looks old enough to drive, come to find out his parents are very well off. On the back of the trailer is a 2001 CR250, 2001 KX500, YZF250, 2 - 2001 400EX 4-wheelers and then my 2001 KX144. We get out to the riding area which consists of trails and a small track with a couple 25ft doubles and numerous other jumps.....whooops....etc. The first thing I notice is I am the only one wearing gear. Everybody else unloads and jumps on with no helmet, boots, nothing.....Next thing I know everybody is drag racing down a long strip of grass beside a field. I decided I would sit and watch for a moment. The first run it was the KX500, CR250 and everybody else coming across the finish line. The second run the guy on the KX500 loops it out in 4th gear. The bike flips backwards and the long silencer acted as a pry bar when it went over. It bent the sub frame snapped off the rear fender, smashed his pipe silencer, and bent his handle bars and levers. I watched the bike go end over end about 6 times before it finally landed in the woods. The rider had only minor cuts and scatches on his back. After seeing this and how it seemed that nobody there had any respect for the machine they wereon , I was ready to go. I went back to where the circle track was and there was a guy tearing it up on one of the 400EX's. As he went around a corner, I lost him. I pulled of to the side of the track and see him and his 4 wheeler in a creek. He missed the corner......going to fast. Next thing I know the guy on the other 400EX, hits a jump going WAY to fast and hits so hard it broke the front of the frame in 1/2. As I watched all this happening, I thought, man I bet these guys are upset. Guess what they coould care less, they said it happens all the time, they will just drop the ride of at the dealer on Monday and pick it up when every thing is fixed. Boy that must be nice (Parents with money). I find myself at times saying, I better not, the chances of me crashing are high and I really don't want to crash my bike up.
Needless to say, I will not be riding with these guys anymore. Anybody else run to similar folks where they ride?

 

[oldguy]

Sounds like a great group for billy'buster'who to share notes with;) . It is a shame they don't have the respect for their rides that paying out of their own pockets would breed. And yes I would steer clear of them

 

[Danman]

That's pretty horrible. I can barly afford what I have let alone trash it and take it to the stealership for repairs every week. I bet the dealer sees those guys walk into the shop and gets a grin from ear to ear. I would not ride with them either. They are likely to get you hurt.

 

[bbbom]

Scary just how many people are like that. Myself, I don't know any personally but with all the people I know that work or own shops around here there are enough to keep them all busy.

I pay for my kids' bikes too but, they KNOW that if they trash them by being stupid, it'll sit until they can save up allowance to fix it. We don't take anything to the dealer unless there is no other way to get it fixed. The kids are responsible for maintaining (with lots of supervision) their own bikes and they have to help on repairs (sometimes that is more of a punishment for us!).

 

[LWilson250]

I can’t believe that! I have been off my bike for 2 months because I haven’t had the money to fix it... Anyone who thrashes there bike (quad) like that should be beaten senseless and never get another one again. Don’t these people have any clue as to how to take care of their things? Or did they learn that if you break it mommy and daddy will buy you a new one? Pathetic! What you have said makes me very angry...

Lee W.

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

You probably don't have to worry much

I would bet that these "friends of yours won't be riding very long with antics like that. They obviously have been very lucky up to this point with only mechanical breakage, just wait till one of them get hurt or killed doing things like that wearing no protective gear.

 

[chadk01]

Lee W,
I understand you anger. I could not believe it myself. It was one of the greatest displays of being careless and spoiled all at the same time. I'm not mad they they have new rides bought for them, or even that they get fixed on a whim. I sure would not have complained when I was that age. It's how they treat their rides and how careless they are that upsets me. I bet if the Mom and Dad one day said from now on, you will have to pay for repairs as well as your next bike/quad, they would tame down their style quite a bit!

 

[chadk01]

Hey GSR, I just realized I maybe should have put this in the Ride/Race report forum. I'm not going to post twice, if you need to move it please do. Sorry if I messed up on the location.

 

[MO-dirt-AR]

ride stupid, die young

 

[Jimmy!]

I have 2 words that will sum up that sort of behaviour:

:debil: Natural Selection :debil:

You're doing yourself a huge favor by staying clear of that crew. But let's hope they shape up before someone loses an eye ... :scream:

 

[Nverfastenuf]

I concur with BBBOM. I gave my son a 00RM250 on the condition he would maintain it and never, never ride without gear. He adhered to the gear thing, but the maint. and upkeep were sloppy, and the bike was getting thrashed. Well, the bike was sold.After much groviling and apologizing, he is trying the same deal on a 01YZ 250. So far he is doing well, maybe the repercussions have taught him something(I hope so). The bottom line is, as everyone here knows, to ride without gear is a capital sin(punishable by death). As far as the equipment abuse thing, it sounds like parents trying to buy their kids affections, not teaching them proper respect for things. It does create consequences later in life though. :think :(

 

[JasonJ]

I have had some what similar experience with mostly quad riders as far as take out new quads, drive dumb, break it, take it to dealer and wine untill its fixed, but all those guys are kinda mad when the stuff breaks. I see alot of mountain locals riding nuts without gear, but I think its probably more becuse they DONT have money for the gear.
MOST of the quad guys I ride with use a minimum of gear, helmet, goggles and some times gloves, other than that its T shirt, jeans, and work boots. Most of them dont ride real hard but that dose not mean they wont get hurt.

Hey I might not rule out hanging with those guys. They may get mad next thime they break a toy and you can convince them what a POS they bought and offer to take it off there hands for a few bucks ! :) . :p