Looking for new riding areas in central Illinios

[scoobymx]

Anyone who lives in IL knows that it is not exactly a motorcyclist friendly state. There are no state riding areas and every time we find a good local timber (hard to come by) people can't keep there mouths shut about it and before we know it we all get shut down because of people that don't have any respect for the land owners, people riding with out helmets, take their 4x4s and tearing things up, riding in farmers fields and on the roads around the areas making the neighbors mad. I'm looking for some place local woods racers like myself can practice, and my group of friends which includes alot of older riders , business owners, farmers, and guys ticked about goons getting their riding areas shut down. We go to KY and MO to ride right know but that can't be done after work through the week our on weekends there are races to go to. Anyone with any ideas I would appritiate any info.

Scoobymx
(midland mulisha)

 

[Reesknight]

Originally posted by scoobymx
(midland mulisha)

You'll be lucky if you get any responses with THAT as your signature. :|

 

[scoobymx]

how did i know i would have to explain that. NOTHING TO DO WITH METAL MULISHA!!!!! its a group of local racers that always traveled to races together and we all trail ride together too people kept asking what our race teams name was so thats what people started calling us because of the town some of us are from and we all hang out here we are not evel or part of the dark side bluh bluh bluh its all i good fun and so people will recognize us as a group if people can't understand that than sorry

 

[sspmxc400]

Do a search on past archives and you will get more info. But here are 3 I have been to.

1. Ottawa - fox valley offroad
2. Ottawa - Buffalo Range
3. Casey - Lincoln Trails

 

[deagle]

Scoobymx - where abouts in Illinois are you? I am from there and now live in Tennessee. I have a buddy that lives close to Peoria and he has found some decent areas. He rides with a group that comes down to Turkey Bay in Kentucky every year as well as rides areas over by Macomb. Let me know where your at and maybe I can hook you guys up. His best riding though is when he makes the trek down here around Nashville TN.

 

[scoobymx]

I'm located between bloomington and decatur i've raced at buffulo range and linconl trail in casey and i know where fox valley is they just aren't places its easy for me to get to like after work and such but your help is greatly appritiated sspmxc400. Deagle from were i work i could get to someplace in the peorea area pretty quickly if you have any ideas I also ride land between the lakes and love the place if you know any place that is good challenging riding in tennesse that are werth making the trip for and allow camping we are always looking for new places to get away from home we are also going to colorado in august should be awesome thanks
scoobymx

 

[deagle]

Scooby,
Check out our 2nd annual spring ride info on the link below. Also the VSTA website. Our ride in April is going to be great again. We had our first last year and had 573 riders. My buddy from Illinois (Galesburg area) will be coming down for that one as he does for a lot of them. Let me know if your coming and I can give directions and other info.

 

[deagle]

Sorry, here are the links or addresses

www.mtdr.net
www.vstarider.com

 

[scoobymx]

Thanks deagle
I'll see whats happening i'm planning to go to lorreta lynns for the gncc/national hare scramble at the end of april other than that i'm free if i can get some people together i might check it out
thanks
scoobymx

 

[FlyinRyan]

There use to be a club, I think Dirt Riders Inc that put on some Hare Scrambles just outside of Decatur. They had there own club grounds but I don't think they hold the Hare Scrambles there anymore. I know Jay Hall from Hall's Husky use to put the race on there. Jay's web site is http://www.halls-cycles.com. Maybe he knows of a club or legal place to ride by you.

Good luck

 

[scoobymx]

Thanks flyinryan i actually have a membership application and plan to join at the next meeting
thanks again

 

[Monkey Butt]

How many guys ride with you? I am currently looking in the process of purchasing 150-200 acres of land in central Illinois that consists of some very challenging terrain. I might welcome some riders to come over and share it occassionally. I thought about making it into a riding park but have decided it may not be worth the hassel especially since I will be living there. I am even a little leary of putting this on the forum, because it won't be an open invitation for everyone. It will maily be rode just by myself, my wife and a few ridiing buddies that I know very well, mainly for liability reasons and keeping the trails in good shape.

Neal

 

[CAL]

Hey Neal, when you gonna come ride at Turkey Bay with us?  We're going tomorrow.

 

 

[Monkey Butt]

Sounds like fun, but I've got a ton of things going on right now. I've only been able to ride once in the last two months. I'm looking forward to catching up with you guys at TB though.

Neal

 

[scoobymx]

Neal I ride with quite a few guys but only about 5 that are really into it that i am trying to find places to ride for mainly me and the other guys i ride with that race with me you know the ones that need the practice time the most or can help with bike set up and stuff like that
here shortly when we get a break in the weather we will probly make a trip to St.Joe in Mo. if you would be intrested in meeting a few of the boys and I besides we are always looking for new people like ourselves who enjoy a little trail ride and get away from home.
thanks
scoobymx

 

[91KDX]

Where about are you thinking about buying property monkey, because I live in Northern Illinois (In between Rockford and Dekalb), I own 8 acres and have my own track, and a friend of mine owns some wooded, steep hilled acres right on the Kishwauke river, and other than fields thats all the riding we do up here. I race down in Ottawa, and Polo, so other than those places I dont really know of any good terrain in illinois. I am not real big on traveling far, but occasionally we go down to southern Ill. in my buddies greenish blue bus that was converted into a camper.

 

[FlyinRyan]

Monkey Butt and ScoobyMX do I know you guys? I race HS and Enduro in IL, KTM 200 with the #24. Monkey I'ld love to come ride at your place if we know each other. I can't get anyone from the Rockford area to go ride anymore. 91KDX, do you race Moto or HS / Enduros. Wouldn't mind hooking up with you to ride sometime.

Ryan Moss

 

[Monkey Butt]

I am a little hesitant to talk too much about the location of the property just yet. I haven't wrapped the deal up yet and I'm afraid that someone will steal it out from under me. I'll know in a few days if it's going to happen or not. We are still working things out.

FlyinRyan,
We've never met but I rode in the White City enduro last fall. It was my first enduro, so I rode the "C" class. I won my class and I think you won yours as well. I'm 35 years old and just got into harescrambles about 3-4 years ago but I haven't been in all that many races. Last year I only raced in three harescrambles and one enduro. Enduro's seem to suit my riding style better. I like tough technical terrain and it seems like a lot of the HS that I've been are pretty wide open. If I get this land I intend to have one perimeter trail that is fairly easy with several very tough technical trails and steep hills coming off of it. Maybe we can ride some time either at my place (if I get it) or who know's where.

Scooby, St. Joe sounds like a good time. I've been there twice and had a blast of course. Let me know when you plan on going. I might bring another rider or two if it works out.

Neal

 

[scoobymx]

FlyinRyan i know i've seen your name at a race before I ran a GP at caesy and another regular HS there and the second glasford HS I ran the big B class on a 450 honda #276 i also ran crawfordsville gncc do you ever run any mx i raced mx all over the state for the past few years so names and numbers seem to flow together some times
scoobymx
Greg Rubenacker

 

[Motowrench]

Has anyone been to the riding area at Taylorville,,,www.southforkdirtriders.com
I stopped by there last summer just to check it out, didn't ride, so I can't comment on the trails, But they do run Hare Scrambles there so they are there somewhere. They do have a nice MX Track.
Also have you checked out www.planet-x-treme.com ? It's South of Effingham, about halfway to Flora. They have a nice MX Track as well, but not many trails yet. The place was new last year & they have a large woods area with great potential. Hilly, similar to Casey.
Definately go to Land Between the Lakes, Turkey Bay. Awesome trails, near 100 miles total I'd guess? Great place for beginners or Pro's. Hilly & Rocky!! We'll be heading that way in April for our annual Spring Break trip. You're welcome to hook up with us.

CAN'T WAIT TILL SPRING !!

Larry

 

[CAL]

Originally posted by Motowrench
Definately go to Land Between the Lakes, Turkey Bay. Awesome trails, near 100 miles total I'd guess? Great place for beginners or Pro's. Hilly & Rocky!! We'll be heading that way in April for our annual Spring Break trip. You're welcome to hook up with us.

Moto, if you can make it down on April 18-20 you can join us for a BIG ride.  We're having a DRN/Thumpertalk ride that weekend.  It will be a blast!

 

 

[FlyinRyan]

Scoobymx, I haven't ridden MX for a long time, always doing enduro's and HS.

Monkey, you have to come up to Forest City Riders (Byron) Enduro in April. It is not as techincal (we don't have the hills) as White City but I think you would like it. We also are trying to put on an HS on the Saturday before the Enduro so you can a full weekend of racing. I help with that enduro, so if you come you'll have to introduce yourself.

I would love to ride sometime, let me know when you have rides planned.

 

[Monkey Butt]

Sounds good FlyinRyan! I'll see if I can make it. I raced a HS at Byron about three years ago. It was a real nice course.

Larry,

I've rode at Taylorville as well as at Plante Xtreme. Taylorville has some trails (not a lot) but they are very open in my opinion and get boring pretty fast. No real hills to speak of. I was pretty disappointed with Planet Xtreme also. Both locations have very cool MX courses but not much for us woods riders. LTM has them both beat for woods, LTM is getting pretty beat up and wide open also.

No one has mentioned Mills Creek. It costs a couple of dollars a day to ride since it is state funded, but no big deal. It is all woods except for the field roads. There is a fair amount of decent hills. I heard they shut some of the riding areas off but I don't know how much riding has been lost. It's a good place to ride as long as the 4 wheelers haven't managed to tear it up again. They spent big bucks to fix the trails awhile back.

Neal

 

[Motowrench]

CAL,

We're planning on going to LBL around April 16 or 17 for 3 days of riding, so depending on which day we end up going, We'd definately be interested in tagging along.
Are you close to LBL? We try to get down there a few times a year, so we might be able to hook up sometime.

 

[Motowrench]

Neal,

Yeah, I have to agree with you on the Casey trail situation. It's hard to believe how bad some of the sections are now,,,,,,I raced Hare Scrambles there, back in the 80's & 90's and was at Casey the day they laid out the first loop in the big south woods. TALK ABOUT AWESOME TRAIL!!

We still go there on occasion, my oldest son races MX there, so on practice days he rides the track, while my youngest son & I hit the trails!