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Free Weekend Dead Is a Good Thing


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The declining market is the youth imo mostly because of the costs for parents to introduce their kids into snowmobiling. Until kids show serious interest most people have a beater and sledding for their kids consists of rips around the back yard. I could see some sort of entry level sled 25 dollar annual pass type thing working well for maybe 440 fan cooled or smaller? Maybe cap it at 250cc? Something like that where they can actually ride on the cheap but still do legit groomed trail rides and those slow sleds aint chewing anything up either. Insurance is cheap on those slow sleds too.The tight wads who wont buy a pass wont be enticed with the free weekend stuff but helping families get out with more sleds might boost riders. Just a thought maybe theres something in that direction to pick up on.

 

I don think the online order only thing is doing permit sales any favors either. It ought to be easy to buy passes, not hard. Dunno maybe theres more to this than I am aware but groomer ops and any patrol could go back to buy a pass or heres your ticket type deal. I thought that worked well theres always gonna be a few

Edited by crispy
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3 hours ago, revrnd said:

Minus the winter months. Minus the blackflies. Minus the deer & horse flies...

My atv goes out almost every day. At end of day insurance is just over 300 bucks for 2 million liability, fire, theft and collision on a 700 cc Yamaha. I find that very reasonable. Sled is more and I only use it a handful of days a year. 

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If it wasnt for the utility factor of my UTV i doubt Id have 1 or a SxS. I got the 'mudding' out of my system back in the 80s.

 

1 thing about doing chain saw work or weed whacking work in the spring, the 2 stroke smoke keeps the blackflies @ bay.

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1 hour ago, revrnd said:

If it wasnt for the utility factor of my UTV i doubt Id have 1 or a SxS. I got the 'mudding' out of my system back in the 80s.

 

1 thing about doing chain saw work or weed whacking work in the spring, the 2 stroke smoke keeps the blackflies @ bay.

I'm not so sure about that based on your spring pictures.

LOL

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48 minutes ago, soupkids said:

I'm not so sure about that based on your spring pictures.

LOL

 

That was boating...

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6 hours ago, 02Sled said:

That's what has kept me from getting an ATV. Went out with a friend on a couple of club rides... get into the trees and it's like ringing the dinner bell. Here I am come and get me.

Guess depends on where you ride...usually from May to mid June we ride southern Ontario due to blackflies..I put on over 3 k this season on my grizzly and bugs or flies were never an issue...now dust is another story at times..lol

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4 hours ago, Diceman said:

Guess depends on where you ride...usually from May to mid June we ride southern Ontario due to blackflies..I put on over 3 k this season on my grizzly and bugs or flies were never an issue...now dust is another story at times..lol

Where about’s is your “southern Ontario” riding take place? Cause my area is swampy AF and there’s enough of everything to dam near carry you at times!!

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7 hours ago, T bird said:

Where about’s is your “southern Ontario” riding take place? Cause my area is swampy AF and there’s enough of everything to dam near carry you at times!!

We ride Huron Shores, Duffrein Grey and Sauble...all legal trail systems...my local club, GLATV can be a bitch for bugs etc because the whold trail system is in like you say, swampy area...

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10 hours ago, T bird said:

Where about’s is your “southern Ontario” riding take place? Cause my area is swampy AF and there’s enough of everything to dam near carry you at times!!

 

X2 

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16 hours ago, Diceman said:

Guess depends on where you ride...usually from May to mid June we ride southern Ontario due to blackflies..I put on over 3 k this season on my grizzly and bugs or flies were never an issue...now dust is another story at times..lol

That's one I did learn... being way down the line in a group of about 20 ATV's even on a nice day demands a shower at the end of the day. For me I would be going around the Port Severnto Parry Sound area and blackflies are a spring time guarantee. Then during the summer the mosquitos and deer flies. The best part about fall is the diminishing bug population but with that is the rains and mud.

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26 minutes ago, 02Sled said:

That's one I did learn... being way down the line in a group of about 20 ATV's even on a nice day demands a shower at the end of the day. For me I would be going around the Port Severnto Parry Sound area and blackflies are a spring time guarantee. Then during the summer the mosquitos and deer flies. The best part about fall is the diminishing bug population but with that is the rains and mud.

very true...I do most riding on the RCATV trail system in the Ottawa Valley...can really pack on the miles if you want to...this club has done amazing work with the different communities that are all atv friendly....

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Hadn't heard of permits for ATV's.

Y'all must not be riding Crown Land over there?

 

 

Black flies are amazing!

One day we left Halfway with 1/4" of snow on our machines - yet the flies were out in search of sun rays!

 

In the dead of summer - the trick is just to not stop, and if you doo, make sure it's in the open, and preferably on top of a hill where there is some air movement.

But even then - not more than 3 minutes and you need to be moving aggin.

 

Also - WAY too many times - I've had to take my helmet back off once moving - to let a fly out that inevitably seems to end up in my ear (or ear pocket of helmet?) and is rolling around buzzing - apparently stone drunk with all the Deep Bush Off sprayed around. 

 

.

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49 minutes ago, Ox said:

Hadn't heard of permits for ATV's.

Y'all must not be riding Crown Land over there?

Black flies are amazing!

One day we left Halfway with 1/4" of snow on our machines - yet the flies were out in search of sun rays!

 

In the dead of summer - the trick is just to not stop, and if you doo, make sure it's in the open, and preferably on top of a hill where there is some air movement.

But even then - not more than 3 minutes and you need to be moving aggin.

 

Also - WAY too many times - I've had to take my helmet back off once moving - to let a fly out that inevitably seems to end up in my ear (or ear pocket of helmet?) and is rolling around buzzing - apparently stone drunk with all the Deep Bush Off sprayed around. 

 

.

There are lots of areas that are crown land that ATV's aren't allowed. Tracts of crown land have different usage designations. The MNR have people specifically assigned to keeping ATV's off of the designated areas.

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56 minutes ago, Ox said:

Hadn't heard of permits for ATV's.

Y'all must not be riding Crown Land over there?

 

 

Black flies are amazing!

One day we left Halfway with 1/4" of snow on our machines - yet the flies were out in search of sun rays!

 

In the dead of summer - the trick is just to not stop, and if you doo, make sure it's in the open, and preferably on top of a hill where there is some air movement.

But even then - not more than 3 minutes and you need to be moving aggin.

 

Also - WAY too many times - I've had to take my helmet back off once moving - to let a fly out that inevitably seems to end up in my ear (or ear pocket of helmet?) and is rolling around buzzing - apparently stone drunk with all the Deep Bush Off sprayed around. 

 

.

every mile of trail  we ride is on trails that require a permit...atv permits over all is a sh*t show...OFATV permits covers Renfrew County , Bancroft area is EOTA...then Haliburton , Kawarthas, have their own pass and so on....Southern Ontario trails are usually private land and a mix of county forests, non maintained  rds, etc...Huron Shores ( Walkerton area), West Grey Atv Club between Walkerton and Markdale, Duffrein Grey Atv Club in Markdale and Owen Sound area and Sauble Beach Club which covers that area and Wiarton area...all theses clubs are legally connected and can ride from one to another...

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I've rode Timmins, Cochrane, Hornepayne, and about everywhere between Dub and Searchmont.

I'm sure that I've never heard of anyone requiring permits in any of these places, at least not back when ....

 

.

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1 hour ago, Ox said:

I've rode Timmins, Cochrane, Hornepayne, and about everywhere between Dub and Searchmont.

I'm sure that I've never heard of anyone requiring permits in any of these places, at least not back when ....

 

.

Common place in central ontario to require permits on some trails. Allot of clubs have dedicated atv trails now and aren’t using same trails as sledders. So permits are a way for them to cover infrastructure like bridges and grading and fill where required. A two day permit is usually like 30 bucks or so, so not too expensive. I have only been checked once and that was on rail line coming out of hailburton going to kinmount. North I am guessing they aren’t organized like central part of province is and use mostly crown land, such as logging roads. 

Edited by Strong Farmer
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2 hours ago, Diceman said:

every mile of trail  we ride is on trails that require a permit...atv permits over all is a sh*t show...OFATV permits covers Renfrew County , Bancroft area is EOTA...then Haliburton , Kawarthas, have their own pass and so on....Southern Ontario trails are usually private land and a mix of county forests, non maintained  rds, etc...Huron Shores ( Walkerton area), West Grey Atv Club between Walkerton and Markdale, Duffrein Grey Atv Club in Markdale and Owen Sound area and Sauble Beach Club which covers that area and Wiarton area...all theses clubs are legally connected and can ride from one to another...

The ATV clubs are where the snowmobile clubs once were. It will come with time. Having a lot of separate permits or non reciprocal permits is a challenge.

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23 minutes ago, 02Sled said:

The ATV clubs are where the snowmobile clubs once were. It will come with time. Having a lot of separate permits or non reciprocal permits is a challenge.

They have joint permits now in some areas. I only buy day passes so it doesn’t matter to me. Atv is fun for a few rides a year, away from home. 

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There was no reciprocity between Renfrew & the EOTA this year. Also I've heard the EOTA is holding out on allowing the OFSC to use the Hastings Heritage Trail for the Hav A Ball tour loop.

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1 hour ago, revrnd said:

There was no reciprocity between Renfrew & the EOTA this year. Also I've heard the EOTA is holding out on allowing the OFSC to use the Hastings Heritage Trail for the Hav A Ball tour loop.

That's true but I  heard they are together talking again...trails are monitored with trail wardens....been stopped way way more on my atv than on my sled

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I haven’t heard of the eota trying to keep sledders from using rail trail in my area (Havelock -Marmora). We are looking at re-routing a few kilometres of trail South of Twin Lakes due to landowner difficulties with atvs in the summer ,weekend warriors ,mostly. I know an executive on the eota and will be speaking with him soon. 

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2 hours ago, revrnd said:

There was no reciprocity between Renfrew & the EOTA this year. Also I've heard the EOTA is holding out on allowing the OFSC to use the Hastings Heritage Trail for the Hav A Ball tour loop.

It is a tactic used by EOTA frequently to get ransom $$$ from the districts!

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So.... The ATV clubs have trail wardens with authority (theoretically) to stop an ATV, but sled club officials have no such authority?

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On ‎12‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 8:13 AM, manotickmike said:

So.... The ATV clubs have trail wardens with authority (theoretically) to stop an ATV, but sled club officials have no such authority?

The ATV clubs haven't any authority that is different from that of the snowmobile clubs. They can ask for your permit and if you don't have one, on property that they have a land use permit with the landowner for can act as the landowners agent and fill out a notice of trespass. They can take that to the OPP and swear out a complaint. The OPP lay the charge. Essentially the snowmobile clubs can do the same but the OFSC doesn't want you to do that anymore. They ramble on about trail ambassadors and not wanting trail patrol to be at risk.

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