mikeexplorer

This is a good article on this project. A lot of information presented in the article. http://www.jimbullphoto.com/brappracecoverage.html Text copied below: New Pa ATV Trail System By Jessica Welshans In a year’s time, momentum hasn’t stop in creating a large scale ATV trail in Northcentral Pennsylvania. The project is called Northcentral Pennsylvania ATV Initiative project, those involved know it isn’t going to happen in an instant, some hurdles have to be cleared and there have been many obstacles along the way. Organizations spearheading the effort are coming straight out of Clinton County. The Central Mountains ATV Association, along with the Clinton County Commissioners, Clinton County Economic Partnership and Tourism and other agencies like Snow Shoe Rails to Trails and PAOHV Pennsylvania Off-Highway Vehicle Association have all been working diligently to get this trail complete. Since the start the trail has grown from its initial report of 800 miles to 1,100. Henry Sorgen, CMATV club president reports that 44 percent of the trail has been completed. In the 18 months working the miles have increased because more township roads have opened up to ATVs, thus increasing this mileage. The main drive behind this trail system is to bring economic development not only to Clinton County, but the entire region it is located in. Commissioner Jeff Snyder wants people to come into the area, spend their monies at local businesses, campgrounds, utilize the state parks and other recreations while here – in the end boost the economy, bring tourism here. “This is going to benefit our area, our taxpayers and our businesses,” Snyder said. “It will grow ATV business, enhance tourism and enhance economic growth here in Clinton County and the region,” Rich Wykoff, club member and tourism chairmen said. Challenges have been in many forms, ranging from getting townships to change ordinances for roads to be open to ATV travel and working with the state agencies like the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to include ATVs as vehicles that can use state forest roads and trails that are currently designated dual purpose as is the case with snowmobiles and dual sports. The commissioners and committee members for the initiative feel the biggest obstacle has been the perception of the ATVer as a whole. Commissioners Snyder and Pete Smeltz said they have had residents of the county approach them being very against the trail proposal. “I have run into people during the elections and said we don’t want this because ATVers are bad, they don’t obey the rules and don’t stay on trails,” Snyder said at a sit down discussing the trail. He wants people out there to understand, that isn’t all together true. Because of what CMATV club president calls “the two percenters” – what other ATV and UTV users call riders who disobey trail rules. These are riders who may ride where they aren’t supposed to, litter, go too fast and other issues that are just among the few. Sorgen said the small amount casts a shadow over those who want to enjoy a ride, follow the rules and ride correctly. Snyder wants to know how they can change people’s mindsets. He and Smeltz believe the first way is looking at the CMATV club. A family friendly riding club, comprised of more than 850 members, who hail from all over Pennsylvania and out-of-state. The club organizes a plethora of rides throughout the year, all over the region, that are family friendly and follow all rules, regulations and ordinances that are set forth. “Every ride is a guided ride,” Wykoff said. “The big investment in equipment translates to using common sense when riding … it's the safe thing to do … respect the trails and property they often return to these places and would rather have good conditions.” He added that all of this in stark contrast to the 1 % who are responsible for ‘tearing things up’ and being a general nuisance to neighbors, private property owners and law enforcement. At a recent county Recreational Board meeting, club members presented a study prepared for and paid for by the Clinton County Government done by engineering-environmental consultants called Skelly and Loy. The purpose of the study, titled Clinton County All-Terrain Vehicle Recreational Analysis, is to find out the economic impact of ATV recreation in Clinton County. The study began at the CMATV organized Renovo ATV Cruise for a Cure ride on June 6 and the 13th Annual BBQ Chicken Ride at the Snow Shoe Rail Trail on July 18. At both events, a total of 130 surveys were given to 328 riders at the two events. Eighty five of those surveys were completed and able to use the data in the study. Eric Bruggeman, consultant with Skelly and Loy that comprised the report, said an estimate of $240 was spent by an ATVer per visit with an average of seven trips in a year. This calculates out to be $2,900 per rider. “This is a snapshot of an economic analysis and what it means to this county,” Bruggeman said, who also works with the PAOHV as a state trail committee member, and as an ATV representative. The second part of the study surveyed leased and owned camps of Clinton County. Bruggeman said in those surveys participants were asked about what recreation they were coming here to participate in and how often. They were also asked if they were for or against ATVing in the county. Five hundred-eighty surveys were sent out and 40 percent of those surveys came back and were used in the data collection. Through this portion of the data collection, Bruggeman reports that camp visitors reported they would like to see ATV trails in the area to be able to ride on. He said 56 percent were in support, with 35 percent saying they would come to the county to ride. “More people support it then actual do it now. That’s significant,” Bruggeman said. He remitted that this is just a snapshot study, and not a long two year study that larger institutions may do, but this study’s collection are good numbers. Wykoff added that when the county commissioners decided to go ahead with this study, it was to really look at what is going on right here, right now. “We need to promote this area to be a recreational haven (that it already is),” Smeltz said. In Clinton County, active registered ATVs have hit high numbers. In 2014, there were 1,332 machines and in 2015, 1,338. Compared to snowmobiles which had active registration of 420 in 2014 and 385 in 2015, the group looks at these numbers and sees they reflect popularity of ATVs and UTVs. Commissioner Snyder said the Clinton County All-Terrain Vehicle Recreational Analysis will be made available online at the county website for the public to view it. “I believe that there are many people, especially current and perhaps future business people, who recognize the value of having ATV riders come to our area. This study supports the positive economic impact that would occur. This is also a family activity,” Snyder said. The trail is proposed to be located in all the same areas once discussed, to connect Clinton, Centre, Potter, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, Cameron and a small portion in Lycoming counties. It will reach into four state forest districts and 59 townships. As the process continues the club, commissioners, tourism partnership and other agencies involved are working with Department of Conservation and Natural Resources on the trail system that has to cross into those district forests. The proposed trail is designed using municipality roads, pre-existing trails that run parallel to forestry roads used for snowmobile trails, power lines and pipelines, and some low use forestry roads, to which they said DCNR will have to advise the club on Sorgen said. DCNR monitor, maintain and regulate legal trail systems across the state located on State forest ground. For instance, a proposed trail will connect trail systems already in place starting in Clinton County like The Bloody Skillet, Whiskey Springs, Haneyville, and Denton Hill areas. The membership driven Snow Shoe Rail Trail, a large ATV trail located in Clinton, Clearfield and Centre counties, has also played an integral part in planning the new system. Commissioner Snyder said the ATV committee is moving forward with a plan that hopefully will get the support of the state and municipalities to connect the Whiskey Spring trail with other establish trails. _________________ Additional Commentary____________________ Perception versus reality... we deal with it every day. It guides our opinions, the positions we take on matters, and the decisions we make. This is very much the situation with the ATV project that we have been developing over this past year and a half. Three wheel and four wheel all-terrain vehicles have been around for several decades. They have been used as utility vehicles and as recreational vehicles. Like any other recreation, a small portion of those who participate choose to disregard common sense, common courtesy, and the rule of law as they enjoy their sport. Very often, this results in damage to property, unsafe conditions, and someone getting hurt or killed. Name a recreational activity and you will find this to be true of a small portion, commonly referred to as “the one percent”, who shed a bad light on the sport. As we visit the townships and communities in our region presenting the ATV project, the “one percent” has been consistently offered as the reason people and communities have been reluctant to open their property and roads to use by ATV enthusiasts. Fortunately, we are able to present a different perspective on the changing face of the ATV sport and those who have been investing in a growing tourist industry that relies on business from ATV owners. Today's average ATV owner invests $5,000 to $15,000 in a unit and spends another $2,000 to $20,000 on a rig to haul it. These units are pulled by pickups that are not cheap to buy and maintain. Each year as we have attended the Renovo ATV Cruise For A Cure, our ATV rodeo, and the events at Snow Shoe Rails to Trails, we have been amazed to see the growth in numbers of these big rigs pulling into the staging areas and parking lots. Often we see half a million dollars of equipment parked in those lots. The families who own those rigs come to ride, have fun, camp, and enjoy the company of others of like mind. Camaraderie is central to the nature of today's ATV rider. That is the primary reason our club has grown from a hundred members a few years ago to 850 members this past December. These are the people who will be attracted to this trail system and the communities that are connected to them. Those areas in West Virginia, New Hampshire, Utah, and other states understand this and are drawing a lot of business to their communities. A recent study in West Virginia showed that the Hatfield-McCoy Trails have become a $2 billion tourist trade in an area that is in a struggling coal region. This summer, CMATV club members will be riding to the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire during a 3 day tour of trails in that state. We want, and can grow that kind of business in our region and can offer a great deal more to those who will come to enjoy riding in the Pennsylvania Wilds. This project since the beginning has been guided by two principles. The primary focus has been to develop a map that encourages, as best it can, opportunities for economic growth in the communities within the region we know as the Pennsylvania Wilds. The second and equally important focus has been to assure that the system be designed to follow a consistent set of guidelines that comply with state and federal regulations for safe and legal riding. The DCNR ATV licensing program has provided us with the first level of consistency in regulation by requiring helmets, age restriction, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance. As municipalities are presented with the sample ordinance and state regulations for ATV use of roadways, it becomes more clear that having these rules in place makes it harder for “the 1%” to be a nuisance and sets the standard for safe riding for those who will be riding into their communities to stay, eat, and get gas. In a year and a half, we have come a long way with the project. Of course, there have been, and will continue to be, challenges that will take time to resolve. We started with a map with red dots that were the communities in the region and a question: How do we connect these communities so that people can ride between them on ATVs? It is remarkable that in this short time we have been able, as Henry said, to find a way to ride 44% of a proposed 1100 mile set of roads and trails. Additionally, we have found that there are several viable projects within this large map that are worth the effort to develop as gateways into the trail system. Each involves a set of communities and businesses that would greatly benefit from the tourist dollars that would come with that designation. (Much like that which has happened in Bennezette and the elk herd.) This project has benefitted greatly from the participation at bi-monthly meetings of ATV organizations, business owners, county resource people, county representatives, and state representatives. We expect that this group will continue to guide this project for a while yet. In the meantime, you can follow the project by contacting Central Mountains ATV Association, Inc., The Clinton County Commissioners, and the Clinton County Economic Partnership Tourism Director.

He didn't say, but its usually the last monday of the month

Just a few updates from the last meeting. They have filed for incorporation and "DBA" (Doing business as) next step is drafting club bylaws The have spoken to Waymart township about opening some roads to ATV usage and it seems like it will go through. I got them information about PaOHV and they are willing to help them out until they get more solid and possibly join. A guy I know from the Lackawanna Heritage Valley gave me info on a DCNR rep who is interested in developing ATV trails in our area. I forwarded that information to them as well. Mike

Next meeting is this Monday, June 27th 7pm at the Gravity inn. I plan to be there

As some already know, there is a new club forming in the Waymart area called "Responsible Riders of Wayne County" They have had two meetings so far and at the last meeting 16 people signed up for the club. The goal is to open ATV riding in the Waymart / Honesdale area. This club is just starting out and for now there will be plans to find riding areas that can be opened to use. Membership now is being used to get the club started as a non-profit and to get some initial funds going. Their first planned ride is to participate in the Pride & Patriotism Parade in Waymart on June 11th. (This conflicts with our club ride in Renovo for the Cancer ride) This ride you would have to be a member of the new club, but he extended it to all Valley ATV club members as well. Monthly meetings are held at the Gravity Inn in Waymart. Next meeting is June 27th, at 7pm If you would like to join the club, application is attached. (yeah they copied ours ) Club contact information: responsibleriderwayne@gmail.com Po box 94 Waymart pa 18472 570-647-7258 Mike Responsible-Riders-of-Wayne-County.pdf

Our Initiative Today, on behalf of the PA DCNR we are completing a study to analyze existing ATV trails and parks in Pennsylvania, as well as explore possibilities for establishing additional riding areas. The purpose of the analysis is to create a statewide inventory of ATV riding opportunities on public and private lands, and to research opportunities to partner with local governments, nonprofits, and for-profit organizations to create and develop new ATV parks, trails, and facilities to meet the needs of Commonwealth’s 169,015 registered ATV owners. Our Request In order to help us with this initiative, we are asking you for your support and assistance. Please take a few moments and complete this short survey by May 1, 2016. There is a question on the survey about "unauthorzied areas" which I simply left blank. Survey is only a 5 minute one so everyone could please do this it could help https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PA_ATV_PLANNING_PARTNERS Mike

You will like the Bighorns.

Finally decided to sell it outright after busting on Michelle and I eh? Mike

Geesh, you got me beat, 4 Cats verses my Three

All of our machines have them. Awesome tire

Put new paws on the cat. Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 mounted on ITP SS220 rims. Looks slick!

Cube only sells Arctic Cats. Oh and he renewed his sponsorship for 2015

He has always done me good work and the labor costs have always been reasonable. If you remember two years ago at the club picnic my machine started acting weird where it would act like I was not giving it throttle and I was putting up the hills on the trails. The chef was busting that he would have to push me up all the hills. I took it in and he thought it was the secondary clutch sticking so he worked on it. Very next ride it did the same thing. He had me bring it back and he investigated it for a week and found it was actually the diaphragm in the carb that was bad. He not only fixed that and cleaned it out, he repaired my starter since it was acting up and only charged me $40 in labor because he felt bad that he didn't fix it the first time. He also keeps a lot of parts in stock where most dealers will have to order everything. Usually on forum boards all you hear is the bad stuff about dealers and machines and such. Very few will post when they have a good experience with a dealer or a machine. I did check around when I was thinking of buying the new machine, but I already knew I was buying from Cube no matter what. In the end his price and service was better then any other dealer I talked with. Mike

As some of you know after purchasing my new quad I kept the old one mainly because the dealer was not interested in a trade. Between over 14,000 miles and the fact the frame is welded is quite understandable So I kept it as a beater and a plowing machine, using the new one as a trail rider and a spare if needed. Back in May during the Loft Scrabble run I got a bit into the spirit of things in the mud pit and managed to get water and mud past the air filter after hitting a rut in the pit. A few months later the engine started burning oil. Not too bad at first but as time went on it got worse. Finally back in October it got so bad it was using a quart of oil for every 20 miles ridden. Compression also went very low as the quad also lost engine braking. The time came to make a decision, either scrap the quad or fix the oil burning. I called Cube Auto and explained what was going on. He felt it only needed a top end rings and piston (accounting for the high miles) I was given an estimate of $500-$550 to do this work. So I waited a bit to rake some money in and then after pondering the idea, decided to go for it. I figured for that amount it would be worthwhile to repair it and keep it as a beater and a plowing machine. This will save some wear on the new machine for awhile. I took it in on November 20th. He told me he was really busy with work since it was near hunting season and sled season is coming up. Plus he inherited all the work from Rusty Palmers as they gave up the Arctic Cat line. I told him no problem since I do have the new machine. I told him to take it apart first and see if that is all it needs since if there was more engine work to be done that it would not be worth it if this was going to cost like $1,000 Got a call last week. He called it a mix of good and bad news. First the compression was bad, so bad he could turn it like it had no spark plug. That was known so no big deal. (yeah I toasted the rings for sure) He did say the piston was still good to his surprise but the taper of the cylinder wall was out of spec so there is no choice but to bore it out and install an oversized piston and ring set. Ok no big deal as the price of a piston was figured into the quote. He did find that the timing chain was stretched out to the max and would have to be replaced which was "not cheap" He did also find the valve seats are worn out, but the valves themselves are fine. He removed them and lapped them clean. To get to the timing chain, he removed the clutches rather then splitting the case. The "good news" part is he found the internal bearings, crankshaft and primary clutch shoes were all in good condition. (primary clutch shoes have some wear, but well within spec) he attributed this to the fact I use synthetic oil all the time and I use the genuine stuff even though it is more money. By tearing into this side of the machine this also means all the gaskets and seals have to be replaced. The belt for over 8,000 miles on it is also in good shape. The secondary clutch is also good. (I clean that usually once a year) So what it came down to is to fix the engine properly (he does not like to fix stuff half-assed) he told me the PARTS alone will run $500-$550, ugh! So clearly this will cost well above the original estimate and is clearly not worth it. Then he tells me, since I have been a good customer (buying two quads, plus parts and stuff) he discussed it with Dave (the other guy there who works on machines) they are going to do this whole job for the ORIGINAL estimate of $550! So basically what he told me is he is doing this at no labor cost! Tell me another dealer who would do that for anyone! Of course since he is doing me this huge favor they are only working on my machine between jobs. So the estimate for it to be done will be another 2-3 weeks. Hell for what he is doing for me, he can take his time! So when I get this back, I will have a rebuilt engine. He did say he has to keep the "high mileage king" going, they have never worked on a quad with that many miles, hell they don't even see sleds with that many miles on them He looked over the whole machine and for what I put this thing through, the machine is still in decent condition. (which is why I work on them, I like to keep up on things to avoid breakdowns) So yeah you can say this is also a plug for Cube Auto (one of our club sponsors) and you know what they deserve a good plug for doing this. Yeah, I can certainly say I recommend Cube Auto if your ever thinking of buying a Cat Mike

The old one came in handy last Sunday. Last Saturday we were riding Lost Trails and suddenly her quad gave her trouble. Would not stay running at idle and very hard to start. Managed to get it down on its own power (using low range and keeping on the throttle) Worked on it a bit but clearly the carb took something in and jazzed it up. It also had little backfires so it was a clear sign to send it to Cube's. (Carb work and valve adjustment are two things I don't know how to do) So she rode my old one on Sunday at NWORC. Did let her try the new one, she agrees, it handles just as easy as the 366. Mike

Well the old one isn't dead yet, still going. The changes they did with that "ride in suspension" is amazing. You feel lower to the ground (lower center of gravity, meaning less "tippy") and the handling and steering is so much improved. Not sure how they did that since the A-arms are exactly like the old machine) Don't blame the age of the old one, it was tight steering from the start. I don't see a need for steer lites in this machine. hmm, already have them, so maybe ill just use them in the old one since they are worn out anyway. I might even dress up the old one with some free parts I got. Mike

Installed HID lights last night. Only other mod planned is steerlites. Just from messing with it around the yard, it steers pretty well. I also noticed the coating used for the muffler and A-arms is better then the old machine. Should keep them both from rusting. Mike

Ah, will still knock around with the old one. Then it will be good for parts.

Finally did it and bought a new machine. 'Course it had to be another Cat It is a brand new leftover, 50th anniversary edition. Dressed it up with upgraded rack, and bumpers. Still have the old one, still runs.

I have not had any issues with them so far.

A few pictures of the installation of the HID kit for those who want to use them. Bob, these should help you in how to install them. I kept them forward of the oil cooler so they don't get too hot. They are simply ZIP tied to the front frame with larger zip ties. They have been working out well with no issues. Mike

I will probably bring in a set to show how they hook up. I ordered one more set as a spare. Should arrive before the meeting. Mike

Here is a good example of the difference. Both pictures taken inside the tunnel at Lost Trails. he difference is amazing. That is even accounting for the headlights are not aimed properly because the plastics and frame are out of alignment. Mike

Here is the link, Ebay site http://www.ebay.com/itm/270890515433?var=570053762354&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 All Cats use 880 style bulb. (except the 366/425i models) I purchased the 6000K bulbs. Went out locally for a night ride and wow! what a difference. I also have to account for since my frame and plastics are "tweeked" the headlamp housings do not line up properly. Today I plan to do a quick ride at Lost Trails and take a picture inside the tunnel. I have pictures from before I did this change. So I will have an accurate "before & after" These are 37 watt kits which means they do not draw any more power then the stock lights. I bought two kits to do both set of lights which still made it cheaper then adding LED light bars and such. The only downside is it takes 5 to 10 seconds for the lights to come up to full brightness. Mike