Lost a GREAT place to ride!

[wisenhimer301]

We lost a great place to ride!!! When i was a kid.....we used to ride our dirt bikes in a "flood" zone. The land is useless for building or farming, so no one cared if we rode there or not. Later the land was divided and sold. The people who bought the land built houses on the higher areas and still didn't care if we rode in the low wooded areas as long as we stayed out of their yards. Now, several years later, the trails are still there.

Today, me and the wife were riding there when one of the owners came walking along with his dog, and told me he didn't allow 4-wheelers or motorcycles to ride there anymore. Shocked.....I asked him why. He said some one got hurt and was going to sue one of the other owners, so they all decided it would be best if they stopped all riding there to protect themselves.

I won't go back there because it's their land.....not mine. But I don't see how someone can sue a landowner if they get hurt on their OWN bike or whatever!

If anyone knows of a way to protect landowners from lawsuits.....PLEASE let me know. These people are cool......they just don't want to get shafted by someone looking to make a dollar!!!

[PumkinFest]

Unfortunatly personal indemnity insurance (i think thats what its under) is not cheap so why pay for insurance just so others can ride on your property? What about a form that states you cannot sue me iff you are injured on my property?

[wisenhimer301]

I was told that a lawyer said it didn't matter if a form was signed or not. Also there are so many people riding that it would be hard to keep track of who signed up. Thanks for the reply!

[LostTrail]

That happened to my friend and I also, we came back to an old riding spot we used to go to a couple years ago, the whole farmland was divided up into abotu 15 houses. There are yards now right through OUR trails!! Horrible.

[wisenhimer301]

Yeah....it sux. But, the bad part in this case is there are NO yards or anything here! The creek that's there flows straight to the Ohio river. When it rains a lot this area floods so it cant be used for anything.......but riding.

The owner i talked to said he hated to keep everyone away but he couldn't afford a lawsuit if someone got hurt. They (the owners) had the land posted, but kids keep tearing the signs down and ride anyway. That gives the rest of us a bad rep. I told him i had just bought our bikes and I was teaching my son not to ride on the highways and on posted land.

I hate to loose this place, and could very possibly work out a deal to let us keep it. But as long as other riders disrespect the owners and ride through their yards, it will never happen!

[CRF450RDR]

Yeah progress is spreading all around here. I had this great little track carved out around a lake, with only fishermen around. It was like my own personal GNCC track, the shut off access because you had to go over a road to a new development. Anyone can sue anybody for anything these days (too many shady lawyers), they might not win the lawsuit, but they can still sue, it sucks.

[fat250]

that's happened a few times here...but luckily we still have tons of places to ride

[ttr125lerider]

yea.. that really sucks.. a few years ago i used to ride my gocart on my neighbors property that had hundreds of acres and their paths are crazy wide. he built miles and miles of trails for his truck that was set up for off roading. the trails weren't rutted up or anything becuase his dad hates tearing up the land, so they were just butter smooth on a gocart. well after riding there for a while i get a call saying i cant come back because if i was to get hurt, i could sue them for everything they have. and im certainly not the type of person to do something like that but i couldnt convince them of that. i found another place to ride my bike now thats still about 150 acres and its right in my backyard practically.. still dosn't compare to some of the stuff the stuff the other neighbors had. hillclimbs, 20 foot wide trails (which would get old quick, becuase i like tight stuff) fields, mudholes.. everything.. im still very greatful to be able to ride where i do because i don't even have to put my bike on a truck or anything to ride there.. but if i could ride the other property once with a dirtbike i think that would be CRAZY fun

[wisenhimer301]

Yeah.....I feel your pain. But there has to be a way to protect the land owners! I'm sure if there was a way to protect them, they would let us ride!

It's ironic.......If you have an accident on a state or federal highway, you cant sue them!!!

[YZ250F_Rider]

If you were hawaiian you would ride there regardless of their feelings, in fact you would go so far as to cut new trails on their land and try to keep others from riding them as though they were your own.

[revolucien]

There is just a bunch of sue-happy people around. We have two tracks down here that people run out of there front yards and they are getting sued because some kids wiped out and hurt themselves. The people allow their children to ride but don't accept that this is a dangerous sport and sue as soon as their kid falls and gets hurt.

There is a law that was passed to protect the land owners down here and it states that if you ride on an off road vehicle, you accept the inherit risk that this is a dangerous sport. It is supposed to save the track owners, and riders who crash into other riders, from being sued, but it only weighs the decision of a trial in their favor.... IT DOES NOT STOP THE ATTEMPT TO SUE.

Unfortunately no matter what law is out there, someone can still sue you. The bad part is you have to show up and incur the court and lawyer fees even if you are protected by a law such as the one we now have.

[chewgravel]

The laws need to be changed to read that a person can not sue if they are riding on someone else's property. Period.

[426boy]

hey man sorry to hear about your loss i live in california and we are constantly getting kicked out of our riding places

[revolucien]

I lived in cali up until last year and watched some of my favorite places to ride get closed one by one.

There is a place in San Diego called Otay and it had a lot of sweet jumps, trails, hill climbs, all free ride. I heard the cops control it now.

Just goes to show you gotta fight for your riding areas... if you hear of someone about to sue because they got hurt riding their bike, punch'em right in the mouth and let them know your not ready to lose your riding area!

[wisenhimer301]

Man....I agree with all of you!!!(except YZ250F Rider)

My parents just bought a field next door to their yard. There are railroad tracks at the end of the lot. Riders keep running over their small trees and through the middle of their yard. There is nothing about the field that attracted riders other than it was a short cut.

They live at the end of a dead end street. So riding off the end of the road, and to the tracks is no big deal. But when riders run over their trees and stuff they get mad.

I understand riders don't want to loose their riding areas, but I also understand land owners don't want their property destroyed by bikes and ATVs.

So to respond to YZ250F Rider....This ain't Hawaii. I won't ride on someone else's land if they don't want me too. I live in a small town. When people see me or my wife or son on our bikes........I want to be respected......Not looked at as a punk or as someone who doesn't respect people and their land.

I'll set an example for my son......And other riders......Thank you very much.

[wisenhimer301]

If I pissed anyone off......I'm sorry.

Those people (the landowners) let people ride there for years. It's a shame one person can cause SO MANY others problems!

[B86_Racer]

That sucks that you lost a great riding area. I used to ride in an awesome riding area a couple of years ago and we knew they were going to start doing construction but didn't know when. Well, sure enough, last summer they built a rode that went straight through the trail system. Houses are everywhere now I'm sure. I haven't been back in a while.

[JustDucki]

This is the way of things folks.. My father owns about 400 acres and will not let anybody but family ride on his land. Our family lawyer told him that one lawsuit would be a catastrophe. Shame really because my father feels that working and riding ATV's is a great alternative to MTV and drugs.. Oh well remember this everytime you see a personal injury lawyer advertise on TV.. These are the scum causing the problems.

Of course I should also mention the trash bottom feeders that go to these lawyers in the first place thinking it is a lottery.. They don't care that a big settlement just means regular working families get stuck with the bill one way or another . In our case we have to drive for several hours to ride legally now (unless I ride around the farm).

My MC club has been sued by white trash scum woman riding a dirtbike without a HELMET AND SANDALS.. when she ran into a tree claiming the DNR did not mark trail properly.. They closed the trail of course and now we are all screwed.. THANKS B**CH. She walked away with a pile of cash.

This issue sickens me..

Sorry to hear you lost a trail..

[commando]

For public land issues try joining up with the Blue Ribbon Coalition at www.sharetrails.org, or something like www.usaall.org, or something more local to you like a local ohv club.

For private land issues... be nice to the owner and good luck