What's new
By:
Filters

Trail Etiquette

Stormdog said:
I took an honest look at the tools and parts I carried in my Fanny pack, and realized that most were there just to loan to guys who didn’t carry tools or didn’t keep up on maintenance.
I completely eliminated the Fanny pack and just have the necessary tools for a given ride.
Click to expand...
Oops, I am on the other end of the spectrum of what is in the tool kit.

I use a Rivet Master link on the Honda, but I carry a 520 and a 525 Master clip link for the "other guy". While I need the CRF Axle wrenches, I still have the leftover KTM 400 axle wrenchs in the kit just in case. Has came in handy more than once.
 
Last edited:
MVI said:
Oops, I am on the other end of the spectrum of what is in the tool kit.

I use a Rivet Master link on the Honda, but I carry a 520 and a 525 Master clip link for the "other guy". While I need the CRF Axle wrenches, I still have the KTM axle wrenchs in the kit just in case. Has came in handy more than once.
Click to expand...
I always service the machines at home with the tools I take out on the trail. Id rather it be a little harder at home rather than impossible on the trail.
 
I've posed this question many times over the years, but never found the answer. What do you do when you come upon a horse rider from behind?

The answer is easy when you pass going opposite directions. You pull over, shut off the motor, and let them pass. This doesn't work when you're going the same direction. I could just be stubborn and ride on past, but falling off a spooked horse in rocky terrain could easily result in an injury. That's not the impression of motorcyclists I want to put out there.

In my part of the country, equestrians and motorcyclists rarely share trails, so maybe it's a non issue.
 
Stormdog said:
The corollary to the above is to choose your riding partners carefully.
I‘ve learned the hard way it’s better to hurt some feelings before the ride then during the ride.
Click to expand...
I ride with a very limited group on purpose. We street ride and dirt ride together. We know each others skill level and style. I don't do group rides with strangers
 
High Country Herb said:
I've posed this question many times over the years, but never found the answer. What do you do when you come upon a horse rider from behind?

The answer is easy when you pass going opposite directions. You pull over, shut off the motor, and let them pass. This doesn't work when you're going the same direction. I could just be stubborn and ride on past, but falling off a spooked horse in rocky terrain could easily result in an injury. That's not the impression of motorcyclists I want to put out there.

In my part of the country, equestrians and motorcyclists rarely share trails, so maybe it's a non issue.
Click to expand...

Have only had one instance of rear approach, and it was on an open two track. Our group of five stopped a little bit behind the first of two riders and the rider turned to address us. She walked closer and we talked for a few minutes and we asked if she minded if we pass to which she agreed. Both riders maintained position as we idled by.

Single episode. This was on organized equestrian event that we were pre-warned to stay away from. But, our ride leader got off track and we rolled right into the route they were following. To note, the interaction we had created a very positive response within the equestrian group riding that particular event, which was a 180° shift from their perception of our Dual Sport event.
 
High Country Herb said:
I've posed this question many times over the years, but never found the answer. What do you do when you come upon a horse rider from behind?

The answer is easy when you pass going opposite directions. You pull over, shut off the motor, and let them pass. This doesn't work when you're going the same direction. I could just be stubborn and ride on past, but falling off a spooked horse in rocky terrain could easily result in an injury. That's not the impression of motorcyclists I want to put out there.

In my part of the country, equestrians and motorcyclists rarely share trails, so maybe it's a non issue.
Click to expand...

One of my Favorite 2 day rides is the AMA OZARK 200 in NE Arkansas, held in June each year.

The draw for me is the Ozark Trail Riders obtain a special 2 day permit to allow motorized vehicles into the national forest which is only for horses, hikers, and Mountain bikes.

When you come upon the horse and rider, they hear you coming anyway. As a former horse owner and rider, I understand how flighty some horses can be, So I give a wide birth. I Stop short by at least 60' and Wait. Trust me the horse and rider will know you are there, well unless you are on a ZERO FX.

100% of the time the rider will look at the MC rider, and I always give a nice wave "hello".

Then there are three primary outcomes :

A) they make a path an wave you thru. When this is the case, roll thru , off the throttle and clutch pulled in if possible.

B) they walk on a few feet and turn into the woods on a foot path. When this is the case let them get into the trail 40 or more feet, then roll thru as quietly as possible.

C) they have no where to go, they have to keep on that same trail. So I wait, take my helmet off (15 min rule) and water up. Eventually the rider will have a wide spot in the trail , wave you thru, or find a new foot path and turn off.

The number one thing is to be respectful and patient.
 
Last edited:
xr-nut said:
How about don't plow through water holes if it can be avoided with riders behind you?
Click to expand...

ZoomerP said:
It also reduces trail damage. Not a big deal in some areas, but on mixed use trails that experience a lot of erosion, blasting through water gives others another excuse to ban bikes from trails.
Click to expand...

In some areas, going around water/mud is frowned upon. This is called trail widening. I used to work trail maintenance and took classes on the subject. What happens is a single track trail gets widened in that area, to avoid the mud. It is much easier to repair a mud hole on a single track than to repair a 40’ wide path of destruction.
 
Loud pipes close trails. The quieter you can make your bike, the better. No other trail user wants to be able to hear your bike from 3 mountains away.

When approaching other trail users, slow to a walking pace. They will not be impressed with you dust cloud or wheelie skills.
 
ZoomerP said:
Yep. That can happen with people on foot, horseback, or wheels. I look for a rocky base and try to stay on it as much as possible, which usually aligns with the proper route. Riding through a sensitive area and needlessly spinning tires or going off-trail isn't very smart.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is not exclusive to motorcycle riders, all trail users are guilty of trail widening. I am guilty of doing it. I try to be cognizant of where I am at and what behavior is ok. What is ok here is not ok in other places. If you are visitor, treat the trails with respect. A few years ago, a big YouTuber posted video of his Colorado vacation. He was not from there and obviously oblivious of the rules. It was pretty easy to tell what trail he was on if you spent any time riding a dirtbike around the state, then they started shooting random hill climbs that were off trail. He got his ass chewed out in the comments and on FB where he posts a lot. I think he deleted all the footage before he got in trouble by authorities in Colorado.
 
Stormdog said:
A regular riding buddy and I were on a group ride with some guys we knew but hadn’t ridden with before, and at a stop one rider noticed his front tire was almost flat. The group was prepared to bail on the ride and go get a truck for the bike…
None of them even thought to carry tools or tubes Since they all took their bikes to a shop for things like tire changes, it never occurred to anyone it could be done in the field.
Click to expand...
I am amazed by riders, both street and dirt, who ride with nothing other than what they are wearing. No tools, no rainsuit, no place to stash layers if it warms up.

I was on a dual sport ride last year when a guy had a flat tire. He was on the only bike with tubeless tires and had no tools. The rest of us were prepared to fix a flat on tube tires. So someone rode to the nearest gas station to get a plug kit. Then we couldn't inflate his tire because the bead had come off and wouldn't seat with a bicycle pump. So it was a trip to Wally World to get some CO2 cartridges. A couple of us had CO2 inflaters but only one CO2 cartridge that wasn't a dud. We eventually got him back on the road. It was actually a learning experience and most of us went home and re evaluated our tool kits.
 
Cue the Tool Kit Thread

advbikes.com

Tool Kits - Bare Minimum or Maxi Kit

I carry somewhere between the max and the min. I want to be able to fix a flat and inflate it. Beyond that I want to be able to do basic adjustments or repairs but I'm not going to be tearing down the engine at the side of the road. Since I have four bikes I have a tool kit that stays on each...
advbikes.com advbikes.com
 
Reading these trail stories remind me of my former days as a MTB trail builder and why I gave up. Too many a’holes who do whatever the hell they want… So wether they are dedicated or multi use trails, some respect would help. And I don’t want to even mention the trash….. This bad behavior does indeed close areas and again shows that minority rules and a few bad apples will ruin it for everyone…
Sorry for the rant… :pope
 
Last edited:
nmroadrunner said:
I don't want to step on any toes here, but those da**ed UTVs or SidebySides or whatever they are are ruining the trails for adv, dirt bikes, and mountain bikes...sorry to see
Click to expand...

It has been going on for a long time, quads used to be the enemy. Around here, any single track trail that was on remotely level ground, got blown out to quad width. The problem with 2 wheel vehicles trying to follow 4 whee vehicles trails, is that we have handlebars that stick out each side. The 4 whee vehicles make ruts in the ground that run up against the base of trees. It can be very difficult to follow their trail at a brisk pace. All of our single track has been relocated to steep side hills, where the 4 wheel vehicles can not go.
 
nmroadrunner said:
I don't want to step on any toes here, but those da**ed UTVs or SidebySides or whatever they are are ruining the trails for adv, dirt bikes, and mountain bikes...sorry to see
Click to expand...
We need to embrace these folks. Work to build mutual respect. Work to make the best of this.

It’s most definitely the 30k sxs’s that are lobbying for access to the woods. There is big biz in sxs’s, so taxes, so gov attention.

Our community will never have the #’s.
The manufacturers of the big toys are doing the heavy lifting to keep access.

Funny thing about outside, it belongs to everyone. We judge sxs’s, peddlers and fake cowboys judge us.

I don’t particularly care for riding around mad piles of shit where horses are allowed. But I have too.
My gut says I’m better off ignoring the shit factories, rather than blaming them for fuking up my ride.
 
JohnQ said:
We need to embrace these folks. Work to build mutual respect. Work to make the best of this.

It’s most definitely the 30k sxs’s that are lobbying for access to the woods. There is big biz in sxs’s, so taxes, so gov attention.

Our community will never have the #’s.
The manufacturers of the big toys are doing the heavy lifting to keep access.

Funny thing about outside, it belongs to everyone. We judge sxs’s, peddlers and fake cowboys judge us.

I don’t particularly care for riding around mad piles of shit where horses are allowed. But I have too.
My gut says I’m better off ignoring the shit factories, rather than blaming them for fuking up my ride.
Click to expand...
I’ll put all my motorcycles in a pile and light them on fire before I “embraces these folks”
 
I'll say this and then cease...more than a few of these "folks" appear to be intoxicated and wearing sidearms. So I'll do my best to avoid them.
 
To your first post MVI, we do the same where on long group trial rides the leader waits at an intersection till he can be seen by the second rider then goes. Each rider in the group does the same. We also take turns dropping back and move the second to last rider up so they can have fun also. The guy in last...well they usually stay there. On that note...look, not everyone can get down the trail at speed and that's perfectly fine. Just if your that guy try to have a smile on your face...when you roll up on the rest of the group taking a break.

On long multi day rides it's always good for everyone to be on each others contact list.

In the extreme heat ride leaders need to take enough breaks to avoid guys getting heat exhaustion/stoke. At breaks check in with your buddies and see how there feeling and looking...I know guys that won't admit too feeling poorly so I keep an eye on them and make sure they are hydrating and haven't run out of fluids.
 
Last edited:
Don't navigate with your primary phone ...I used to do this with a cheap smart phone with a GPS app. on long trail rides. It worked ok but the phone got tore off the bars by bushes and trees. I was lucky and found the phone in a couple of minutes. But others in our group have used there expensive main phone and had to circle back looking, more than once. If you loose a GPS unit it sucks but you still have a phone.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom Back Refresh