Gotta make a change
Hey folks,
I live in the Santa Cruz mountains and ride a Sportsman 500. I've had it for a few years now, and go riding with my 17 year old. He has been on a dirtbike since he was about 11. About the only place around here that's worth driving to is Hollister Hills.
You would think that living in the mountains here would make for riding opportunities, but all the land is either private or off-limits to ATVs.
My problem is that my son is now sworn off the dirtbike. He took a bad fall on it a couple of months ago, riding around the neighborhood. I have been telling him for years that I did not want him riding on pavement, but getting a teenage boy to listen is problematic. The good news is that he sustained no long term injuries, but suffered a lot of road rash and bruises. The other news, however, is that he sustained a concussion - he has had one or two of these before. You can only take so many concussions before long term issues appear, and he has his whole life still ahead. So now he wants to get into 4 wheeling as a safer alternative. We already have a Jeep Cherokee, and Hollister has a 4wd area that is separate from the dirt bike/ATV area.
So now I don't have my riding partner. I can either go to Hollister and ride by myself, or consider selling the ATV and getting a side-by-side. I can ride the side-by-side in the 4wd area while he wheels the Jeep. I really love my ATV, and stepping up to an SxS is not going to be cheap. But maybe it is the only way he and I can "ride" together. It's rare to see anybody at Hollister on a utility ATV, so I don't know if any of you go there.
I am kinda stuck on the fence as to what I want to do, so any ideas or thoughts are welcome.
Doug
Hey folks,
I live in the Santa Cruz mountains and ride a Sportsman 500. I've had it for a few years now, and go riding with my 17 year old. He has been on a dirtbike since he was about 11. About the only place around here that's worth driving to is Hollister Hills.
You would think that living in the mountains here would make for riding opportunities, but all the land is either private or off-limits to ATVs.
My problem is that my son is now sworn off the dirtbike. He took a bad fall on it a couple of months ago, riding around the neighborhood. I have been telling him for years that I did not want him riding on pavement, but getting a teenage boy to listen is problematic. The good news is that he sustained no long term injuries, but suffered a lot of road rash and bruises. The other news, however, is that he sustained a concussion - he has had one or two of these before. You can only take so many concussions before long term issues appear, and he has his whole life still ahead. So now he wants to get into 4 wheeling as a safer alternative. We already have a Jeep Cherokee, and Hollister has a 4wd area that is separate from the dirt bike/ATV area.
So now I don't have my riding partner. I can either go to Hollister and ride by myself, or consider selling the ATV and getting a side-by-side. I can ride the side-by-side in the 4wd area while he wheels the Jeep. I really love my ATV, and stepping up to an SxS is not going to be cheap. But maybe it is the only way he and I can "ride" together. It's rare to see anybody at Hollister on a utility ATV, so I don't know if any of you go there.
I am kinda stuck on the fence as to what I want to do, so any ideas or thoughts are welcome.
Doug
