ATV Adventures: With big, powerful machines comes responsibility
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- Big, powerful machines being displayed at the 2022 Salt Lake Off-road Expo.
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- Lynn Blamires
In my 30 years’ experience with ATVs, I have seen many changes that have brought us to where we are today — from the three-wheeler ATCs and little 125 cubic centimeter ATVs to the monster UTVs we now have with mega-horsepower engines.
My first ATV was a Suzuki King Quad 300 with a 288 cc motor. The biggest motor in a quad at the time was a 400 Yamaha Big Bear.
At the turn of the century, I watched the needle on the cc meter start to rise. It started to move when Polaris introduced the 500 Sportsman. Yamaha answered with the 600 Grizzly. Polaris matched with a 600 and then a 700 Sportsman. Polaris went on to push the needle up to 800, 850 and then the 1000.
Yamaha introduced the first sport UTV with a 660 Rhino and then bumped that to a 700. Most of the Polaris UTVs are in the 1000 category.
The 2023 Polaris lineup includes RZRs with four-cylinder engines with 1997 cc’s and turbocharged, boosting horsepower to 225. To improve stability, machine widths have been expanded to 74 inches. Suspension systems installed on these RZRs smooth the trails out to make high speeds more comfortable. These specifications are just a platform from which to build the monster machines.
The 2022 Salt Lake Off-Road Expo last February featured a booth with some of these giants. Sporting 40-inch tires and at least 20 inches of ground clearance, these UTVs were 85 inches wide.
These are exciting machines and while I haven’t driven one, they have got to be great fun on the trails. However, owning one of them comes with a great deal of responsibility.
To begin with, they are beautifully finished with colorful wraps and equipped with amazing light systems that will turn the night to day. Because of their size and finish, they stand out. You can’t miss one on the trail and because they are noticed, they are watched. What is that driver going to do with that big, powerful UTV?
Rock crawling would be a draw for this kind of machine and Utah has great places to squeeze through and crawl over. The sand dunes would also be a good fit.
Utah offers about 80,000 miles of trail. Some 64,000 of these miles are open to all vehicles and would be appropriate to ride one of these UTVs. My point is that with a machine that stands out so much, it is important to be responsible and only ride on approved trails.
I rode with a group of these giants in the San Rafael Swell and saw no problem. I also rode with them on the Lake Powell Trails and there was no issue with width.
However, in addition to the trails without restrictions, the Paiute ATV Trail System offers 50- and 60-inch trails. The Arapeen Trail System has some of those same trail options plus a number of 66-inch trails. While these trails are unique to the Arapeen Trails, 50- and 60-inch gates are found on other trail systems throughout the state.
I have had conversations with Max Reid, who is a member of the Paiute ATV Trail Committee, and 50-inch gates are still a problem. I am not talking about the big machines now — the problem is with any UTV that is greater than 50 inches.
This is not a new topic, but it is an important one. When vast amounts of Roadless Areas were created about 20 years ago, conflicts were avoided by creating trails that were not roads. These trails were 50 inches wide and they were permitted because they were not roads. Fifty-inch gates were created to protect them. Max is determined to protect the 50-inch trails on the Paiute.
Drivers of UTVs greater than 50 inches often don’t understand why they can’t ride them. Their solution has been to destroy the gates or find a way around them.
What is important to understand is that if those trails are ridden with wider machines, they will become roads. They will have to be closed in roadless areas because they are not trails anymore. Owning and operating an OHV in the backcountry comes with a great deal of responsibility.
It is important to ride with courtesy, respect the rules and to follow Tread Lightly guidelines. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down, and maturity is having a powerful machine and choosing to use it appropriately.
Contact Lynn R. Blamires at quadmanone@gmail.com.