ATV News

The numbers are in, and they're not pretty. Last week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission released its annual report on ATV (all-terrain vehicle) deaths and injuries. (You'll need Adobe Acrobat software to see the report.) We can all debate where the fault lies (irresponsible riders? a regulation-resistant industry? lax rule makers?) until the cows come home, but that won't change the facts.

If mother nature cooperates the sixth annual ATV Snowmobile Poker Run for the town of Heart's Delight-Islington will be off to a good start this coming Saturday, Feb. 23. The event, hosted by the town's volunteer fire department, usually draws around 100 participants.

All-terrain vehicles will be allowed in the Mississippi Headwaters State Forest in northern Minnesota, but with restrictions, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday.

Although the restrictions presented Thursday are more restrictive than earlier proposals, it's doubtful the new plan will satisfy those who argued the forest there should be closed to all off-road driving, or those who argued for fewer ATV restrictions.

Water leakage is rarely a good thing and when the recipient is a throttle switch on an all-terrain vehicle, it can be deadly.

Transport Canada advises that water can get into the plastic sheathing that protects a throttle switch on more than 7,500 Honda ATVs and, once there, can freeze in winter driving conditions, causing the throttle to stick open and preventing the engine from returning to idle. That, says Transport, can be dangerous and could lead to a serious crash.

Nearly 100,000 Polaris all-terrain vehicles are being subjected to a voluntary recall because of electronic control modules on some models of its ATVs that can overheat and risk starting a fire and burning riders, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said today.

Consumers should "stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed," the commission said in a notice issued today.

Pure is a new offroad ATV racing game in development at Black Rock Studios, known for its Moto GP games and the ATV Offroad Fury series.

Unlike Black Rock''s usual simulation approach, Pure is an "extreme sports" arcade racer that''ll allow you to perform huge exaggerated jumps and "gravity-defying" tricks.

A number of new projects could develop along the Tuscobia Trail, an ATV route through the communities of southern Sawyer County, and could help to start a region-wide economic revitalization if things progress as planned.

Last week, community members gathered at the Ojibwa town hall for a discussion that focused on what will be developed in each municipality along the Tuscobia.

While farmers across the country are forced out of business daily, the Meadowview resident oversees a couple thousand acres. The hours are long and the tasks are endless.

"I’m in a dying industry, so I have to work smart and be efficient,’’ Rector said.

Rector, 43, is among a large number of Mountain Empire farmers who rely on all-terrain vehicles to perform various chores.

Brycen Spencer, an engineering student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has designed a safety helmet that could help save the lives of thousands of outdoor sports enthusiasts involved in accidents each year. His Wireless Impact Guardian, or WIG, which signals for help even when the wearer is unconscious, is a giant leap forward in helmet safety.

In their first competitive event the all new 2008 KTM XC Sport ATV have outdone other manufacturers’ factory models to take first and second in the Deep Well Desert Race held in Alice Springs, NT.

Local rider Sean Donnelly on board the KTM 450 XC won the event, followed by his team mate, also from Alice Springs, Willy Orr on the KTM 525 XC.

The Willpower Incorporated 3rd annual ATV & Off-Road Vehicle Parade and Poker Run is Feb. 9 at 9 a.m. in Quartzsite, Ariz.

Line up at 8 a.m. at the Fire Station on Tyson Street at Highway 95. Souvenir hats and T-shirts will be available.

Environmentalists and off-highway vehicle enthusiasts brought different perspectives to the microphone at a public meeting to review proposals for motor vehicle use classification and route designation proposals for Mississippi Headwaters State Forest land.

BECKLEY, W.Va. — Since 2005, the Raleigh County Commission has been working to create and establish an all-terrain vehicle trail system in Raleigh County.

“We feel this new ATV trail system will be the largest tourism attraction in Raleigh County in the years to come,” commission president Pat Reed said during Tuesday’s meeting.

Caleb Keen credits a lifetime of ATV racing for his knowledge of geography. It’s knowledge the 10-year-old racing champion said he didn’t realize he had until he won the Kentuck Elementary School Geography Bee contest in December.

What would have been the seventh annual Run for the Janeway has been postponed for this year. The family event, which includes snowmobilers and ATV riders from all over the province, was postponed last week as a result of current ATV regulations.