Friday, September 07, 2007
One more point about snowmobiles before I get flooded...
Those of you who have read this blog all along will know that I am NOT OPPOSED to snowmobiles or snowmobiling, I will own one myself someday soon . I am against excessive snowmobile noise, and the culture of noise that makes it OK to punk the northwoods and its residents. I often cross snomwobile trails when skiing, so I know how quiet snowmobiles CAN be. The fact that many aren't quiet means somewhere between "a few" and "a lot of" people are choosing to have loud machines.
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4 comments:
Mark, You seem to have your priorities or your seasons mixed up. It seems to me that in fact the winter months are the time of the year most noticed for its silence. After all isn't it the winter months when the wildlife slow down and take time to rejuvinate after a long and busy summer? Isn't winter when the trees shed their leaves and move into a dormant sleep? If you and the rest of your self proclaimed environmentalist are so concerned with nature why would you even consider exposing nature to one of the noisiest and environmentally unfriendly motorized vehicles made. Do to the extensively long season ATV's are used they tend to be replaced much sooner than a snowmobile which spends 10 months out of the year on a trailer in the garage corner. The new ATV's utilize much cleaner highly efficient 4 stroke engines instead of the 2 cycle foggers still in use on the majority of Snowmobiles. Very few utility ATV's use aftermarket exhaust and therefore actually have a lower db noise output than the average riding lawnmower. I have nothing against snowmobiles, bikes, or hiking boots and know for a fact that there is plenty of room in Northern Wi for every venue of sports to play. I am a little bit surprised that someone with your level of education and profession position would not look deeper into your agenda and make an analogical analysis where you should be drawing the line.
Mark,
I have to say that as an avid ATVer for years as well as an avid snowmobiles, the sleds are and always will be MUCH louder than ATV's. In fact, I can vouch for this because my hearing is just about shot. I am going to the ear doc in 08' to get a hearing aid due to the years of being around the noise (have to wait for my new flexible spending plan to kick in). I love both of these sports and won't bash them but will point out a few facts below.
A big difference between the sleds and ATV's are that I know for a fact that sleds spew out oils and liquids (mind you, as sledders we can run on lakes and practically anywhere). If anything, the sleds are much worse to the environment than the quads are. I recall the last rides of the season where we would be literally "mud riding" on sleds. The carbides dig up blacktop roads when they are plowed down to nothing and they created rutting issues. Lets face it, the winters aren't what they once were in Wisconsin so the businesses cannot rely on sledders to keep them fed in the winter time. ATV's can be run all year long with the exception of the spring thaw season. Businesses see this is a huge plus when considering year-round trail systems. As a future business owner, I will welcome ATVers and all user groups to stay at my establishment. I will even run the for town board chairman position to ensure that ATV issues are handled appropriately.
As a gal with experience (I ride my quad every single weekend around the state), I know that there are sound check points set up by the DNR or Trail Patrol around the trail systems. We are stomping out the loud pipes one by one (this will never happen with Harleys and they are the noisiest, most annoying thing I've heard...trust me buddy, I live behind a bar in the city!) I myself, am a Trail Patrol Ambassador and I'm there to help clean up my sport and make it better for the future generations to enjoy without having hearing problems like myself.
I realize that we are "the black sheep" according to your crew of silent sporters. I ask that you have an open mind and give us a chance to make things happen. I called in on the route 51 thing the other night and had poor cell phone reception. I wanted to call Sue Drum out on some issues that she is inaccurate on. I will show up at some meetings to have a talk with her. What she is doing, just isn't right and I don't know how she can live with herself or sleep at night.
If need be, I would go so far as to have cameras installed on trail systems to have tickets issued to ATVers that aren't well educated enough to stay on the trails. I'd start up a fund raiser or heck, maybe even pay out of my own pocket if I hit the lotto or something..ha ha. I read Joel Patenaude's blogs and find them helpful to clear up misunderstandings that he spreads to the silent sport world. This needs to stop and there will come a day that we will all work together. This won't be as separate "user groups" but as human beings.
What needs to happen here, is that we need to start having some respect for eachother. We need to focus on our own user group issues and take care of "our own". If you can't see the bicycle problems out there on the streets each day...you would have to be blind. Silent sports have their own way of ruining the environment as well. Example, I saw that the bike manufacturers have special "hardcore mud tires". While I thought it was silly, I can see the bikers ripping it up out there too. I've seen bicycle ruts in the ATV trails that I ride so nobody is perfect here.
Quit being brainwashed by Joel and Sue. You wanna have a serious talk with a girl that knows how things work...you come to me Mark. We can work things out. Email me: muddychick123@hotmail.com I look forward to speaking with you and getting the truth out. I would hope that you would take me up on this offer. If you don't, I will know that you were sucked into the brainwashing. This psychological damage can be reversed. If other silent sporters wish to email me too, go ahead. If you make threats, I can handle them (I've been through the worst extremities that life can toss at a person including rape, arson, burglary, assault and the list goes on) Maybe you can see why I want to get out of the city so bad and ride my ATV in the northwoods and live there? A hard knock life? Yes but you need to realize that some one out there will always have it worst.
Jess "Muddychick" Priem (I'm not afraid to say who I am, I stand tall and proud and represent the real people that are out there helping our sport)
There are two types of engines used on snowmobiles, ATVs, boats, and motorcycles. Two stroke and four stroke. Two stroke engines deliver more power per pound but are noiser and pollute more. Four stroke engines are less powerful per pound but are a lot quieter and less polluting.
Snowmobilers seem to want the max power and, therefore, tend to use two stoke engines. And they run VERY high RPMs. The combination of two stroke and high RPM means a LOT of NOISE.
ATVs don't need the big power of a snowmobile (35 hp for a "big" ATV vs 140 hp or a "big" snowmobile) so they almost all run four stroke engines. The nature of trail riding on an ATV is such that high RPMs are also not needed. The combination of four stroke engine and low rpm is a much quieter machine.
If you want to enjoy the northwoods on a quiet ride, I'd suggest an ATV not a snowmobile. Besides being quieter and less polluting ATVs can be used year round instead of only on the few weekends that there is actually enough snow for a sled.
But, either way, I'm glad to see you want to explore a wider expanse of our northwoods. A wide expanse that it is only practical to explore on a motor machine.
bill
Good points Sailorgriz. I know that when we were into snowmobiling (could no longer justify riding 2 weekends a year and paying out the butt in insurance, storage and etc.) we ran much faster and harder than we ever would on quads.
I'm surprised to see that Mark is so open to doing a little hell raising on sleds. I gave mine up for that very purpose. Speed, noise and bar hopping at its finest. No thanks. Each time I went out on sleds I felt like I was taking my life into my own hands. Its far too risky for me. I'd rather snail along on my quad, its more like a cadillac without the noise and chances of pollution.
To each his own. If you wanna become a sled head...try it out and let us know what you think Mark. More power to you!
Jess
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