Slavens Trailhead - Rants

If You See a Turtle on a Fence Post, He Had Help.

November 14th, 2010

It’s a tireless, thankless, endless, and often overwhelming and discouraging job for the 1 percenters that are in the trenches day in and day out trying to keep YOUR trails open. Like the turtle, they need a lot of help to get up on the fence post.

So, I’d like to say thank you to all of the 1 percenters for everything that you do. I know that you guys participate and donate money and time and energy and I greatly appreciate it. Over the last 37 years I have donated thousands of dollars (Blue Ribbon, Colorado Trail Preservation Alliance, and COHVCO) and countless hours to trail access issues and trail maintenance and it still blows me away that 99% of dirt bikers won’t even give $20 to the organizations that fight for their trails.

It’s been my experience that those that complain the most do the least. They don’t belong to any of the groups that fight for land access, they don’t donate a single penny, they don’t go to meetings, they are ignorant about the issues, and quite often they ride LOUD bikes and destroy the trails.

The organizations that are fighting our battles are working with pennies. It’s amazing that they get anything done with their tiny budgets. If everyone would donate, to the groups listed above or ones in their own region, it would be much easier to win trail access issues. FYI: Most of the staff members, for the groups listed above, work endless hours for you for FREE. Many of them even pay for their own travel expenses to the many meetings and events that they attend.

I urge everyone to become pro-active and protect the sport that we all love because if you keep doing what you’re doing then you will keep getting what you’re getting, more trail closures.

The bottom line is, are you part of the problem or part of the solution?

Please become an ambassador for your sport and your trails.

Tags: CBTRA.org, Colorado motorcycle trails, Colorado Trails, Colorado Trails Preservation Alliance, KTM Talk, Thumper Talk
Posted in Rants |

Are you a Loud Idiot?

June 1st, 2010

I didn’t say it. I should have. I wanted to. I’ve thought it many times when out riding, but it was Jimmy Lewis that coined the phrase “don’t be a loud idiot” in the July 2010 issue of Dirt Rider. Good job Jimmy!

As I’ve said many times before and will say many times again…..we are our own worst enemy. Every year I get invited to ride with someone or some group that I’ve never ridden with before so I always ask about the sound level/types of mufflers that everyone is using. I absolutely refuse to ride with loud idiots and I don’t want to show up and have a problem at the trailhead. When I ask “how loud is your bike?” I often get the response “my bike is not too bad”. To that I say bullshit. Not too bad is the same as not too good and that is just NOT acceptable. Loud bikes, especially 4 strokes, offend all other trail users and me. It pisses me off when some Neanderthal thinks that installing a loud muffler or pulling the insert out of his quiet muffler will give him that added horsepower that he needs to get down the trail. Well, unless you’ve recently won a National off-road event you probably can’t handle what you have, so dream on cowboy. FYI: Well known racer Shane Watts recently won the sportsman class at a GNCC with a DB Snorkel (84dBA) on a small bore KTM 200. He did it just to prove that quiet bikes can win.

If we don’t police ourselves we will continue to loose land access issues. So, I have to ask…..are you a loud idiot, or do you ride with loud idiots, or when you meet one on the trail do you talk to them about their loud idiot ways? Please ride a quiet bike and ask and persuade your friends to do the same.

Jeff Slavens

Tags: Adventure rider, AMA, Blue Ribbon, CMTRA, COHVCO, Colorado motorcycle trails, Colorado TPA.org, Colorado Trails Preservation Alliance, Expensive KTM 300, Hidden Gems Wilderness, Jeff Slavens Racing, KTM, KTM Talk, Slavens Racing, Slavens Trailhead, Thumper Talk
Posted in Rants |

Closure to a Rant

March 2nd, 2010

During my 36 years in the motorcycle industry I have come across many obvious design flaws and I’ve often wondered “what horse’s ass came up with this”? Now I finally have some closure as it appears that motorcycle designers come from the same gene pool as train track designers.

The history of railroad tracks

(Be sure to read the final paragraph; your understanding of it will depend on the earlier part of the content)

The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used?
Because that’s the way they built them in England , and English expatriates designed the US railroads. Read on…

Tags: KTM, motorcycle design, Slavens Racing
Posted in Rants |

Short Arms Syndrome

January 4th, 2010

If you haven’t already noticed (head in the sand syndrome) the liberal Democrats are enjoying their newly found power and are enabling the frigin tree huggers to close down our trails. They are organized, well funded, and now they are backed by the politicians. Read on…

Tags: Colorado motorcycle trails
Posted in Rants |