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American Honda Motor Corp. has announced a recall of approximately 24,000 2005 and 2006 TRX400EX ATVs. Saying a safety defect might exist in the transmission, allowing the rider to downshift from first gear into reverse, without moving the reverse assist lever, they have mailed direct notices to owners and asked them to stop using the units and to make an appointment with their dealer, to install a kit to prevent the shift problem. Honda reports they have received four warranty claims and no notice of incidents or injuries. The affected untis are reported to have been sold nationwide from September 2004 through November of 2005. New Mexico ATV Safety Law According to a report in the Albuquerque Tribune, a new law has gone into effect, January 1st, designed to protect youth operating ATVs. Riders under 18 are now required to wear eye goggles and helmets, plus take a safety training course. Sponsored by State Senator Dede Feldman (D) and State Representative Bobby Gonzales (D), the law also increases the registration fee from $15.00 for three years, to $17.00 for two years. They say the fees will also be used to help pay for additional ATV trails and tracks on state land, though none have been announced. The law also requires all riders under the age of 10 to be supervised at all times, as well as mandating they use “appropriately sized” ATVs. User Group Sues California For Closing Trail A non-profit corporation that involves itself in controversial land use matters has reportedly filed suit against the California Department of Parks and Recreation, alleging that a portion of Coyote Canyon was closed illegally and that the closure is a continuing public nuisance. The trail has been reportedly in near-constant use for 200 years and the closure, first implemented in 1995, violates a California Civil Code section that forbids the blocking of a public road. The suit alleges that the Parks Department does not have the authority other public agencies would have to do so. The complaint asks the court to direct the Parks Department to remove the gates they installed to close the trail and re-open the trail. Conservationists Sue Over Butterfly According to an Associated Press story, conservationists have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to protect a rare Nevada butterfly against offroad vehicles at one of the largest sand dunes in the west. The environmentalists want to force the agency to declare the Sand Mountain blue butterfly an endangered species, because its habitat is being destroyed at the only place the insect is known to exist. Federal protection of the insect is the only way to save it from extinction, at the 600 foot tall, two mile long sand dune, where the Kearney buckwheat plant that the butterfly depends on exists, according to the suit. The area reportedly receives about 50,000 offroad recreationists per year. |
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