Feb 2007 ATV-Industry News

The long arm of the law in Aberdeen, SD, is about to end at the throttle of an offroad vehicle, according to the Aberdeen News, which reports a pair of Yamaha Rhinos will be used for search-and-rescue operations, as well as for parades and the Brown County (SD) Fair. “It's not going to be a patrol car and we're not going to use it like one,” the newspaper quoted Aberdeen P. D. Captain Dave McNeil as saying. “But it really provides unlimited opportunities to use in other ways.” One Rhino will go to the Aberdeen P.D. and the other to the Brown County Sheriff's Office as loans from Yamaha's Law Loan program and both will receive lights and decals so as to be identifiable as police vehicles, the report stated. The program costs the taxpayers nothing, the News said, identifying Biegler's Jeep of Aberdeen as instrumental in making the deal happen.

Thieves made off with 228 all-terrain vehicles worth $120,000 recently in Industry, CA, according to SGVTribune.com of San Gabriel, CA. An employee at Vicoo Industries came to work and discovered that two trailers carrying the ATVs were gone, according to Sgt. James Beamon of the sheriff's Industry Station, the Web report stated. "Somebody drove off with the trailers," he said. The ATVs, which were made in China, sported vehicle identification numbers, according to the report.

ATVs were banned from all Topsham, VT, roads last September, according to the Journal Opinion newspaper of Bradford, VT. But a group of about two dozen residents, ATV club members and other interested parties showed up at a later Topsham Selectboard meeting wanting to know why, the Journal Opinion related. The paper described the meeting as non-confrontational. Selectboard Chairman Tony Spooner said he wanted to work with riders for designated highway areas for ATV use, the paper said. The paper related that Spooner was “more than happy” to work with ATV riders on a trail system and to open up the necessary roads to make continued ATV use possible.

All-terrain vehicles will not be allowed on Nassau County's (FL) dirt roads, despite a recent state law to allow them, according to the News Leader newspaper's Web site. At a recent public hearing, the county commission unanimously voted to ban ATVs from use on all unpaved county roads - about 300 miles of county real estate, the paper reports, noting the state adopted new laws in October that would have allowed four-wheelers and other unlicensed, single-rider vehicles on unpaved county roads with speed limits of less than 35 mph. However, counties were allowed to adopt an ordinance exempting their roads from the new law, the News Leader said, noting only two residents spoke at the meeting, both strongly in favor of the ban. “They don't seem to abide by existing laws, so don't give them any further latitude,” said one attendee, the paper asserted. County Commissioner Marianne Marshall said she would never support allowing the vehicles on county roads because of the liability issue. The ordinance defines an ATV as any motorized offroad vehicle with three or more tires that weighs less than 900 pounds, is less than 50 inches wide and has a seat straddled by the rider, according to the News Leader, adding violators face a traffic citation with a fine of $71.50.

The Forest Service will hold a series of two-day workshops in February for Manistee and Huron National Parks in Michigan and for the Nebraska National Forests, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council, with the stated purpose of helping forest managers understand the needs of the offroad community, trail system development and the task of bringing the off-highway vehicle community into the forest-management process. Identical workshops have already been held for the Tonto and Apache-Sitegreaves National Forests in Arizona, Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota and for Hiawatha and Ottawa National Forests in Michigan. The Council reports input on Cibola and Santa Fe National Forests in New Mexico, plus Ouchita and Ozark National Forests in Arkansas will be heard in March workshops and on Montana's Helena, Lolo, Bitterroot and Panhandle National Forests, plus Gunnison and Pike/San Isabel National Forests in Colorado in April. For more workshop information, visit the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council Web site at www.NOHVCC.org.

Last month we reported on the $642 million boost ATVs give to the Minnesota economy. Yamaha Motor Corp. reports it helped fund the study, which was conducted by several official Minnesota agencies under the umbrella of the University of Minnesota Tourism Center. Yamaha's financial contribution was not disclosed, but was large enough to earn praise from study participant Phill Maroud, President of the ATV Association of Minnesota (ATVAM), who said in a Yamaha Web press release: “This study is one of the most important things the ATVAM has ever done and we appreciate Yamaha's contribution and support. We plan to use the information statewide to help show the far-reaching benefits of providing and supporting ATV trails.”

Ten new ATVs and assorted accessories with a combined value placed at $50,000 were taken from Key's ATV dealership in Hazen, PA, according to Web-based press reports. Cash, also, was reportedly stolen. There was no further information available as of presstime.