Burned out on PCs yet again ... I'm going back into the woods

[WalkinTarget]

I have been scarce around here lately, and doing computer stuff both day and night has sapped my mental stamina. Remember last time I went through this phase around age 40 I went and bought an ATV, and after 2 years upgraded to a big, cushy utility ATV ?? Well that didn't pan out so well, and I had a bad accident in July of '11. The love of the woods and riding never left me, but I assumed that it was best to leave it behind and go back in PCs whole hog again. That was ... until a month or two ago ...

I had told my wife maybe 6 months ago that I was going to get back into it, but at my own pace, given time to mentally and physically heal from my accident. That didn't go over too well, but after reminders maybe once a month or so, she never really gave me her blessing, but never gave me grief over it either. Two weeks ago, we brought home another puppy, a male Boxer that we named Mack. I of course remembered the conditions under which I could get my first ATV - the wife got the puppy and I got the ATV. It sorta felt like deja vu all over again, so I began a huge sell-off of PC hardware, and soon had enough to start shopping.

The last time I was looking for one, it took most of 2 months to find what I wanted, but this time I settled on a quad all the way down in Virginia that looked very promising. It was a 2:30 minute drive from PA, but it was worth the drive. I brought this home with me yesterday:

2005KingQuad.jpg

It's a 2006 Suzuki King Quad 700 with a measly 600 miles on it. New tires, rims, and a plow sweetened the deal. I really found nothing wrong with it - it was extremely clean and didn't exhibit any signs typical of riding in the woods. Hopefully I can get it out on the trails by the end of the month, weather permitting.

[JohnyRico]

Looks sweet! Try to not ride this one off a cliff!

[trip202]

Looks like fun - be safe!

[goldenfooler]

Yea be safe. I try to get at least to a park twice a week. Need to do an over nighter soon, its a little brisk I will wait until May. Balance is so hard to maintain.

[WalkinTarget]

Looks sweet! Try to not ride this one off a cliff!

Hah, I guess y'all remembered that last ride I took, huh ?? I tried to find it via search on here to reference it, but had no luck. It was July of '11, and to have something that you loved ripped away in an instant was tough to deal with. After a year away, I knew I would be going back, it was just a matter of things falling into place both financially and family-wise to make it work. I know my wife and kids will worry even more once I'm out in the woods, but hopefully I earn their trust back again.

[Duke{CLR}]

Way to get back on the horse, have fun with it.

[juneau]

Nice ride! Try not to hurt yourself again.

[Apache Warrior]

Nice and 600 miles is considered new.
Apache

[Trooper110]

Be safe and have fun WT! Don't make me have to hunt down your address and come thump you :P

[K PhaNTOM]

That is the most bad ass ATV I have ever seen.

[WalkinTarget]

Worst part of it right now is having no garage space at all to bring it home. Its now in my Father in laws garage for a few weeks until we can sell off some stuff that came out of an enclosed trailer that I sold 2 weeks ago. Take a full 6x12 trailer full of stuff then dump it into your garage and see how it all fits ... that's where we are at now.

I floated the idea of a shed by the boss but she quickly shot down that plan. I hope the weather warms up in the next 3 weeks so we can have a massive yard sale and clear out all this clutter. I'll post some pics once I get it on the trails within the month.

[Dead...Again]

Looks like a nice 4-wheeler, WT. I'm sure this is ingrained in your head from the previous wreck, but remember that these things will tip on you much easier than you would think. One of my cousins had one flip when he ran over a sapling with a deer strapped to the back.

[Slaughter]

Yeah, caution is the word of the day. I remember a guy at work who had to have staples in his head for several months after a wreck on one of those things.

[WalkinTarget]

Yea, they are one of the rare things that can get you hurt at slow speeds instead of high speeds. The old adage 'Speed kills' doesn't quite apply here, as any hill ascent or descent can go bad quickly if you miss your line on the hill. Don't worry, I have not forgotten that wreck, nor will I ever. Out of the group that I ride with (mainly my F.I.L. and B.I.L and a few of their friends) every one of them has had accidents, from broken ankles to damaged knees to my cracked rib.

I am making efforts to remind myself at all times how things can go bad (pic of my wreck on the ATV's keyring for starters), so its just a matter of acting like a beginner rider until I get a feel for this quad. The tires are my concern, as I love doing donuts in the dirt, but these things hook up so well that you can EASILY flip it if a tire finds a hard spot to grip. Every rider has horror stories to tell, so I'm praying I have had the worst of my riding left behind me now.