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Defending Our Stories

As a freelance writer, contributor to many off-road publications and former magazine editor, one argument from readers/consumers that always seems to come up is that magazine editors are sell-outs. Or I should say, their machine comparisons or “shootout” results are based on advertising dollars. They say, “Read the story and then check the ads…that usually determines the shootout winner.” Never has this been more wrong in terms of my work and the work of any of the magazines from Affinity Powersports (ATV Magazine, ATV Sport, UTV Magazine). Since 1998 – my start – I’ve followed the lead of many honest, true magazine leaders and ethical journalists like Glenn Hansen (former Suzuki exec.), Chaz Rice (now with Can-Am), current ATV Magazine Editor John Prusak and many others.

An industry friend of mine, and former co-worker, recently brought this to light in a Q&A he did with my buddy John Pellan at ATVscene.com. Pellan asked KTM’s Chris Vogtman (a former magazine editor himself) what he missed most and doesn’t miss about being in the ATV magazine field.

Here’s the Excerpt:

(SOURCE: ATVScene.com)

“What don’t you miss?

“I don’t miss people constantly saying the shootouts I took part in at ATV Sport and ATV Magazine were brand slanted and advertising biased. I can’t speak for the other magazines, but the editorial staff at Affinity Group always put out and continues to put out unbiased articles with sound data backing their results. Testing machines and anointing a shootout winner was always a difficult task. No matter what, a reader with heavy brand loyalties would get offended. And, now that I’m on the other side, I can’t say I blame them [Laughing]. But, I felt we always did it the right way at Affinity Group, and I have seen firsthand that they continue on that tradition when KTM is invited to their shootouts.” — Vogtman

“I couldn’t agree more. As a matter of fact I made reference to this the other day when I pointed out ATV Magazine’s killer Utility 4×4 Shootout that Bill Lanphier wrote. I rode all but one of those big utes and their feature was spot on and completely unbiased in my opinion.” — Pellan

I also bring this up because a recent ATV Magazine article was under attack from forum users for a couple errors and what some readers called a “bias slant” or “conspiracy theory.” The errors were addressed and a correction will run (as that is what a magazine does when it makes a mistake). Above all, Vogtman’s quote sends the message that these mags don’t fluff it up, don’t create unfair results and do provide legitimate content that is often backed by the ATV manufacturers, all of which attend the annual ATV Trials testing event (and many rode WITH the test team). Do they agree with every result and editorial conclusion? Of course not, but they respect the results as we respect their partnership in the industry and participation in the event. It’s mutual respect and that goes a long way. I firmly believe that both Hansen and Rice would agree with Vogtman’s assessment, as they too have seen both sides and know the value of editorial integrity.

Man vs. Magazine

Compliments of ATV Magazine forum members Warrior-Kid and Cchagros.  Video footage from their epic ride in New Hamshire.  For more discussion on this and other topics please visit the ATV Magazine Forum

‘Liiiiiiiike a glove!’

As a young ATV rider, I didn’t care if I wore brown jersey gloves (you know those ones that cost a little more than a buck?) when I rode my old Honda four-wheeler. As a young kid in the 1980s, we wore whatever we had on hand to keep warm in the winter or to add comfort. When my riding career took a more “professional” approach in 1998 — that’s when I started at ATV Sport — I soon realized motocross gloves were so much better than a cotton or knit glove. Duh, right?! Plus, they look a lot better with the rest of the MX gear than those ugly brown mitts or your grandpa’s leather work gloves.

However, after a dozen years of riding ATVs, I’ve also come to the conclusion that all MX gloves are not created equally. This glove topic comes up because I recently lost one of my favorite EVS SX Lite riding gloves at the Alexandria Wal-Mart. I was wearing it as a “light spring glove” and it fell out of my jacket pocket. I’ve had the EVS gloves since they were introduced and they were one of the best pairs gloves I’ve ever worn. They held up and showed minimal wear, even after several rides, trail races and other uses (digging in the garden and mowing the lawn – seriously they were that versatile). Perhaps their only flaw was the lost of the silicon grips on the fingers (peeled off), lack of palm padding and excessive top finger padding. Even so, I loved them and I am saddened by the loss.

My all-time favorite MX riding glove, however, has to be the FOUR Mission glove, by O’Neal. What a clever concept, to actually craft a riding glove for ATV riders, those guys and gals who need to use their right thumb to engage their quad’s throttle. It featured a stretch Spandura right thumb for quad riders and eliminated a significant weak spot (see below) in MX gloves. The patent-pending custom Gel pad lined right thumb is my favorite feature as it produces all-day comfort. Palm padding and stitching are an added bonus. My red-black-and-white Mission glove (dated) offers a perfect fit and ATV comfort to go with it. If my entire MX glove collection could feature these attributes, I’d be a happy quad rider. Looks like I’ll have to order some new 2010 gloves (right).

MX Glove’s Typical Weak Spots

Over the years, I’ve found MX gloves have certain weak spots at least according to my testing. And like I previously stated, some gloves are better than others. Neither the FOUR glove nor the EVS glove have had these problems.

• The No. 1 problem has to be sizing. I wear an XL and I’ve had some gloves fit too tightly and others fit too loosely and create fold spots and blisters.
• Area between the index finger and thumb. It HAS to be stretchy for ATV riders because ours thumbs are stretched out while we ride. More often than not, this is wear an MX glove fails for me.
• Finger tips. I’ve had several gloves come unstitched here or have holes in the finger area. Once this happens, it’s time for the trash.
• Palm area. After a long riding day, testing or racing some gloves just can’t hold up and develop holes in their palms. However, others MX gloves are tough and never seem to get thin in this area.

Do you have a favorite riding gloves? Let me know the brand and why you like them.

How to choose a pair of goggles

Goggles are a crucial accessory in any off-roader’s gear bag. They can be the difference between a comfortable ride and a dirt-in-the-watering-eyes sunburned-face miserable experience. It is important, however, to properly select a goggle that best suits one’s riding tendencies and locations. There are so many types of riding, as well as many different riding conditions, and the proper goggle (and lens) can make all the difference. Every goggle should have these core features:

• Quality hydrophilic foam
• Interchangeable lenses
• Silicone-lined strap
• Venting
• Polycarbonate lens

The aforementioned features are vital to the performance of the goggle, but it is also very important that the goggle fits the riding application, face, and helmet. The better a goggle fits inside the opening of a helmet, the easier it is to create a nice seal of foam around the eyes. When choosing a goggle, have your helmet close by. A goggle may fit nicely around your face alone, but it may fit completely different with the helmet on, or even the opposite. Sometimes a goggle can compliment a helmet by naturally fitting inside the opening and creating a seamless connection of goggle and helmet. With your helmet on, try different goggles on, making sure the strap is even and straight around the sides and rear of the helmet. Grab the sides of the goggle frame and adjust the fit inside of the helmet opening, doing your best to seal the foam around your face. Make sure the goggle does not press down too much against your nose; for this can limit your breathing through the nostrils.

Once you have found a frame that matches well with your face and helmet, it is time to choose the best lenses for you style of riding.
Every off-road enthusiast should have a clear anti-fog lens. They can be used in all conditions and perform the primary function of goggles—protection. As conditions vary, and can potentially hinder vision, different lenses can be used to compensate

How To Further Your Racing Career

Over the years I’ve interviewed hundreds of ATV racers, from little 6-year-olds to aging former pros turned business owners and I can tell how well each self promotes. I’m not talking about bragging to the media here, but more like understanding the importance of every interview and doing it in professional manner and realizing that each sponsor and face time counts. This self promotion goes further than interviews. It also includes pit presence, attire, attitude and even your posse. If you really want to “hit it big,” you must act like a professional.

Clearly, it takes some riders longer to mature than others, but it can be done. Here are some tips to try if you’re trying to sell yourself and grow your ATV racing career:

1. Interviews: Realize they are important for you, your family and your sponsors. Try to provide solid answers (not just “yes” and “nos”). Don’t pimp yourself out, but do try for press when you achieve something important in your career.

2. Clean your ATV. Keep it clean and polished at all times. Again, it’s about creating an image and capturing attention (from sponsors, media, fans and other racers). Have you ever seen a pro quad look battered and dirty when it goes to the line or sits in the pits?

3. Dress like a pro. I’m not talking a black-tie outfit, but a suit and tie at a banquet is a great addition to your professional appearance. At a race, wear your pit shirt/race team attire and skip wearing your MX outfit all day. Also, clean your gear so you can look good on the track, too. The cleaner you are, the better chance you have to get photographed.

4. Pits. Keep your area clean and put up your sponsor banners or even create one professional banner with all your sponsors on it.

5. Control your anger. If you think you’ve been hosed by another rider or cheated, stand up for yourself but keep a cool head.

6. Create a racing resume and keep it updated. Avoid the cute approach and go for the professional, clean look.

7. Send “Thank You” letters. At the end of the season, regardless of your results thank every sponsor and those other who may have assisted you.

8. Remain humble and be yourself. No matter what level of success you achieve, remain approachable and kind to all.

9. Make every effort not to burn bridges. I know separation is sometimes the only solution, but try to do it cordially. It’s best for everyone.

Have any other tips you’ve learned by interacting with other racers, sponsors, media or race promoters?  Add a comment about some of the steps you’ve taken to further your ATV racing career.

Thanks for the coverage, I think?

The Sunday, March 7 issue of the Minneapolis Star Tribune had a story about the new Polaris EV. The story entitled, “Can Green Be Gold?” ran as an “exclusive” in the Sunday edition. I enjoyed some of the off-road-focused article and thought the author – David Phelps – did a good job of interviewing multiple sources and gaining feedback from Polaris about its new electric vehicle, but thought it was still too unbalanced.

Before I go on, I must say the Star Tribune has been less than kind to ATVs in recent years and has featured many one-sided stories (at least that’s my take) against the operation of OHVs. Many articles have focused on their alleged destruction of the environment, noise and even injuries and death. I was pleased to see the paper see the new EV as a positive business story, but displeased with so much focus on noise and the environment. And yet nothing concrete was mentioned about electric vehicles and their impact on our future environment. Nor how much of the environment it takes to build one/dispose of one compared to a normal gas-powered machine. In addition, what about the EV’s potential for indoor use (as one of my trusted colleagues pointed out)? No mention.

Even the story’s pull quote (which is in bold and as large as the subhead) featured Matthew Norton of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and not someone from the U.S. Military, Polaris or its defense team. He said, “The Quiet is a huge benefit. It will alleviate a lot of the discord that happens when people are forced to live near lots of noisy machines. But it will not alleviate soil disturbance and damage to vegetation.” (Source: Star Tribune)

A better quote would have been from Matt Homan, vice president of the Polaris off-road division, when he said, “You’re saving money on gas and you’re paying for the benefits of stealth and being green.” (Source: Star Tribune)

Here are the other hidden verbal attacks on our current OHVs/ATVs.

The story describes current ATVs as:

Noisy, disruptive to the environment, scary for wildlife (so is man!) and disruptive to herds and multi-acre neighborhoods.

Here’s the most opinionated and unnecessary portion of the story, “Norton added that quiet machines might also allow riders to go places they shouldn’t be, such as private property, without alerting others to their presence.” (Source: Star Tribune)

GNCC Pro ATV Results: 2010 Round 2

Well, two rounds are complete and the points race is extremely tight in the 2010 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Pro ATV class. With the action from the opening weekends of racing in Florida and Georgia, which saw Chris Borich win the opener and follow that with a second at Round 2 in Georgia, I’d bet the entire season goes this way. As expected, reigning champion Chris Borich is on top on his Suzuki, but Yamaha’s Taylor Kiser has the same amount of points (55), but is listed in second. Kiser, who ended Borich’s nine-race win streak, won for the first time since the 2009 Florida opener (13 races).

Right in the mix are Can-Am’s Adam McGill and multi-time GNCC champion Bill Ballance, who is racing what is said to be his final full season. McGill, his first season on the DS450, is 16 points behind and made the podium in Florida. For McGill, he hasn’t won a pro overall since Round 10 of 2008, but continues to challenge for the podium. Ballance reached the final stair of the pro podium in Georgia and now trails by 18 points. Can-Am’s other pro, Chris Bithell, sits comfortably in fifth, is just three points back of Ballance and 21 behind Borich after his twin top five showings.

Round 2 Movers:

Up: was stuck in eighth place after the first lap and still in sixth with one lap to go. However, the highly skilled racer kicked it into another gear and moved into fourth.

Down: Bithell led the race for the first three laps, but fell fell to fifth on Lap 4 and could not regain any positions. Brent Sturdivant dropped from ninth to 15th and then couldn’t finish the final lap.

Biggest news to me thus far:

1. The biggest surprise is seeing less than 20 pros line up for the races. There were 16 in Florida and just 15 in Georgia. Meanwhile the Pro-Am class has had 23 and 24, respectively.

2. I guess this one shouldn’t be a surprise, but … Walker Fowler might want to move to the Pro ranks now! The proven racer may be young, but he finished eighth overall and beat 8 pros in the process. Sure, in Florida he had a rather uneventful ride, but that’s racin’.

3. Brandon Sommers, currently in 11th, is out of the top 10 in points. I know he has the skills and I expect him to climb the ladder and get back in the top six.

4. Jeffrey Pickens has been a pleasant surprise on his Yamaha with two seventh-place runs. He’s a crafty GNCC vet, has the speed, but can he remain consistent?

5. Where are all the Hondas? Four pros ride “Red,” but have failed to crack the top five at either event.

Top 10 XC1 Pro  Points (2 Rounds complete)

Rank, make, number, name, total points (wins)

1. SUZ 001 CHRIS BORICH, 55 (1)

2. YAM 002 TAYLOR KISER, 55 (1)

3.  CAN 003 ADAM MCGILL, 39

4. YAM 004 BILL BALLANCE, 37

5. CAN 013 CHRIS BITHELL, 34

6. YAM 015 JEFFREY PICKENS, 28

7. POL 010 JARROD MCCLURE, 27

8. KTM 005 BRYAN COOK, 26

9. YAM 012 JOHNNY GALLAGHER, 26

10. YAM 007 DONALD OCKERMAN, 23

For complete results and individual classes, visit www.gnccracing.com.

Unusual Mud Protection: 6 Quick Tips

If you had plans to go riding or racing and the weather snuck up on you (although I can’t quite fathom in this day and age how that could happen), then try these tips to help your sport quad survive the slop.

1-gallon Milk Jugs

These make for quick-fix handguards if you failed to install or pack yours. We’ve seen a few racers install these makeshift protectors. The larger jugs work best because they are more flexible and easier to custom fit to your quad’s bars. Talk about recycling!

Scratch Pads

Some racers I know add kitchen scouring pads to act as a makeshift glove cleaner. In a really muddy race, your gloves will get wet and muddy, but by adding a pad like this to the top or upper rear section of your helmet, you could keep riding instead of stopping for new gloves.

Extra Lens

Many GNCC racers tape an old goggle lens on to their visor to improve its length and mud protection. Roost is one of the biggest culprits of slowing you down. Another rider can roost you with mud, which always finds a way of hitting you in the face, goggles and hands. This longer custom visor can help you, but it can also get super heavy if too much mud comes your way.

Duct Tape

I know it can be used for practically everything, including clothes, automotive repairs and wallpaper, but I’m talking about covering parts of your ATV. I’ve seen several racers run duct tape on their front bumper to the plastic and then coat it with PAM cooking spray to act as both a radiator guard and anti mud shield.

Paper Towels

Believe it or not, if you keep a few extra (and dry) paper towels in your waterproof jacket (if you wear one), you can also improve your hand grip – at least temporarily – by using the paper towels as grip covers. I’ve seen several of the top ATV racers go through their pits and grab two paper towels for the final lap instead of stopping to clean their grips or get new gloves.

Garbage Bag

Yes, this one is for you more than your quad, but any heavy-duty yard waste bag will work as a rain poncho during a long race. The downside? Someone may call you trashy or toss you to the side of the curb. Oh, and it gets really warm under one of these plastic sacks.

These are just some of the basic off-road racing/riding tricks I’ve learned over the years. Although some of them are quite simple and rather obvious, many riders can forget to pack parts and accessories and need fast fixes. Do you have any tips of your own to improve your sport quad’s mudding abilities? How about something you wear during a muddy event?

Aftermarket Companies Practicing Grassroots Marketing-Customer Relations

FASST Co. announced The Flexx Handlebar Experience Tour recently. It will be at Glen Helen this weekend (March 5-7) for the second round of the Big 6 series. This program gives racers the opportunity to install the high-end, comfortable handlebars on their machine and try them. If you’re planning to race at Glen Helen, stop by, say hello and tell them we sent you.

I love it when companies do this sort of grassroots marketing and customer interaction. I’ve seen this done by ITP tires at Brimstone Recreation last year as trail riders could install a tire-and-wheel kit on their ATV and then take the kit for a trail ride. Now that’s firsthand experience. The best part is it’s on your machine, not someone else’s.

I also know that other companies like Hinson Racing, Triumph Motorsports, Duncan Racing and others. In fact, Hinson Racing has been going to local Southern California motocross tracks for the last few years to interact with its racers and other riders, and even assisting them in some cases.

Clearly, more companies should — if they’re not already — create their own track-side support program or at least visit a local motocross, desert or cross-country series once in a while to remind riders of what they do, the product they offer and, most importantly, that they support the sport and the riders. I applaud the companies (and those that do similar programs I failed to mention) for their initiative.

Say It Ain’t So, Digger

I knew one day it could happen. I expected there would be a time – obviously – when “Digger” Doug Gust would retire (hang ’em up, walk away, call it quits). While I don’t know the real reasons behind Digger’s rumored retirement, I doubt it had anything to do with old age. An ATV legend and legitimate hero like Gust can’t stop racing —it’s not fair to the fans or me!

I’ve always been impressed with a guy, from the Midwest, who could whip other MX riders, many of which are half his age, and remain the constant professional and all-around good guy. Cockiness was always a trait foreign to him. And talk about approachable! While other past GNC Champions like Tim Farr and Shane Hitt left the game several years ago, Gust continued to pound the dirt and help raise ATV racing to another level. Sure, in recent years Gust has lost out to a the more youthful riders like Dustin Wimmer, Chad Wienen and Josh Creamer, but he still was a threat to podium and challenge for a spot in the top three at the end of the year.

What I find the most shocking about Gust’s retirement is that fact that no manufacturer or major aftermarket companies gave him a good enough deal to keep him on the track — at least to my knowledge. Suzuki went with Wimmer and Creamer and rumors of Polaris deal have yet to pan out. Like I said, I don’t know all the details and whether or not Gust has officially turned down any companies, but it will be disappointing not to see him race if that’s how it plays out.

I know Gust has the right to end his career. Clearly it’s his body, his time and his choice, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be saddened by it. Believe me, if I had the resources and funding, he’d be on my race team. His leadership, popularity and professionalism make him invaluable in my opinion.

If we don’t see No. 55 on the track in 2010, he will be missed. Oh, and I beg Doug to prove me wrong. If this is the end, he put on quite a show, deserves recognition for his contributions to this sport and a round of applause.

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