Thread: Farm bike advice please

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

You could say I'm biased when it comes to farm bikes...
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There used to be a saying back in the 60's 'You meet the nicest people on a Honda'. Any truth in that?

When I saw this thread just now I thought that looks interesting, and then realised I started it.

So, an update.

A good while back we went to a mate’s place in the top of the Coromandel, very large, easy country sheep farm. Had the chance to ride several different bikes, the Suzuki DR200, Honda CRF250, a Yamaha (forget which one), a Mud Bug and a Kawasaki Stockman. The boys loved the CRF - hands down the winner. I realised the older boy could already ride a motorbike just fine (he has learned on the sly at his mates place the cheeky bugger) and the younger one got the hang of it in one session, just pootling about at first then in the arvo a long tour around the farm. Was really pleased with their competence and how quick they got the basics sorted.

They moaned when we went home with the Stockman on a loan and needed a “that is what is on offer so be grateful you little bastards”. They really really wanted that CRF, Which just proves how important image is in their minds. Since then they mastered the Stockman and we’ve given it back. In the meantime I acquired a pearler of a Honda TRX300 4WD off here which I am really really happy with and is a perfect quad for the boys to really get the hang of some of the tougher tracks. Super light and nimble and not overpowered but more than enough to do the job. The only problem is that inevitably the 14-year-old F1 superfan is tempted to drive the quad like a go-kart. This has landed him in very hot water with me and he is on a temporary ban at the moment. Luckily the older one is much more sensible.

Just in the time that this thread has been alive my younger boy has shot up and at 14 and 16 they are now both taller than me, and the younger one in particular is strong as. What this means is that fairly shortly we will be able to buy a decent full sized bike rather than a smaller learner. So it’s been a good exercise so far, thanks for all the suggestions.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

When I saw this thread just now I thought that looks interesting, and then realised I started it.

So, an update.

A good while back we went to a mate’s place in the top of the Coromandel, very large, easy country sheep farm. Had the chance to ride several different bikes, the Suzuki DR200, Honda CRF250, a Yamaha (forget which one), a Mud Bug and a Kawasaki Stockman. The boys loved the CRF - hands down the winner. I realised the older boy could already ride a motorbike just fine (he has learned on the sly at his mates place the cheeky bugger) and the younger one got the hang of it in one session, just pootling about at first then in the arvo a long tour around the farm. Was really pleased with their competence and how quick they got the basics sorted.

They moaned when we went home with the Stockman on a loan and needed a “that is what is on offer so be grateful you little bastards”. They really really wanted that CRF, Which just proves how important image is in their minds. Since then they mastered the Stockman and we’ve given it back. In the meantime I acquired a pearler of a Honda TRX300 4WD off here which I am really really happy with and is a perfect quad for the boys to really get the hang of some of the tougher tracks. Super light and nimble and not overpowered but more than enough to do the job. The only problem is that inevitably the 14-year-old F1 superfan is tempted to drive the quad like a go-kart. This has landed him in very hot water with me and he is on a temporary ban at the moment. Luckily the older one is much more sensible.

Just in the time that this thread has been alive my younger boy has shot up and at 14 and 16 they are now both taller than me, and the younger one in particular is strong as. What this means is that fairly shortly we will be able to buy a decent full sized bike rather than a smaller learner. So it’s been a good exercise so far, thanks for all the suggestions.

Just keep it in mind that every year we lose guys that ride quads every single day as part of making a living and if it can happen to them it can happen to anyone. They're a tool, certainly not a toy.

Originally Posted by outlander

There used to be a saying back in the 60's 'You meet the nicest people on a Honda'. Any truth in that?

Na, I'm a prick

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Just keep it in mind that every year we lose guys that ride quads every single day as part of making a living and if it can happen to them it can happen to anyone. They're a tool, certainly not a toy.

Yep. You have to try really hard to kill yourself on a two wheeler. Break yourself, yeah easy. But kill yourself, you generally have to be doing warp speed.

Quad bike on the other hand, stop concentrating for just a tad, get tired and stop actively riding them and they'll easy break you in half, stab you, squash you or just right out kill you.

100kg that you can part ways with, easy as pie

or 400kg that follows you around and around as you rolly polley off down the hill...

& I'd say most of us guys that use them daily would have stories that would rather not say about with near miss to

I had a quad and sold it when the boys starting riding/breaking it.
Spoke with an older bloke at the yards one day and what he said was this.
Us farmers killed ourselves on horses then tractors and now quads.
2 wheelers are easy to bail off.
Quads scare me.
I reckon they are more riskier than road bikes where you have cars to worry about.
I have probably travelled 250,000 kms in last 20 years or so on road bikes ,a wee bit.

Yep quads are sweet as for straight up or down hills but sideways, nope rolly polly boom crash

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

It's not the quads that are dangerous, it's the people.
If they are used in accordance of the instructions, there will be no injuries.

I subscribe to this theory. I use a quad in very gnarly hill country and do not have close misses or ever feel at risk, because I am sensible. Conservative and patient and not in the slightest bit interested in taking shortcuts, especially not those that involve riding diagonally across slopes. I park and walk where others ride.

Fact is when it comes to teenagers we have a duty of care to get them to understand limits on all types of vehicles they will encounter. Two wheels, four wheels, bikes, quads, cars… we can go on about how dangerous quads and that’s fair enough, but everything is dangerous if you’re a dickhead. Take me back 40 years to when we started driving cars and bikes on the road, and I prefer not to remember some of the shit that went down. But I do remember the lads that were lost.

I’ve got two sons. On wheels, one is very conservative and sensible, the other is a dickhead. It gives me the shits and worries me greatly, but at least I know he’s got dickhead tendency and can work on that. I’d hate not to know and find out the hard way when its too late.

The "it wont happen to me" attitude is unfortunately what kills a lot of people. It should always be front of mind no matter how safe or experienced you think you are

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

The "it wont happen to me" attitude is unfortunately what kills a lot of people. It should always be front of mind no matter how safe or experienced you think you are

Great post, could fill a few pages with my near misses with quads over the years more as younger fullah...
I think the day of the quad as a farm tool is almost done, the purchase cost vs side buy side used to stand up for a few but now heck a new quad is 20k +!
It's interesting that the old farmers ( shit thats me) who said they would never have a side buy side there farms to wet or steep once they've driven one for a bit you never see them out there on there quad.
And yes have lost a few good mates over the years on quads, been to few calls in the fire truck to quad rolls its not pretty.
I'm not saying side buy sides are perfect, we still have a quad in the shed but sure no which one is more forgiving.

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There’s 3 guys that I refuse to go in a s-x-s with when they are driving. Never again. That says it all really.

Ryan, is the “it’ll never happen to me” comment a response to my post immediately prior to that?

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Na, I'm a prick

Time for a visit to the Harley shop then...

Regardless of cross country vehicle type there's almost never just one thing that leads to an accident or fatality. This example that I became involved in reviewing was the classic example of the 'Swiss cheese' model of why accidents happen (lots of little things omitted or done incorrectly can lead to a very big end result).

https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-heral...itish-tourists

Lots of little things:

Jet lagged
Big night prior
Headed off late
No permission to be where they were
no physical route recon on the ground
little familiarity to operating a side x side
guide leading the way on a quad, when guiding 'school bus' sized side x sides
Running behind schedule

As indicated in comments above its easiest to not make mistakes when you are in charge, and you ensure you don't place any pressures on your decision making processes