Eli's Rant
The Positive Spin On The Current Economy And Our Sport
You might have read the subject title of my rant and thought that I was crazy, and after you finish reading this you could very well feel the same way. Is there really a positive side to these hard economic times for our sport? I feel that there definitely is, and this is why. I recently went to the Imperial Sand Dune Recreation Area, aka Glamis, CA over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and noticed a significant change from years past. The amount of people in the dunes that weekend seemed far less than last year and even more than a few years ago. You might be wondering how I can consider less people in the dunes as a positive thing? Aren't large numbers of people better for the overall economy?
I've been going to the dunes for well over 17 years now and experienced what happened when crowds were at their peak in the dunes. There were far more accidents, arrests made by law enforcement, and because of the general rowdiness that ensued with the sheer numbers of people, Glamis became "the party place." This brought on a lot of negative attention to our sport and the people who love it. The families that I've been going to the dunes with for years were then known as those rowdy ATV riders in the desert. It was guilt by association, and no matter how hard we tried to distance ourselves from those kinds of people, the environmentalists fed off of it in attempts to close our riding areas down.
This is where my observation comes into play now. In the peak of economic growth, people were financing their lives away to get all of the toys they ever wanted. This also included all of the rowdies that brought on all of the negativity to our sport. When the economy took a turn for the worst, many people had to give up the toys that they bought or were now just unable to afford going to the desert. This made for a significant drop in the number of people that I saw in the dunes on this particular weekend. While there were still large groups in the dunes, I did not hear the horror stories like I used to.
I'm sure that not everyone who was unavailable to afford their toys or the cost of going to the desert for a weekend is a bad seed, and I hope that they can make it back out soon. For those that caused the problems in the past, please leave it that way. If you can't come out to the dunes and be respectful of your fellow ATV enthusiasts in trying to protect our disappearing ride areas, just stay at home. Public land for ATV use is being shut down at an alarming rate and we need to do everything we can to preserve what little we have left. When I have kids in the future, I want the opportunity to take them out to places like Glamis and enjoy the dunes for years to come.
Hot New Products
In addition to our Hardware section, this is where you'll find out about the newest products that are coming your way or are already on the shelf of your local parts house. This month we are featuring two products just for the Polaris RZR for all of you SxS fanatics. Enjoy!
Two Brothers Racing
Polaris RZR S M-7 V.A.L.E. Triple Full Exhaust System
If you're looking for an exhaust system to install on your RZR or RZR-S that not only performs better than stock and has a look like no other, then give Two Brothers Racing a call. The system will give your machine an increase in torque and power throughout the entire RPM range and a 5.8hp increase over stock. Throw in the unique throttle tone and made-in-the-USA quality and you've got a sure winner. While the price of $1099.98 is a little steep, there is no other company that offers such a unique-looking system.
Two Brothers Racing
www.twobros.com 800/211-2767
Pro Armor
Polaris RZR Suicide Doors
Interested in a good alternative to keeping your arms and legs inside the cab of your RZR or RZR-S than the stock nets? Pro Armor has just released its aluminum suicide door kits that feature direct bolt-on installation. The door frames are fully aluminum, can use either sheetmetal skins or nets and have a latch system to keep the doors securely closed with no annoying rattling. The price ranges from $569.95 to $619.95 and they are available in brushed aluminum or black powder coated finish. For more information, visit their website.
Pro Armor
www.proarmor.com 888/31-ARMOR
Pumped Up
Tips and Tricks On Riding Stronger and Longer
Steve has counseled hundreds of athletes with varying skill levels that range from weekend warriors to world champions. In this issue we will discuss the third and final installment regarding proper diet and nutrition before, during and after riding or working out.
If you followed my guidelines from Part I and Part II you should have had no problem with hydration or fuel during competition. If you didn't perform as well as you would have liked, well, that's not my fault. Now, unless you have another race the following day, my professional advice is throw down some chocolate milk and then to go have a beer (assuming you're legal, of course) and some pizza. You earned it.
If you do race again the next day, you can still chug down the chocolate milk but you may want to eat something a little healthier and repeat the previously outlined steps in the morning.