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Atv fails

10K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  se3388 
#1 ·
I figured you can always learn from others mistakes or just be thankful it wasn't you. I flipped my last last atv down a hill last year, it landed on myself and my wife. She had a concussion and was calling me my sons name on the way home. I had 20cc's of fluid drained outta my back and had a drain tube put in for a month......Lookin forward to yours
 
#2 ·
My first ATV, a 1987 Honda TRX350 4X4, had a twist throttle. I bought it from a guy with no thumbs (really) and he had it modified so he could ride it. One day I was loading it onto the trailer, which was connected to my Father's Ford Explorer. The throttle stuck as I was going up the trailer's ramps. When it did so I was thrown backwards, which caused my weight to shift. Holding onto the twist throttle when this happened resulted in WOT. The bike went up the ramps, across the trailer, launched off the trailer's headboard that bent forward from the impact and turned into a ramp, climbed the tailgate of the Explorer (busting the back window) and then proceeded across the roof of the Explorer. On the roof I abandoned ship - I jumped to the left, the bike went to the right, where it landed on its side. Nobody hurt, but the tire tracks were still on the roof of that Explorer when Dad traded it in...
 
#3 ·
My best one happened years ago on my old 1989 Yamaha Big Bear.

A buddy and I were riding through some fresh snow and I decided to see if I could get up a hill. I started up it and about half way I bogged down in about 3' of snow. I started to back up and then I felt the front end coming up and over me. All I could think of was the wheeler rolling over me as my back hit the fresh snow as it came around. I quickly realized that my feet were still on the foot pegs and I thought that if I just pushed up with my legs then it should stay off of me. I did this but I also forgot to let go of the handle bars. As it came around I still had a grip on the bars and decided that I better let go, then the next thing that I saw was the ground about 10' below me coming up fast. When I let go I was catapulted up into the air. It was a good thing that there was so much snow. I landed in a huge drift that broke my fall. As I stood up my buddy came up to me and asked if I would do it again so that he could get some pictures. I said NO.

Both me and my Big Bear came out of it unscathed but a lot smarter. All I could figure that I did was that I backed into a rock or a log that stopped the machine in it's tracks and then the rodeo was on.
 
#4 ·
Bought my kodiak last august and the first time out my wife was driving it and went into a small ditch and rolled it over sideways on herself and broke her leg in two places and three ribs. Never used it after that excpt to plow snow that went well. I took the plow off today and it was nice out here but still lots of snow to spin around in. I was in a feild and went to go across the dtich to get back on the road and nearly got stuck so i was spinning real fast and then my front tires hit the frozen part long the edge from the plow and it launched the bike over a four foot snow bank onto the pavement. It landed on the front wheels and put me over the handlebars. It nearly flipped over foward and landed on me. When it finally come to a stop i was stilll hanging ontto the handlebars and i was looking into the front grill. Wouldnt have been good if it went over on me, stupid me no helmet on. After that landing i tought i better put it in the garage. Going to cuba monday and didnt need any broken bones to go with. Maybe i should trade it when i come back on a sxs before the thing kills me or my wife
 
#14 ·
ya know. sometimes you just shouldn't have a death machine in your hands!!! lol

Im just messing now

A sxs might be better, but then you may have a false security, and you don't wanna be flipping that off a cliff now
 
#5 ·
Glad you weren't hurt, but my God, that would have been funny to watch, especially the still hanging onto the handlebars and looking into the grille bit :laugh:
 
#7 ·
I have found that you have to really pay attention when riding these machines and while I only have about 30 hours on the 700cc Kodiak I know that it can hurt you real bad real fast. I know that my old 400cc machine could do it and it only had half the power.

I have also learned to go slow until you know how it handles but there are times that stuff happens that you really have very little control over and then you are in for the rodeo.
 
#9 ·
I was riding late this past fall along the shoulder of a road and the shoulder gave away sending me and the bike into a 4 ft ditch. Heading toward a utility pole, I jumped off into the dich. The bike came to a stop just beside the pole. Legs were pretty sore for a while.
Just recently, I slid on some ice driving a little too fast in 4wd. Slid along til I hit snow while sideways and over we went. I was thrown clear and the bike was laying undamaged on it's side .
 
#10 ·
Put the Kodiak on its side twice and once on the bars on a 12 hour ride back in January. Riding to hard with snow on the ground, drifting corners. It's humbling, also have more respect for the machine after hearing everybody else. Maybe ill grow up someday.
 
#11 ·
Heck, I'm 64 and figure that I'll grow up sooner or later but it hasn't happened yet. '
 
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#12 · (Edited)
Yesterday 7 people riding 3 go up a hill I'm 4th I look at it and say nope. Friend up top says 4 wheel high and come on I say nope. 5th man in line starts after it at a slow speed 90% up hits the root i was worried about kicks right, he lets off the gas and him and the bike 600 sportsman start the 60 tumble in to the creek he got away from the bike BUT broke the RR rim and hub. Im still in one piece i call that a win.
 
#13 ·
Put the Kodiak in some deep water last weekend up over the seat. It shut off and we got it pulled out. Flipped it up on its end and it poured water out of the exhaust and intake. Big Thanks to my brothers friend who saved it. This is what he said he did. Exhaust was full of water, and the cylinder was full also! Belt drive was clean.They filled exhaust with water 3 times then stood it up with crane to let run out, pulled plug and sprayed water into cylinder while on end and dirt came out through intake and exhaust! kept spraying until it came out clean. Dried it out with air compressor and set back down and drained oil. Oil looked like milk. Filled plug hole full of kerosene and filled crank case with kerosene. Blew out the cylinder and installed plug, fired right up. Let idle for 5 minutes and drained. Repeated three times till it came out clean. Replaced oil filter and added new oil. Thank god for good people. Time for snorkels! P.s. One of the band clips fell off the intake box prior to the water hole which let the water in.
 
#20 · (Edited)
You ran your bike for five minutes with only kerosene in the crankcase multiple times?
 
#15 ·
I have so far, been very blessed/lucky. No wrecks yet, though I have watched my friend wreck twice.

we were cruising down a pretty rocky/hilly trail. and he came to close to this tiny little tree on his right, and basically ramped the little tree, flipping him and the atv, I had to jump off mine and flip his machine off top of him. he walked funny for a few weeks. seems to be ok lol
 
#16 ·
Same as Jssrvlz, I've so far been pretty lucky, though I do know my limits and have no problem slowing down in spite of my pride. Most wrecks happen because of three main reasons; being too much of a dare devil (see any atv/utv fail video on youtube - they're great), driving way beyond your skill level (can be common for beginners wanting to fit in), or simply a lapse in judgement or something silly, like not seeing a rock or ditch and accidentally hitting it.

My wife and I were riding our old Kawasaki Prairie 4x4 a few years ago and had to turn around on a narrow trail with a steep uphill and downhill on either side. I backed us up a bit too much and we started to slowly roll downhill. My first instinct was to hop off and catch the machine by the bars and racks while grabbing the brakes ( i think I had it!) and her idea was to reach up and throttle us out of there. Her idea worked like a charm and now she holds that over my head whenever possible, lol. It got real hairy real quick, and we were lucky it didn't roll on us. I just did a poor job of reversing us out, despite plenty of room for a 5 point turn.
 
#18 ·
I've had a couple of close calls going up some rocks but no wrecks (knock on wood). I learned that you should swing your leg over and ride only one side of your ATV when going up a technical section. That way you can jump off before it rolls over on you. I almost had it roll straight back and I wasn't going to be able to get out of the way.
 
#19 ·
I have a friend that did that and ended up with a broken leg after the wheeler bucked him off and the rear tire ran over his leg in some rocks.

I'm glad that I didn't go on that ride with them.
 
#22 ·
Kerosene has a very low lubricity and there is no way that I would run just it in a engine.

My dad was old school and would do this on a older vehicle along with some regular oil to clean the sludge out of the crankcase, but he only would run it for a couple of minutes before draining it out
 
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#23 ·
An old thread but I saw a shirt a lot of us need, it said,

When is this old enough thing supposed to kick in.

Steve.............
 
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