Hello from NE Ohio

[DaddyDave]

I have been riding since 11 (now38) and have always ridden the "big four".
However, I cannot stomach the high prices and am now looking into Chinese
Quads and bikes.

[dlunt]

Welcome DaddyDave!
I am 44 and been riding since I was 8. I also rode the big 4.
The purchase of the Lifan GY-5 was done as an experiment (with the wife's blessing :D ).
Read around this board. It is really a good sounding board for the good and the bad.
The quality of the China bikes isn't up to the Japanese but neither is the price. You probably need a little higher mechanical ability with these bikes because there aren't too many dealers around to work on them.
But, they are sure fun. I would buy one again in a hearbeat!

[RPM]

Glad to have you join in, DaddyDave.

Dlunt said a mouthfull as you can see for yourself browsing through the posts ... both good and bad.

What you will find mostly is a group of guys and/or gals that enjoy the sport of riding and owning a NEW bike that didn't force them into the pocket book TOO deep. Also, the chance to sharpen their skills as you will be forced into servicing your ride in most cases as dlunt said about not having a lot of dealers nearby. I am located in MS and I am a dealer for Lifan products, so if you choose to lean towards these bikes, I may be able to help with parts for you. Just ask if I can be of any service. Whatever bike you decide on, be sure to check into the parts situation for that particular company, it will prove to be invaluable later on. A lot of stuff on this forum for you to devulge in that will help a whole lot with that decision.
I, too, have owned many of the Big Four bikes throughout my 30+ biker years and still have a Valkyrie for the long runs, but the GY-5 does a great job for short hops and intermitant trail rides.
Ride safe, my friend!
Tom

[blimpman]

I have been riding since 11 (now38) and have always ridden the "big four".
However, I cannot stomach the high prices and am now looking into Chinese
Quads and bikes.

Welcome, where in NE Ohio? I am in Cuyahoga Falls....

[DaddyDave]

Hi Blimpman! Know the blimp well...I am in Randolph twp. I am bikeless at the moment but not for long. I am going to buy when I am able to make sense of all these Chinese imports.

Can anyone tell me if Roketa is any good?

[DaddyDave]

Thanks for the welcome. It sounds like I am in the right place.

[ImEazy]

Hi Blimpman! Know the blimp well...I am in Randolph twp. I am bikeless at the moment but not for long. I am going to buy when I am able to make sense of all these Chinese imports.

Can anyone tell me if Roketa is any good?

Welcome Dave. I used to live in Randolph (New Milford Rd.) for seven years. I moved to Cuy. Falls three years ago so my kids could have more friends. I miss my two acres in Randolph. I bought a clone off ebay last Dec.. There is definately alot more info available online now. The best of luck with your future purchase. :)

[DaddyDave]

Small world...I live on Bassett. We have 10 acres and a bunch of kids.
Do you know anything about the Chinese quad scene?

[DaddyDave]

IMEASY: where do you ride trail bikes these days?

[chipyting]

I heve a 2 Roketa DB-06's and I really like them. They are surprisingly well made and have a very smooth running Zongshen 167 FML engine.

[ImEazy]

Small world...I live on Bassett. We have 10 acres and a bunch of kids.
Do you know anything about the Chinese quad scene?

Thats cool. Sorry but I don't know anymore than what I have read on the net about the quads. I used to have a Polaris 400 when I lived out that way. Had to sell it for financial reasons. It was a blast for the year + I owned it.

IMEASY: where do you ride trail bikes these days?

Pretty much the only place I ride at the moment is in the back of Water Works (local pool). Not the greatest place but it is close and free. I plan on ventureing out a little once the funds are available. A short vid I made a while back...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny7PDDQGx4I

*edit*
I meant to include that Blimpman has told me about a place in Aurora that he's ridden. He's posted a few pics here of the site and from those it looks like it would be a lot of fun. I hope to connect with him one day to try it out. :)

[dlunt]

Hey Imeazy,
How did you take that video?
A helmet cam?

[DaddyDave]

Blimpman
The video looks like fun...the place in Aurora, is it off Rt306 north of town? I rode there a few times when I still had motocross bikes with a friend of a friend.

[blimpman]

[
I meant to include that Blimpman has told me about a place in Aurora that he's ridden. He's posted a few pics here of the site and from those it looks like it would be a lot of fun. I hope to connect with him one day to try it out. :)

I am off for a week vacation in South Carolina with the wife and both of our bikes. I'll have a few pictures I am sure. The places in Aurora are cool because there are small hills and trails, medium and large hills too. Bite off what you can chew. Any 200cc bike with dirt tires can go up any of the hills... It's the rider that maybe can't... :P :lol: :lol: Pretty fun to play around there. Just perfect for small bikes.

ImEasy, catch ya when I get back.

For effect here is one of the larger hills. http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e158/blimpman/DSC02246.jpg

and this one...

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e158/blimpman/DSC02256.jpg

But most of it is fun like this...

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e158/blimpman/DSC02252.jpg

[ImEazy]

Hey Imeazy,
How did you take that video?
A helmet cam?

A camera like this one...
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/9886/543sonydscp32wa0.jpg

Mounted to this...
http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/garage.php?do=viewmod&mid=29195

blimpman - look forward to it. You have a good trip!

DaddyDave - Any good places out by you? I lived across from a crop field out there. One day I met a couple younger guys that said they had a track they built. I only had a street bike at the time. I used to see them riding in the field from time to time. Mostly in the fall after the crop was harvested.

[dlunt]

Hmmm... I have an old 12" tripod around here somewhere. I let my son play with it since I never used it. Now I gotta dig it up and find an ingenious method of mounting it like you did.

Thanks for the pictures. Maybe I can do this over the weekend and post my boring riding for nights when people need help falling asleep.
(You video was good, not boring :) ). The places that I ride are pretty lame right now.

[DaddyDave]

Blimpman: There are lots of fields and such and I hear bikes in the distance once in a while. Also, there is one private moto-x track just across the field from me...I think I hear him riding now. There use to be a nice little place off Rt 306 just north of Aurora but it has been about 10 years since I was there.
We used to go to Bear Creek until they shut it down, then we raced for a while...then came children. Have you ever been to Wellsville?

[blimpman]

Blimpman: There are lots of fields and such and I hear bikes in the distance once in a while. Also, there is one private moto-x track just across the field from me...I think I hear him riding now. There use to be a nice little place off Rt 306 just north of Aurora but it has been about 10 years since I was there.
We used to go to Bear Creek until they shut it down, then we raced for a while...then came children. Have you ever been to Wellsville?

The first picture I posted is the road into that area off of 306... An old gravel pit. It is overgrown but there is still ridable trails. The other one is at Thorpe and Crackle rd in Aurora. You can't just go down Crackle from 306 to get to it because the road does not go thru. I'll post a map or just PM for it you if you want.

Went to Wellsville this spring. Rode down there on my KLR The ATV's & 4wheelers have torn that place to shreds... It is full of 5 foot deep ruts and real muddy. The trails are difficult for novice riders. I had stock tires and was riding alone without a GPS so I didn't venture real far into the area. I'd go if someone wants to go with me.

[DaddyDave]

Blimpman: Thanks, I would like to see the map. Is it privately owned?
I am thinking about trying to come up with an cheap, offroad worthy dual-sport next year. With my kids still little it would be great to have a place to piddle that didn't take all day.

[blimpman]

Here are some maps from Google. The area looks to be unkept and abandoned for a long time. Saw a guy on a quad once but that is all. Everytime we were there we had it to ourselves. Looks to be about 50 acres.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e158/blimpman/gravel_pit.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e158/blimpman/gravel_pit1.jpg

[ejcycles]

Hi DaddyDave
Welcome...Bruce here from Endless Journey Cycles in Mantua, OH. I am a local American Lifan Dealer & Redcat Dealer. I have been selling the Redcat quads for a year now & Lifan Motorcycles since March of this year. My shop is only about a half hour drive from where you live...you might want to stop out & take a look at the bikes. Don't {map} me as it does not come up correctly...it puts me a half mile south of my shop.
There are plenty of places to ride still you mainly need permission from the landowner. I know of the places that Blimpman is talking about they are right down the road from me. Wellsville is a mess from what I've heard not just from quads but from Rail Buggies & 4x4 Trucks Dune Buggies etc. riding down there. That's Ok from what I understand Wellsville is being Closed. They are going to start mining the land again & a buddy of mine told me on another part they are going to use it for a Landfill. I am finding more riding places, you just need to know someone to gop riding on most of the land.

[DaddyDave]

ejcycles: Hi Bruce, I stopped last week and looked at your Redcats...found this site about a day later. I am considering a dual sport too.