With all the talk of ATV's lately...

[MountaineerTom]

I thought I'd post some pics of the ones me and Elwood used to have.  We had 2 '86 (maybe '85, can't remember   ) Suzuki 230 Dual Range Quadrunners.  Man, we were on these things all the time.  Lots of good memories on these things, for me at least.  I think there is still a tree behind mom and dad's house with an imprint of Elwood in it.      The pics are not of the best quality, anyone remember the Kodak Disc camera.

 

A little background on these pics.  They were taken from '86 - '89.  In the fall, the water in the lake back home is let out considerably so the river has some good rapids for White Water Rafting.  It's a great place to go riding all fall/winter long.  Some of he other ones on the trails are way out in the middle of no where.  The last one is of me and my wife (when we were just dating) sitting in mom and dad's front yard.  

 

 

 

 

^^^^Elwood, about 13 years old. ^^^^

 

 

^^^^Me, on the left.  '88   ^^^^

 

 

 

 

^^^Tommy and Tammy  :thumb:  ^^^^

[SilveradoWV]

Cool! I do remember thos disc cameras LOL!!! Is that Summersville Lake???? If so I wasnt aware that you could ride that close to it?

[MountaineerTom]

Yeah, that's Summersville Lake.  A friend lived just over one of the mountains from the lake, so we would unload at his house, take the road about 1/2 a mile up the hill to a trail that led over to the mountain and down to the lake.  You can see the water line from when the water was up.  It was pretty cool because it was like that every year.  I don't know if you can still get there that way or not, or even if they try to keep people from riding there.  But back then, no one minded at all.  There were several places where you could unload and take trails into the lake bottom.  Do you know where the boat docks are?   Those pics are out to the right of the docks as your going down the hill to the docks.  (opposite direction of the dam and Battle Run, from the boat docks.)

 

BTW, those were taken shortly after they started letting the water out.  When it gets to it's lowest point, it's pretty much just a small river running through that area.

[HillHound]

Good photos Tom.  Looks like alot of good riding! :thumb:

[RyanbabZ71]

The last picture:  Tom as a young buck hehe  

[MarkD]

Looks like a lot of fun!

 

Yeah, I remember the Kodak Disc Camera's!

 

Ya Got me feeling old now.

[MountaineerTom]

The last picture:  Tom as a young buck hehe  <!--emo&

  We were about 19-20 then.  

 

BTW, those ATV's had no rear suspension back them.     The air in your tires (or lack of) was all you had in the back.  I really didn't like it at first, but got used to it and never hada  problem with it.  

 

When ever I get my new ATV, I'd like to find some rear tires similar to the ones on the old one.  I can't remember if dad bought the real thing, or if they were a knock-off of them, but they were called Wooly Boogers.  Those things kicked ass in the mud and snow.  I may try to find some of the other pics I have if anyone is interested.     The looked like the tire in the pic below, but mine were flatter on top than what this picture shows.  

 

[General Lee 01]

 

Caption: Pimpin' in the '80s, West Virginia style. j\k (No offense meant to you or your wife Tom ;) ).  

 

You look like a charachter out of Beavis & Butthead.

 

 

 

Caption: Tom and his peepz just chillin'.

[SilveradoWV]

I am not too familiar with the Summersville lake area except the dam! I was just amazed that you could actually get to the lake! There is a lake in my area called Lake Stephens and I can ride there on my ATV but once I get pretty close all the roads have some pretty nice gates on them!

 

I think the actual "Wooley Booger" company that made them back in the 80's has went outta business or something but I do think someone is marketing a tire with the same tread as a Wooley Booger, but there are numerous companies making the same tread pattern for  different range of prices! I think GBC makes some that look like the old style!

[MountaineerTom]

Yep, there were several places where the trails led right into the lake.  If it was summertime, the trails ended at the waters edge.  But fall and winter, you could just ride right on down into where the water used to be.  

 

I'm not sure how it is now though, that was many years ago.  I'm sure some places have gates up, but I bet there are still a few places I know that don't.  It would be a PIA to get a gate to some of those places, unless they took it in on an ATV, or by boat.  

[Elwood]

They write tickets now for going down in there on ATV's.  

 

Also Tom, I figured you'd out in the picture from your old yearbook, with Steve jumping over you while you took the picture.  And I was a little dissappointed that there are no pictures of me riding either.  

[MountaineerTom]

They write tickets now for going down in there on ATV's.  

 

Also Tom, I figured you'd out in the picture from your old yearbook, with Steve jumping over you while you took the picture.  And I was a little dissappointed that there are no pictures of me riding either.  

Here's the one of Steve jumping.  He didn't actually jump "over" me.  I was laying in the ditch beside the trail, and he just hit the spot where we usually got a little bit of air.  Also one of him slinging some mud.  He had Buckshot Mudders tires on the rear.  

 

 

 

Oh, your in the 4th picture down....dummy!  

 

I don't know if i have any more of you, but I know I do have some more pics around here somewhere, just have to find them.

[The SPEEDY]

You can still get the Wooly Bogger style tread but the factory tires on atvs these days are better than those.

[Elwood]

Oh, your in the 4th picture down....dummy!  

 

I don't know if i have any more of you, but I know I do have some more pics around here somewhere, just have to find them.

I accidently left out the word MORE.  I was disappointed they were not MORE pictures of me.  

[MountaineerTom]

Oh, your in the 4th picture down....dummy!  

 

I don't know if i have any more of you, but I know I do have some more pics around here somewhere, just have to find them.

I accidently left out the word MORE.  I was disappointed they were not MORE pictures of me.  

Alright, here's a couple to keep Elwood from crying.  

 

You can 't see all of him, but here's Elwwod holding up the head of a Rattlesnake we killed one time.  And one of dad holding it up.  A few inches of it's tail is missing, it was pinched off by the huge rock we pinned it with, and consequently crushed all the rattles.

 

Here he is doing what I called Water Wheelies.  Dad made some skid plates to put on the bottom of our 4 wheelers, and after that it was really easy to do wheelies in water as long as it wasn't too deep.  (too dumb to wear a helmet. )

 

And one of a friend of ours trying to get his Quad Runner up a slick bank in the lake bottom.  Thats me pushing in the back, and suprisingly, I didn't get too muddy from the rear tires slinging mud.  He didn't have a lot of tread on the rears though.  

 

And one of Me and Tammy heading out for a nightime snow ride.