Todds Tech Tips and Tricks


	Todds Tech Tips and Tricks
	Tired of those tires? October 10, 2007 11:23 PM by toddmn One of the first things most people do with a new machine is order new tires for it. Sure some will run the stockers for a bit but once you experience something a little better you cant wait to either store the stock tires in the old garage or list them for sale somewhere. My 07 Grizzly...more (0 comments) Common sense July 10, 2007 12:23 AM by toddmn Sometimes a person needs to sit back and think things over. To really look into an issue fully to understand it better. They need to look at all sides of it. To go beyond that first gut feeling and look at the larger picture before setting an opinion on a matter. I think two words help me a lot...more (0 comments) Looking Back April 3, 2007 11:06 PM by toddmn I bet a lot of people can count the times that they go out on a group ride and at some point turn around and look back to notice there is no one behind them anymore and have to turn around to find out whats happened. Or how about riding on a road route, to all of a sudden be surprised with a car...more (6 comments) In With the New March 12, 2007 5:19 AM by Skylab Take a proven quad that's been out for almost 5 years, add a few updates, do a little refining and what do you get? That's what I set out to see this last weekend before the trails shut down for the spring thaw. My 05 Grizzly had been a workhorse. Lots of plowing, even more trail riding (6800...more (0 comments) Glove review October 16, 2006 9:07 PM by toddmn One of the things I really wanted to do when I started posting on the WATVA blog site was give out some of my opinions when I run across a good product and get a chance to put it to the test and it does good. Well, the time has come for my first report on a product I am really impressed with...more (0 comments) Iron Butts October 12, 2006 9:33 PM by toddmn It all started a couple years ago as an ordinary summer day ride. A few of us that live around my lake geared up and set out with no real plan on where to ride, just head out and get some miles in. We set out and decided to see how far we could ride. We rode most of the day, and when we got back...more (0 comments) Seeing the other side of it September 5, 2006 12:27 AM by toddmn One of the options that people who take the DNR class to become a certified DNR atv safety instructor is to also hang around after the initial DNR morning class and take the "Trail Patrol" class as well. When I took my class I did both to make it a full day. I really didn't think at the time that...more (0 comments) Lids June 20, 2006 11:36 PM by toddmn Helmets have come a long way in recent years. Today's helmet manufactures offer a wide range of different helmets to choose from. I still remember the old days when it seemed like Bell had the only full face helmet around and motocross was all open face ones. Today its tough to try to...more (0 comments) Loud pipes cause gripes June 20, 2006 12:59 AM by toddmn One of the biggest issues in today's sport of atvs is noise. I recently asked our local sheriffs dept. what are the two biggest complaint issues that they get about atvs in our county. Number one was riding off trails and number two was loud atvs. It seems like for every 100 atvs...more (1 comments) Hillbilly Drive-In May 22, 2006 5:45 PM by toddmn Remember those days when you used to look forward to hopping in the car, loading all your friends in it and heading out to the drive -in movies for the evening? OK, maybe some of you aren't that old. It seems like today, drive-in movie theaters are a dying thing, a relic of the past, long out...more (1 comments) Going that extra mile May 7, 2006 9:24 PM by toddmn One of my biggest concerns when I go out riding is making it back. I'm not that worried about getting stuck or breaking down. I'm more concerned about having enough gas to get me back or at least get me to the nearest gas station. Most the rides I have gone on there is at least one...more (0 comments) Under Pressure March 31, 2006 4:55 PM by toddmn One of the things you will find under the seat of your atv in that little black bag amongst those couple of wrenches and one size fits all screwdrivers in the tool kit is a gauge to measure the psi in your tires. One look at the awful quality of most of the free tools they pack in there...more (1 comments) The Bible March 27, 2006 1:07 AM by toddmn With todays shop rates topping 80 bucks an hour one starts to think more and more about trying to tackle a job themselves when a repair is needed on their machine. Its a hard call sometimes trying to decide if you could fix it yourself, or if a trip to the dealer is really necessary...more (1 comments) Those forgotten things March 8, 2006 1:47 PM by toddmn Springs around the corner and a lot of people start to dust off the atvs and get ready for another season of riding. Oil changes , charging up the battery , checking the air filter are the most common things people take care of first on the machines. But what about the forgotten stuff, the...more (1 comments) Involvement March 2, 2006 12:19 AM by toddmn That's a weird word for a title in my blog. Is it something that goes on inside my front differential of my atv? How the heck does that relate to tips and tricks that I`m suppose to be writing about. Lets look it up once. involvement ...more (2 comments) Now that's kinda kewl looking February 22, 2006 12:43 AM by toddmn Those were my first words as we stood outside one of the poker run stops on the last ride. I was staring at a Suzuki Vinson that just didn't look like a normal one off the dealership show room. This one was all camo and had some sort of weird texture to it. I had to know more...more (0 comments) Lets back up a bit February 15, 2006 8:17 PM by toddmn One of the things that was bothering me after getting my snowplow on my grizzly was how hard it was to see when backing up at night while plowing. If you're one of those people like me that has to work during the day, you don't get a chance to get out and plow that freshly fallen stuff in the...more (2 comments) I'm a little kinky February 14, 2006 11:14 AM by toddmn That's what I told my wife a few months ago just before my birthday arrived. Being the sport she is, she took care of the problem. Lets explain this one a little more shall we? Yep, I'm talking about winch cable. That stuff that saves you when you're miles from home and stuck REAL good...more (3 comments) Hey Dipstick February 13, 2006 9:22 PM by toddmn Wow, what a title for an article. I`m not talking about the guy that almost ran you off the trail last time in a corner. I'm talking about that little plastic stick you screw into the side of your ATV motor. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to yell that at someone doing something stupid on the...more (2 comments)


	Todds Profile Who is Todd? I'm from Minnesota, but spend most of my free time at my cabin in northwestern Wisconsin. So consider me half purple and half green (at least I can poke fun at both states now). I really started getting into ATV's later in life, after my passion for motorcycles died down. I raced motorcycles for quite a few years (80s-90s) at Brainerd Raceway in Minnesota until I figured out that each year it hurt more and more when I didn't keep both wheels in contact with the pavement. Old age tends to do that. Once we got the cabin in Wisconsin I decided it was time for an ATV. I've gone from a fixer-up Blaster to a limited edition Raptor, to an '05 Grizzly and a Polaris. I rode over 5,000 miles my first year on an ATV and I don't bother keeping track of miles anymore since I live from sunrise to sunset on mine now, or should I say oil change to oil change. I got much more involved in the sport last year. I took the DNR safety instructor class, along with the WATVA trail patrol class. I belong to both WATVA in Wisconsin and ATVAM in Minnesota, along with 4 ATV clubs between the two states and run the turf and tundra atv club website. Weekends without somewhere to ride are a rare occurrence for me nowdays. In the upcoming weeks I am going to try to do a few short articles on tips, tricks and anything else that is kind of ATV related. Feel free to add a comment to anything I write about. I've been known to be wrong before, it won't be the first or last time for me. I love taking things apart, and most of the time I manage to get them back together in working order. All my spare time is divided between riding ATV's, photography, and working with black bears at a research institute in northern Minnesota. When thats not happening, I try to work a regular job to support the weekend fun. Watch the Vice Grip scale at the bottom of each post. One Vice Grip means its a no brainer all the way up to the "If I mess this up, I will be going to the dealer" five grip rating. Have fun, ride safe and see you on the trails. Todd