by Lisa Pearce

Created on: January 27, 2009

It's before sunrise and icy cold at the small race track where we will start our outride. The ATVs are roaring up a storm as petrol levels are checked and last-minute adjustments are made. There's excitement in the air, although not many of us know each other. We've come here with a single motive: to have a splendid outride through beautiful countryside as a large group of ATV riders along with the support vehicles and wives. I would be one of the wives on this round!

The route promises to be spectacular and challenging. Parts of the route criss-cross through a small but breathtakingly beautiful game reserve in Mpumalanga, South Africa. We start riding in Benoni, Gauteng province, and will finish the day off near Marble Hall in Limpopo province. It's going to be rough and very hot! What better way to spend a weekend!

People's opinions about ATVs are mostly either very negative or very positive. On the negative side, ATVs and ATV riders are often regarded by bystanders as destructive to the environment and noisy. ATVs can cause erosion and damage to water courses if ridden recklessly and do cause air pollution if not fitted with a catalytic converter. ATVs have also been blamed for hurting small mammals and reptiles, and causing birds and game to move away from areas frequented by ATVs. It's the minority of ATV riders who race around recklessly and give ATV riding in general a bad name. There are dirt bike venues that no longer allow ATV riders on their premises, because they cause too much damage.

Some ATV riders consider the natural environment as something to be conquered. ATV riders with an attitude of entitlement feel they have the right to destroy pacthes of grassland or stands of natural trees purely for their own onjoyment. Sad, but it happens.

ATV enthusiasts, on the other hand, argue that they don't cause more pollution or noise than ordinary motor vehicles (this, of course, is not quite true). We (I include myself as an ATV enthusiast) relish the freedom you get from riding an ATV in unspoilt places that one could not normally reach otherwise. And then there's the camaraderie that comes from starting a ride with strangers, and finishing it with friends around a camp fire.

If you, like me, enjoy the outdoors and the thrill of riding your ATV over rugged natural terrain but wish not to leave permanent damage in your wake, read on. Aside from reckless behaviour, there are a number of factors that could be addressed to ensure that your ATV does as little

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