Price of trail rides?

[Brainflex]

If I had to pay the prices they pay in the UK for trail rides I would move to a better country.

I did!
In the UK trail riding is free! There is a network of legal rights of way (RUPP road used as public path n BOAT byway open to all traffic) which are used for trail riding. However a large number of these are being closed by the UK government. There is very little in the way of organised trail rides, most people enter a hare n hound race, that is the nearest to trail riding as NZers know it. The cost of this is in the region of 100-150 dollars NZ. This gets em 2 - 3 hours racing. If they are lucky the circuit is upto 15km long really lucky for anything longer.

[Keithf]

well if it is a crap ride don't bother going back. The well organised rides get people going along those that aren't well interest fades after a while Word gets around regarding what is worth going to and what isn't

The cheaper the ride the better, so $50 is right up there.

One thing that does piss me off is if you go to a trial ride that is shit, and it's clear that minimum effort was put in. This is not only a waste of money, but valuble time.

[browny]

cheers all for your thoughts.it seems that most agree 50 bucks is steep,especialy when most if not all land owners down here give there fee back to the charity and he only has one or two people with him, the rest of the help is donated by the fund raisers. hes making more than he should from somone eles charity.noone could blame for making a bit off it ,but 5-7k for acouple of days is over top ithink.but my bleeting wont change a thing and dont hav time or resources to organise my own ride.cheers

[warewolf]

go to the sandpit instead if there is nothing on but a Powers ride on (similar riding).

When I was in AKL I'd go to the sandpit once a month, and go to an organised ride/race elsewhere once a month. I'd go a long way and pay extra to avoid riding at the same-old same-old sandpit and get out on some different tracks & terrain... eg Matata or Tokoroa, or even a Power Adventures ride in another part of Woodhill. I see organised rides (expensive or not) in otherwise inaccessible areas as a worthy endeavour.

I think scott411 nailed it. At the risk of sounding rude, I'd add that if there is a gap between what it costs to go to an event and what you can afford, that's not necessarily the fault of the organiser, no indication if his take covers his costs, and not a reason he should reduce his prices. Sorry but that's life. If he doesn't get enough people prepared to pay, then he'll likely have to give it up... our loss, too. Again, that's life. Unless he feels like giving away his own money to run trail rides for the rest of us...

Motorcycling is an expensive hobby - and is not alone.

[oldguy]

Its still cheap, as KTMboy has said, there is a lot goes into these rides. I also have a road bike, which over summer i do alot of road riding, but its nice to go to the track at times. Try doing trackdays (Road Bike) $180 - $200 + if i drop the bike, even low speed can be very expensive.
but im happy to pay its cheaper that a fine, and losing my licence.
Im not Rich and have money falling out of my pocket.

I cant do all, but try to support as I can afford.

[Ktmboy]

you can expect racing to cost more. theres club supplies to buy- flags etc, first aid to pay for, trophies, prize money at some events, lap scoring- be it on paper or with an electronic system - those AMB electronic lap scoring systems cost about $13000, just for the device that plugs into the computer. you then need to get a computer, generator, and then theres the transponders

Haha quite right Boooom. Bastards eat all of our 300 sausages at the Two man. Costs will be rising as a result. I'm sure they only came for the free feed LOL.

[Reckless]

Haha quite right Boooom. Bastards eat all of our 300 sausages at the Two man. Costs will be rising as a result. I'm sure they only came for the free feed LOL.

What there where sausages?? Bugger!
Damn those Jelly Beans where a bloody life saver mate!!
Stuck my hand in and grabbed as many as my big mit could take!! Cheers mate they where great!!!

[clmintie]

Hey Tony, I reckon you've created a near perfect balance of competition/fun at your events, such a lot of happy people. As a taker of snaps can I just say "WOOHOO" to the use of numbers on all sides of all bikes, it cut at least 8hrs off my processing/hunting time.......

[Paul in NZ]

the wonderful thing about living here in gods own country is that you are free to pursue a dream relatively unhindered....

If you think its a rip off, perhaps others feel the same way and thus there is an opportunity or someone else to step into the fray and provide an alternative. its not that hard surely? get a few mates together.... worst that will happen is you will find out $50 is a bargain... but then you might make a few bucks too... give it a go...

[Kickaha]

When I go circuit racing I will pay anywhere from $50 for a club event to over $300 for a National event, I will get anywhere from 45 minutes to 100 minutes track time

When I do a trail ride for $30-$50 dollars I get several hours of riding time and get to ride a lot of places I wouldn't normally have access to

I don't think it's actually that expensive for what you get

[Ktmboy]

Yeah I'm with you Kickaha,

its all about the adventure and having an experience. If you can't afford to ride dirt bikes then don't do it. After all its the cheapest motor sport available in NZ.

If $$ is your problem then take up another hobby.

[camchain]

Huge effort goes into organising these things and you can't set foot out of front door without spending money. Greg Power charges $40, but it's living so he can charge what he feels is right. Lower cost means more punters though I reckon.

Groceries are too dear though - you can carry $150 worth of food in one hand. $50 just isn't a lot of money these days.

[chrisktm]

Try riding in another country and then complain about fifty bucks for a trail ride! I lived in the UK for a year or so. Ninety pounds for a crap crap crap ride! Riding bikes in NZ is super cheap, we pay less than a lot of countrys for bikes and parts (ignoring USA of course) and the level of our trail rides would blow every country I have ridden in out of the water!

[random rider]

Yeah I'm with you Kickaha,

its all about the adventure and having an experience. If you can't afford to ride dirt bikes then don't do it. After all its the cheapest motor sport available in NZ.

If $$ is your problem then take up another hobby.

I don't smoke...don't drink that much (by most of my friends standards ) but love to ride my bike.
I put money aside for running costs, repairs ( must learn to stay on the bike more) and also for the events inc riding at sandpit.

I agree - if you can't afford it don't do it. I would love to ride more but I can't drop work or the cash each time so I just do what I can and then pray I get a pay rise soon

If you have a family it can be expensive but then it is a choice to ride - don't winge about it if you chose to do this as a sport/hobby.

Keep up the good work KTMboy and Scott411

[secondfield]

Jeez, you buggers are just encouraging them too put up the prices. I think 50 bucks is wrong - conisdering we live in the most heavily taxed, lowest income country in the 1st world ...