ATV Suggestions for Beginner - What to Buy, Where to Ride?

[blobfish]

Hey, I joined the forum a couple of months back after moving home to Wisconsin. We've been very much focusing on getting the home ready but now I can finally relax as everything is all but done. The next thing I want to do is start exploring the region and surrounding area to see what's on offer. I'm a very keen walker and I also enjoy riding, although I've never driven an ATV before. I have a couple of questions for the members here who live in and around the great lakes. Firstly, I would like to know some good walking trails towards the Wisconsin side of the great lakes but i'd also like to explore some trails further afield. On top of that, I am quite keen to get into ATV riding so I can then explore some of the ATV trails on offer. Are there any recommendations on a good ATV for beginners? I'm not sure on prices really so I'm kind of wondering first how much I'd need to spend on one and then work out whether I can budget for it. I do have a few thousand for a rainy day but obviously life has its way of throwing up unexpected expenses so I need to hold some of that back. Once I've hopefully purchased an ATV, I can then look into what cool trails are available. Thanks in advance, looking forward to some input. Regards, Jeremy

[fsumotorhead]

Welcome!

Where are you at in WI? I have a few friends that ride dual sport bikes who live in the Oshkosh area, and they tell me WI is not a dirtbike friendly state for the trail system so most of them travel to the western UP to ride.

[blobfish]

Welcome!

Where are you at in WI? I have a few friends that ride dual sport bikes who live in the Oshkosh area, and they tell me WI is not a dirtbike friendly state for the trail system so most of them travel to the western UP to ride.

Thanks for the reply, I live in the Baraboo area. I haven't really done too much reading up on it thus far but that's good to know. I'd be quite happy to travel up to the Western Upper Peninsula if that's what it takes to get some suitable trails. I'm going to have a look at what's on offer there now so I appreciate the heads-up. Still need to find myself a suitable dirtbike/ATV in the meantime. If I want something new then it looks like I'm going to have to widen my budget quite substantially. I've found a CF Moto C-Force from this year that around $4,500. I'm just looking with the classifieds to see what's available for sale second-hand ATV wise, maybe something a few years old used could save me a bit of dollar and I can get a better machine for well under the 5K mark. I've got a bit of time to think about it anyway and assess the options. Hopefully i'll get some suggestions from other ATV users on where to buy and what to look for.