General Discussion Forum

So I am relatively new to the sport and just bought a brand new YZ 250. I live in Redondo Beach which is Southern California, now I find out after I buy my bike that there is some red sticker b.s. and that I can't ride certain places.

So I ask you So. Cal riders, where can I ride with a red sticker on the off season??? Do the rangers heavily enforce these rules, or can you kind of slide by??? 

Thanks

Cant you ride tracks with a red sticker bike all year long? Do you trail ride? Maybe if you found some national forest area or if you went out to live Mojave that you might be able to slide by. I would try to find a place that no one really goes to. But really in your area, I dont think summer is that great of a time to ride because of the heat. Like up here, we dont ride that much in the summer because oh how dusty it gets.

I did a search and found this..

As an OFF-ROADER, you have responsibilities to adhere to while riding on public land, even if you're unaware of them. When you go out and buy an off-road motorcycle -- more than likely -- the dealer you purchase it from won't tell you the laws that must be followed. Most won't even tell you whether your bike is awarded the red (stricter than death) sticker or green (hit the lotto and ride year round) sticker.

The "Stricter Than Death Sticker"

In California, this "Stricter Than Death Sticker" creates a problem, because red sticker bikes are supposedly (If This Is Fact, No Need For "Supposedly" restricted to certain times of the year. Here lies part of the predicament that a new rider faces, but unfortunately, ignorance of the laws won't get you out of a ticket. However, knowing about the laws in respect to off road motorcycling in the National Forest just might.

Keep in mind, that to the non-riding public you are perceived as a wide-eyed nut case. So, for the most part, they could care less about your plight and what laws you need to follow. This in turn means you're not going to see a public service announcement on the television letting you know what it takes to be a legal dirt biker. Although your friends here at ORC are about to open a can of legislative slugs, which we'll probably regret and will probably never be able to seal up again.

From my own personal experiences and encounters with other riders, we just want to ride, have a good time, and not be bothered by pesky rangers. On the other side of the coin, the Forest Service has a job to do.

If you're like me, your stomach knots up tighter than a rat's sphincter each time you deal with law enforcement types on the trail. This is why; I make sure to be legal. Even though, I still feel hassled at times. This feeling might be due to environmental groups that want to put an end to off-road motorcycling in it's entirety. This causes some of us to view rangers as being on the other side and against us because one of their tenets is to protect the environment. Not that destroying the environment is something we want to do, but a red flag goes up when we hear words like that. There's no telling for sure the loyalties of a particular agency or agent you might have contact with, but one thing is for sure, you'd better be legal or a day before the judge may be in your crystal ball.

With that said, I called a truce with the U.S. Forest Service, specifically in the San Bernardino National Forest to see if we could come to some common ground regarding what is expected of us as "off-roaders." Please don't take this as the "law of the land," think of it as a Pow-Wow gathering or a "trailside chat." We'll try and clear up all of the issues that face dirt bikers wanting to ride and enjoy the National Forest trails.

http://www.off-road.com/dirtbike/news/2002mar/caohvstickers/

Thanks for that, I guess I am screwed for the upcoming months then. I guess Iwill have to drive 300 miles just to legally ride my dirtbike.

Jesse

You can ride any Private Track year long with a green or red. and the red sticker u can only ride like 3 months out of the year on government property like Gorman. when green u can ride all year long. but it depends where you live cuz im in so.cal by gorman so i go there all the time and my bikes a red sticker. i hate it i just switch it with the one on my 50 cuz its green and they will never no lolol  

This link will have everything you want to know about all the California riding rules and area.

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/