Who does this? Trip wires on trails in Mass.

If any of you have been to Mass, it's real easy to figure out that recreational public land is scarce and over-regulated. Apparently they can't regulate nit-wits setting wires across the trails.
http://www.myfoxboston.com/news/dangerous-snare-wires-found-at-several-mass-state-forests/300202317

OM

Gary,
I'll take the liberty of treating your question as if it's not rhetorical. Who does this? The enemies of peace and tranquility. Those who would tear down all that is good and decent in our nation. Our society has to hold those who would do others harm accountable in order to retain those aspects of our culture that are worthy of retention when a society, our society, experiences a cultural shift.

That's just awful. Similar behavior occurred here in the Santa Cruz mountains several years ago. Several riders were injured, and the perps prosecuted and convicted and jailed.

A boy died on a SnoGo after hitting a wire placed across a public trail a few years back in AK. A land owner near the trail disliked the noise.

this sounds like environmental wacko liberals at work...

things like this are usually kook land owners or environ-mental wacks trying to stop motorized use of the forests. another reason to be a strong
member of the AMA and other orgs that represent us motorcyclists..
watch out and stay safe

Another reason why we as responsible motorcyclists should ALWAY present as good an image as we can. I don't know all the circumstances of this particular incident, and it is a bad deal for sure. However, I personally know people who ride on private land (trespass), and think it is pretty funny to get away with it. Also, even riding on a public, dirt or a gravel road, if kicking up dust, making noise, just being obnoxious can cause resentment in the folks who live nearby. Trip wires are the work of a sick coward, but when you own private land that you have worked hard for, it is not appreciated when someone thinks the world is his/hers to do with what they wish. Just asking the land owners nearby if it will cause them any problems will go a long way in how they will feel about future dealings with a motorcyclist.

I believe the earliest examples of this were by the Nazi's in France: wire strung across roads to kill GI's riding in Jeeps. That's why Jeeps had vertical bars mounted to counter this threat.

Harry

AKsuited said:

I believe the earliest examples of this were by the Nazi's in France: wire strung across roads to kill GI's riding in Jeeps. That's why Jeeps had vertical bars mounted to counter this threat.

Harry

Click to expand...

My dad told me about those. He said they got a few motorcycles dispatch riders as well.

AKsuited said:

I believe the earliest examples of this were by the Nazi's in France: wire strung across roads to kill GI's riding in Jeeps. That's why Jeeps had vertical bars mounted to counter this threat.

Harry

Click to expand...

The earliest example of the snare wire usage in mechanized battle may have been WWII, but I suspect the ancient world long ago figured this out as a way to knock someone off their horse.

87842 said:

things like this are usually kook land owners or environ-mental wacks trying to stop motorized use of the forests. another reason to be a strong
member of the AMA and other orgs that represent us motorcyclists..
watch out and stay safe

Click to expand...

Wow!

Pretty broad brush you use when you paint.

That brush is truth. In the desert areas around SoCal, some trails have the occasional gate, and the kooks have tried putting locks on them. The trails may border closed or private land, but the trails themselves are definitely legal and protected riding areas; the landowners and/or greenies are ignorant and/or stupid. Wire, and even an occasional spike in the trail, may still be encountered.

A few years ago, somebody was dumping oil on the road up to Mount Palomar, causing several crashes. I believe he was caught and prosecuted.