TNT Motorsports - TRAILS REVIEW

[wanaride]

I finally took the time to try out all four trail systems at TNT this past Tuesday. I had a blast!!

Conditions were very dry, temps in the low 80s. Mud was almost non-existent except for a few deep ruts where the water was standing.

Three of the trail loops consisted of 4'-6' wide paths, short straight sections and many banked turns. It seemed like I was always leaning the bike into another corner. There were some slight up and down hill grades but nothing very big. There weren't many ruts.

The trails were a ton of fun and overall, I felt fast on three of the sections. HOWEVER, if you want to try their "Trail of Tears", you had better have a full Camelbak on your back and cut down handlebars with barkbusters on your bike.

That trail was the tightest, gnarliest trail I've been on. Single track ALL the way, with many trees so close that you had to stop and wedge your bike through them. Definitely slow 1st gear stuff for me. The woods were so dense that I couldn't even hear another bike. Poorly marked trails helped me get lost, and when my Camelbak ran out (and the headache set in), I punted and found another trail out of the woods. Don't do that trail alone (I was stupid).

Overall, I loved their trails (the other three) and want to go back!

[macodi]

Have you been to Carolina Adventure World in Winnsboro yet? Curious to know what that one is like. Sounds like great potential.

[wanaride]

No, but the one or two people I've talked to who have been there say it is mostly an ATV place. I asked people on "the other site" for feedback and practically no one responded. That shocked me considering the buzz the place has had for a year now. It must not be such a great dirtbike place, otherwise we would have probably heard more about it by now.

The trails at TNT are really good anyway, so I'm not as torn to drive the extra few miles (yet).

If I ever get down there I'll post a review.

[Johnny]

I finally took the time to try out all four trail systems at TNT this past Tuesday. I had a blast!!

Conditions were very dry, temps in the low 80s. Mud was almost non-existent except for a few deep ruts where the water was standing.

Three of the trail loops consisted of 4'-6' wide paths, short straight sections and many banked turns. It seemed like I was always leaning the bike into another corner. There were some slight up and down hill grades but nothing very big. There weren't many ruts.

The trails were a ton of fun and overall, I felt fast on three of the sections. HOWEVER, if you want to try their "Trail of Tears", you had better have a full Camelbak on your back and cut down handlebars with barkbusters on your bike.

That trail was the tightest, gnarliest trail I've been on. Single track ALL the way, with many trees so close that you had to stop and wedge your bike through them. Definitely slow 1st gear stuff for me. The woods were so dense that I couldn't even hear another bike. Poorly marked trails helped me get lost, and when my Camelbak ran out (and the headache set in), I punted and found another trail out of the woods. Don't do that trail alone (I was stupid).

Overall, I loved their trails (the other three) and want to go back!

Well said. I have recently moved down to Fort Mill SC from Howell MI, and have been to TNT twice now. The first time I was with my 10 year old daughter so I spent most of my time hanging out with her and watching her ride the 80cc and under track. She did very well for her first time on a track and she also did very, very well in the beginner trail. She really surprised me! Anyhow, I went back today by myself and was able to really check out the place and I like it alot. I first rode the trails (except for Mims) then spent some time on the intermediate MX track and that was a blast. By this time it was about 12:15 I needed to start packing up by 1:00 so I figured I might as well try the Trail of Tears. Bad idea. I was by myself, no camelback, had ridden for 2 hours already, and had a deadline. I have only been riding since August of 2006, so it may not mean much, but this has the hardest trail that I have ever ridden. I think I got out of first gear maybe twice?? Most of the time I was riding while feathering the clutch. It seemed like I was using the clutch to send power to the back tire more so than the throttle. I basically just applied enough throttle to keep the bike from stalling. Even though I stalled about 10 times. I feel over once, and hit a tree once, but the bike and myself were fine. I not sure what the hell happened while I was riding but I somehow ended up going back in the same direction I started. I don't know if I ever actually "finished" the trail, but I do know that I was riding that thing for 1 hour and 35 minutes straight with no breaks. My handlebars are not cut down and many times I damn near had to come to a complete stop to get my bike through the trees. Lots of exposed roots, pine needles, and some rocks. I was very, very dry and there was not any standing water at all. I avoided some of the deepest ruts. By the end of the ride my shoulders were so damn sore I could barely steer the bike. I do feel that I definitley improved as a rider and could tell right away because when I got back to the normal wider trails, I felt like I was on a six lane expressway. Even though my shoulders were really sore and had trouble steering, I felt faster on this portion of the track than I had before. I would like to try the trail of tears again but this time I will do it with another rider and when I am fresh.

Needles to say, that trail was alot for me to handle, maybe too much.

The KDX by the way was great! The clutch was grabby the whole time, torque was there when I needed it, bike never overheated, it was just awesome. Everything you would expect from a KDX.

[2001kdx]

Sounds like a lot of fun!

[wanaride]

Johnny, I feel your pain brother. I thought the Trail of Tears SUCKED. I'm not sure I got out of first gear one time on that trail. And like you, it seemed like I was doing a circle and passing things I KNEW I had already past, so I bailed and got out of there. Tired, alone, and with a dry Camelbak is not a good condition to be in on that trail!

You might want to take your daughter on the Kasel trail and the Pathfinders trails. Those were pretty easy for my young kids, and they are real woods newbies. The Caldwell trail has some uphill & downhill sections that I thought might cause my kids some grief, but my boys had a blast on the Kasel and Pathfinders trails, and they are just 10 and 6. (Caldwell trail is accessed from the same place as the Trail of Tears, so keep her away from that area for now.)

And yes, the intermediate MX track is a good time! Maybe someday I'll have the skill to take on those other tracks. I've ridden the Supercross and Natural tracks, but I had to roll most of those jumps.