Arctic Cat, Inc., announced it has agreed to sell its Madison, SD, facility, which does painting, welding and subassembly work. “Arctic Cat’s Madison operations will migrate to the company’s main manufacturing facility in Thief River Falls, MN, which employs more than 1,500 people,” explained CFO Timothy Delmore, who added, “All 89 jobs at the company’s plant in Madison will be eliminated and affected employees will be offered opportunities to work in the company’s other plants, as well as employment assistance.” Arctic Cat reportedly intends to close the South Dakota based facility by February 2008 and, in the long term, believes this decision will save the company $1 million a year in operational costs.

“In January of 2007, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Desert Protective Council (DPC) filed a lawsuit claiming that the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) purchased the Truckhaven property without completing the environmental reviews required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),” explained ORBA spokesperson Meg Grossglass. As a result, the special permits required to use the property, which has been used by offroaders since the 1950s for events, were suspended, she added. “An agreement has been reached by the parties involved that will allow State Parks to issue event permits in this area as long as the appropriate environmental reviews are completed,” she said. The Truckhaven area is the location for California Offroad Vehicle Association’s (CORVA) annual Truckhaven Challenge, which has been held over the last 12 years and was designed to provide family offroad fun, while at the same time teaching trail etiquette, habitat protection and proper safety techniques, Grossglass concluded.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced there is a voluntary recall of Ohalee FA-A70 youth ATVs. According to a spokesperson, there are 36 units currently being recalled. “The real hazard with this particular defective product is that they lack front brakes, in addition to a gauge for tire pressure,” they explained, adding, “Among other problems, the flag pole bracket is not the correct size and the handlebars do not have padding covering sharp edges.” These ATVs were manufactured in China and were sold by Odes Motorcycle Industry nationwide from June 2006 to December 2006 and to date no injuries have been reported, the spokesperson said.

Tank Sports, Inc., announced it has finished a Letter of Intent in which the company says it intends to acquire People’s Motorcycle International Company Limited (PMI), a British Virgin Islands company that manufacturers buggies/go-karts. The company told us it intends to purchase 100 percent of the stock of PMI by issuance of 4 million shares of Tank restricted common stock and 1.5 million warrant coverage to PMI shareholders. PMI founder and CEO Mr. Thomas Chia stated, “The experience of our team in private companies and taking the company public via IPO will be a significant contribution to Tank’s business plan of taking Tank Sports into major stock exchange listings.” Tank Sports will reportedly begin custodial operation in PMI’s Shanghai operation and start due diligent investigation of both legal and accounting. Both parties have agreed to initiate drafting a definitive stock purchase agreement after initial due diligence is done, he added.

ATV enthusiasts in Oklahoma have new restrictions placed on them thanks to a new law that went into effect November 1, stated the KSWO News Channel 7 Web site. “Passengers will be prohibited from riding four wheelers on public land in Oklahoma unless the vehicles are specifically made to carry more than one person,” the site said. The law also reportedly mandates that riders under the age of 18 must wear helmets and young ATV riders and their parents can be fined up to $25 if the youth is caught not wearing one. KSWO added, “Rangers at Oklahoma state parks and four wheeler areas on the Ouachita National Forest will spend the next few months educating people about the rule before strictly enforcing the new regulations.”

The Hutchinson Leader (MN) reported a new ATV ordinance, which allows ATVs to be ridden on city streets, but only to travel on the most direct route from the owner’s home to city limits. According to the paper, the new rules regulating the small Class 1 ATVs are essentially the same as those that have been enforced on snowmobilers for several years. “The state considers Class 1 ATVs as those weighing less than 900 lbs.,” said the Leader, which continued by saying, “The new ordinance also will allow the use of the larger – 900 lbs. to 1,500 lbs. – Class 2 ATVs that resemble large golf carts.”

“Plans for an all-terrain vehicle park north of Immokalee are bogged down in county environmental regulations, surprising park planners and frustrating riders,” informed the Naples Daily News (FL). The paper explained the South Florida Water Management District signed a lease in May to allow a temporary ATV park on land owned by Alico, Inc., and signed an agreement with Collier County to run the park. The temporary park was said to be ready for use in July but, due to county regulatory problems, the park reportedly won’t open until January 2008. A permanent site is being prepared on land where crews are disposing of muck dredged out of Lake Trafford and that site won’t be ready for use until at least 2009, the News added.