Kid Friendly Atv??

[toofun]

I know this is off subject, but since many car enthusiasts are also outdoor adventurers I figured I would post this question here. I am considering buying my son (7) an ATV for his birthday. He has never rode before so I want to get him something as "safe" as possible. I have a big backyard and can easily convert part of it into a dirt track. I hear some models have remote control kill switches with tether cords as well. A speed governor would also be a good thing and control levers designed for the smaller hands would also be a must.I would prefer to have the independent front suspension for better handling Of course I would buy all the safety gear as well.

My question is does anyone have any experience or preference on what brand is the best bang for the buck? I will probably buy used so if anyone knows of certain years to stay away from that would be helpful too. I was told that to start a kid on an ATV you should stick with no more than a 50cc machine. I know he will out grow it in a couple of years so that is why I am looking to go used..... Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated. I am sure this would be helpful to others as well.

Thanks in advance

Mark
TOOFUN

[Bill Howell]

An employee of mine bought a 80cc and a 50cc for his kids at Christmas. They are both remote stop and have a governor on them. Those two kids have rode them every day since Christmas. He bought them at a local scooter place that had a good varity of them. They obviously were new, but very reasonable, I think $700 for both. His oldest is 6 or 7 and the little boy is 4 or 5. Of course he or his wife are always with them, but they are having a blast with them right now.

[southernfriedcj]

Not tryin' to e rain on your parade but I wouldn't get an ATV without a seat belt and a roll cage. ATV's are very dangerous. I know 4 people who have been injured(including myself) while riding ATV's. One buddy almost had his arm amputated, but was lucky enough to have it reattached(he had a brush axe in his rifle holder on the handle bars and flipped the four wheeler after hitting a stump in tall grass, this probably wouldn't apply to a kid). A guy in my hunting club broke his neck and died while jumping his four wheeler in his front yard(an he was an ATV safety instructor). A buddy of mine rolled my four wheeler in my yard an was hurt, and I injured my leg and back in an ATV accident.
Again, I'm not trying to tell anybody what to do, but be extra careful. The difference between something like an ATV and a dirt bike is that when you wreck an ATV, a lot of the time it ends up on top of you.

FWIW

Jim

[Ralph LoGrasso]

Mark,

I can't offer much advice on brands (you can't go wrong with a Yamaha or Honda, though), but I can say this, you're taking all the right safety precautions and -- buy him an automatic for his first quad. I'm pretty sure all 50s are automatic, though. Definitely go with the 50 for a 7 year old. When he's 10 or so, step up to the 80. I got my first quad at 11. It was a 190CC Yamaha Blaster, with RFR pipes (which really frees up some power on those things). The quad was a "manual", and intended for riders 16 and up. Needless to say it was a little hard to learn how to ride at first -- the clutch was a bit tricky on that thing for an 11 year old, and the quad was damn fast. After a few hours of riding I got the hang of it, and loved it. I'm not sure I've ever met a kid who rode a quad and didn't want one. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, other than to say he'll love the quad. I sure miss mine.

[steemin]

Last Christmas we bought our two boys 4 wheel ATV's.
The boys were then 8 and 11 years old.
I looked at many different brands and models.
I usually go for name brand stuff ( I am a Bombardier guy!)when I buy mechanical motorized stuff.
However I found that there are several manufacturers that build "off brand" quads that are very nice at a fraction of the cost.
I ended up buying 2 90cc Eaton machines.
The 70cc and 90cc models utilize the same chassis. The model that we purchased uses a centrifical clutch (no gears/no shifting) and came with an adjustable govenor and the remote kill swith was also an option.. I bought quality full face helmets and make the boys also wear goggles while they are riding.
Now these quads can be dangerous. My kids have pretty good judgement and they do not ride unless my wife and I are around.
They have enjoyed many hours of riding their machines around our property. It has also given me a chance to show them how to do the minor maintenence items like changing fluids,tires,plugs,adjusting the slack out of the chain etc..I believe that it is also beneficial for young children to learn how to handle a motorized vehicle. I am confident that they will be better drivers when they get their licenses to drive cars because of this experience.
Have fun and be safe!
Scott

[MrQuick]

I think education on respect for things that can kill you would be a good first lesson. Should have started them out younger with an electric toy one. Those aren't very high off the ground and would teach a kid balance and speed control.

Parent supervision is also very important. Im always seeing these teenagers running them with friends on the back, jumping and trying to do wheelies...no safety equiptment to boot.

I agree they are dangerous but any responsible kid can handle one. I've owned one since I was young and never been injured but I knoe I can be and respect that.

[BMF Machine]

Polaris makes an awsome 50cc. A friend of mines 5 year old races his. He put 2 inch carbon fiber wheel spacers on it. The stance is SO WIDE, very hard to flip it over. I suggest a xr 100 motorcycle, much easier to bail off! Someone who lives by my father had a 12 year old son; On 12-31-05, he would have been 13. He snuck out that night and took his fathers huge 4 wheel drive four wheeler out. He flipped it, it crushed and killed the boy.


Oversize fourwheelers are just too heavy!!! Even for adults. I know a 48 year old man who was out hunting and putting up a creek bank, he filpped his and broke his back and was in a coma for three weeks. After he woke up, it was 1 year of therapy to figure out who he was and how to talk.

Make sure what you get him is LIGHTWIEGHT. Get all the gear and he will be fine. I lived in the woods for 16 years on my dirtbikes. I crashed evrytime, all kinds of scars, but I always wore my helmet and I am still fine, I think?

Good luck on your quest,
Kevin

[toofun]

Thanks for all the input. Any other input would be great as well. I am well aware of the dangers that these vehicles have. The good thing about my son is he tends to be timid and cautious in everything he does. Never thought Id ever see the day that I would say this but that is turning out to be a good thing. At least I know he will approach this with the same cautious attitude. But still... a kid is a kid and safety will be my number one concern. I am trying to research the hell out of this before I even set one dime into buying anything. All the safety issues and options I mentioned before are a must!! I also have given thought to the wide stance of it as well. Wider is always better for stability, so for his first one I will definately seek the wide track. True what they say about the bigger machines!! Definately too heavy even for alot of adults. Thanks for the input and please if anyone else has any, dont hesitate to add to this thread. GOOD OR BAD COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!!

p.s. My 5 year old daughter is definately eyeing one as well but She is the crazy one in the family so no plans for her until we can reign her in a bit!!!(LOL)

[protour_chevelle]

If people are worried about safety, put your kids in a ATV safety course.

No doubt that they are dangerous but you gotta respect it, just like everything else in life. My dad broke his back on his quad(we were rippin on a dirtbike track).... Then again my dad has done insane stuff in the mountains snowmobiling... They way I was raised was... When I could man handle a 300cc sled, my dad bought me a 500cc. Once I could man handle it I got a 580 that was a beast to say the least(big bored, high compression, etc, etc)

-Matt

[RaceMan]

I just bought 2 E-ton 50ccs for my 2 sons they come with remotes so you can shut them off. I'm very impressed with them so far there are also 2 different adjustments for the speed and they cost about 1500 thats better than some of the big name brands , my brother inlaw had one for his kid for about 3 years and like it very much.I set mine to go about 5miles anhour to start and the kids like them

[dropit69]

i have had alot of quads..id stay with a common brand,,yamaha.honda..the cheaper ones are ok but my buddy had one broke parts that NO ONE CARRIED..at least with common brand parts are available..for his age id go with a 80 ..on all throttles there is a screw that you can move in and out to limit speed..heck my 660cc raptor had one..lol..as he gets better screw it out more..and always make him wear a helmet..i always did no matter how cool my buddies were without theres..hope this helps..

[vanzuuk1]

I agree with most of you guys but the biggest thing is the rider. ATVs dont like to turn until the throttle is on. If you sit on the seat and try to turn after you chop the throttle you will not like the result. Teach him to use his body and the throttle to help steer.

An atv is like a snowmobile, it wont tolerate poor technique.They also give you good skills that appliy to other vehicles. Smooth,slow in / fast out.

I agree with kevin to keep it light.

[GregD]

I was is the same position as you. I've always ridden ATV's when I was growing up. I currently have a bombardier DS650. My 8 and 6 year old sons have been begging me for an atv. I've seen some kids get killed around here on these things even though they were put through the appropriate training courses etc. (kids will be kids and do dumb things). I ended up compromising a bit and purchased a mini-buggy for them. this affords more protection that the avg atv. It has a full cage and harnesses. Also, they make adult versions so they can continue with the sport as they get older.
here is the link to the one i purchased. Its something you might want to consider as a safer alternative.
http://www.teamdazon.com/product_raidermini90double.htm

[CAMAROBOY69]

Mark
You have a PM.

[mdprovee]

Maybe consider a small off road bike. That is what I will be looking into when my son gets that age. Seem a little safer.

[TonyL]

I agree on the scooter store ones. they make great first timer stuff. they are slow, about 25 mph tops. have weed eater engines. and are real cheap, like 350 bucks.



here's what they look like.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

or you could do what I did. get a "Yerf Dog" go kart from sams club

Gokarts (http://www.yerf-dog.com/main_gokart.html)

These are AWESOME. and safe. easy to find parts for and modify. the big one is real fast, honda pilot fast. they make kiddie ATVs as well.

this is the yerf dog i have
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2006/01/3203_r2_c1-1.gif

[toofun]

Well I gotta say thanks to all of the good and bad comments regarding this thread. It is nice to be able to post a question somewhere and know you will be getting sound advice and opinions. I really appreciate it. After talking it over with the wife we have decided to take the advice of Greg and TonyL and go with a mini buggy or dirt go cart. ATV'S no doubt look like a lot of fun. And I know that a machine is only as dangerous as the person who does or doesnt respect it as such. But I would not be able to live with myself if GOD forbid my son got really hurt on one or even killed. I know you can't live in a plastic bubble but ..... (nuff said)

I did find one common point brought up by both the "fors" and the "againsts" and that was that ATV'S DO FLIP!! I guess I have always put safety first so WHEN my son or daughter flips, I guess I would rather have a roll cage around them for better protection. From what I have seen the buggys and go carts really are built pretty well, and they seem receptive to tuning and modification. This may be a good way to get my son and daughter into the car thing. ANYWAYS, Thanks again for all of your comments. I hope this thread was as helpful to others as it was to me.

Mark
TOOFUN

[MikeDVC]

My 2 cents: I got my son (5 years old) a 50cc Suzuki dirt bike a few months ago. We installed a serious set of training wheels which mount just below the foot pegs and extend out about 16 inches on each side, this makes the bike very stable. It has a throttle adjustment screw to limit the speed and an exhaust restricter plate as well. He has done really well in it so far, but I really have to watch him very closely. It's kind of funny, by the time I put all of the safety gear on him he can hardly walk, I have to lift him onto the bike so he can ride.

From what I was told, the chest protector is extremely important for young children, since ther bones are not strong enough to protect their vital organs. This is not to say that the other pads, gloves, helmet etc. are not just as important. Also be sure get them a neck/shoulder pad, this keeps their heads from bouncing around too much, from the weight of the helmet.

Also, I found that taking him to a very wide open field is best, that way he can't run into anything. Check out his link, they good prices on "clearance" riding gear http://www.motosport.com/

Good Luck,
Mike

[68BNUT]

My 2 cents If you look at this thread alot of people get hurt when there atv FLIPS ecspecialy when it flips back on top of you. Ive seen it also. Dirtbikes are way safer even though theres 2 less wheels. Sure the learning curve is slower but hey they make training wheels.