YOUTH ATV

[frank_f15]

what do you guys think for an atv for a young person? my grandson is 8 and rather tall and large and he just can't fit in his electirc car. what do you think of a atv in the 50cc or 90 range made fo youths with adajustable max speed. he will have plenty of open space to ride when he is here. i don't know much about atvs but am researching but thought i would get expet opinions.?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Frank, I like them if they have the speed limiters and other safety options. I have thought about them for Ava when she gets a little older. However, with those two 13 year old girls dying from that snow mobile accident yesterday has made me nervous about how soon I give Ava something with any amount of power. I feel bad for those girls familys and their friends. South Dayton/Cherry Creek is a very small community and everyone knows everyone there. It is a scary thing.

If you do get your grand kid a ATV talk to a couple dealers about it first. Look over all the options. Make sure you grand kid has a properly fit helmet and other protection (chest protector). Get him set up and support him for wearing his safety gear. Even give him rewards if he is wearing them when you see him. Take the keys away if he doesn't.

 

[Old Coot]

I think the only way they should ride is with an adult around. I have twelve acres of woods with paths people like to ride on with or without permission. Seems if someone get a ATV they think that gives them the right to ride any where they want even on someone else's property.

I try to let people ride if they ride decent. But we had a couple of boys, about 12 to 14, come in an we permmited them to ride as long as they rode decent. Well they kept getting faster and faster, then when I seen them riding double up one of the hills with the front wheel bouncing off the ground I had to put an end to their fun.
I never did see one of their parents come around to see what they were doing. Lucky it didn't roll over backwards.
Guess who gets sued if someone gets hurt.

 

[kenmac]

If he have never ridden, stay outside with him & watch him. I think problems occur when, people buy this things and just turn their kids loose & the kid has never or ridden or ridden very little.I bought my son a 50 cc suzuki when he was about 5 or 6 yrs old. Every time he road it ,I would be outside watching him. He now is 19 now & is a very good atv rider. If you purchase , be sure to purchase one of the name brands. There some chinese models that cost less up front, but parts & service are hard to come by

 

[frank_f15]

If he have never ridden, stay outside with him & watch him. I think problems occur when, people buy this things and just turn their kids loose & the kid has never or ridden or ridden very little.I bought my son a 50 cc suzuki when he was about 5 or 6 yrs old. Every time he road it ,I would be outside watching him. He now is 19 now & is a very good atv rider. If you purchase , be sure to purchase one of the name brands. There some chinese models that cost less up front, but parts & service are hard to come by

IF I DECEIDE TO GET HIM ONE IT WILL MOST CERTAILY HAVE ALL THE SAFTEY FEATURES, parental teather, and adjustable max speed adjustment, + he will only ride it when he is here and i never even let him ride his little battery operated car with out me being out there. AND he must always wear a helmet and pads, as he does now when riding his bike or his scooter neither which is powered.

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

the younger the better that way it will be like a second pair of shoes to them. i started very young about the same age 8/9 .

 

[AlanB]

They are great, if the parents (or grandparents) are involved. Far too many folks buy their kids that cool "toy" and turn them loose.

Myself, I would put him on a motorcycle. As a general statement, motorcycles tend to be more self regulating as it takes some skill too go fast.

Unfortunately, 4 wheelers (and their three wheeled predecesors) tend to breed just too much confidence and youngsters can get in over their head quick.

Not sure if that helps much or not but too sum it up, yes, they are great, in the right set of circumstances.

 

[gordon21]

I'm not real thrilled with the idea of really young kids on a 4 wheeler. I don't think they even make the 3 wheelers any more due to so many injuries. I have two large ATV's stored at my cabin that belong to my son-in-law and his friend. I only drove the 325 ATV and it scared the crap outta me. I have a Gator now and in my youth I drove motorcycles for the first 7 years. I didn't get a car until age 20. I drove my bikes 365 days a year in Maine all through high school.

I agree with AlanB that a small motorcyle would be better. The advantages would be:

No passengers
About 1/3 the weight
Narrower
Can go a lot more places
You have to pay attention a lot more on a bike than a 4 wheeler

Above all, he must wear a high quality full face helmet and proper gloves, boots, etc

I dropped a bike one time in the snow/ice and my head slid across a patch of overpass. It cut into the fiberglass top of a brand new Kawasaki logo helmet about 3/8" and about 4" across. Needless to say, that helmet saved my life. I was so mad at the time. A $65 ruined helmet was a ton of money to me back in 1973. I think those same quality helmets now sell for $200+ Spend the money for a full face.

 

[frank_f15]

They are great, if the parents (or grandparents) are involved. Far too many folks buy their kids that cool "toy" and turn them loose.

Myself, I would put him on a motorcycle. As a general statement, motorcycles tend to be more self regulating as it takes some skill too go fast.

Unfortunately, 4 wheelers (and their three wheeled predecesors) tend to breed just too much confidence and youngsters can get in over their head quick.

Not sure if that helps much or not but too sum it up, yes, they are great, in the right set of circumstances.

Sorry but i can't understand the thinking that a 2 wheeled vehicle (motorcycly) is safer than a 4 wheeler that is preset for max speed.

 

[Old Coot]

Above all, he must wear a high quality full face helmet and proper gloves, boots, etc
Spend the money for a full face.

You are so right about the full coverage helmet.
When I lived in NM a young fellow flopped his motorcycle and slid down the street on his face. He had a helmet but not a full coverage and lost his nose and most of his skin on his face. Took a lot of surgery to fix him up.

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

a 4 wheeler is alot easier to roll over than a little motorbike. you can get them little honda 50's with the throttle limiters on it and they will get used to that first . then after they out grom them then get a 4 wheeler. but then agian they also make throttle controls for the little 4 wheelers too.lol. oh just get them something and get out there and ride.have funthey even make the remote controls that you can shut the bikes off with if they get too far or they don't listen.

 

[Tractors4u]

Sorry but i can't understand the thinking that a 2 wheeled vehicle (motorcycly) is safer than a 4 wheeler that is preset for max speed.

Because people think that 4 wheels are safer than 2 and that the 4 wheeler will be easier to ride. Yep the 4 wheeler will be easier to ride, they will can confidence quicker and in turn possibly get hurt. My parents didn't want me our my brother on a dangerous motorcycle so they bought us a 3 wheeler, and then a bigger one. We never got hurt on them so that was a plus. I think it depends on the kids and their abilities. My girls both have 4 wheelers and have been riding since they were 5 and 2. Well 2 1/2 to be more accurate. The 2 year old broke her arm when she was 5 when she hit a concrete block that was in some tall grass. Broke my heart. She would ouch her 4 wheeler for 8 months. Now you can't et her off of it. A friend of mine's kids have mini dirt bikes. They ride the piss out of those bikes and scare me when they get on kids 4 wheelers.

 

[MikeD74T]

Frankf15, My children had snowmobiles & motorcycles & now my grandsons do. All were watched constantly at first & allowed more latitude as confidence, skill, & trustworthyness developed. A tether switch on a 4 wheeler is a good thing for the first hour then unnecessary (in my experience). Speed limiter is absolute necessity. I have almost 2 miles of trails on my wooded 38 acres (many overlapping/intersecting loops). Since 4th of July '07 one grandson put 450 miles on his ATV. I set rules about which trails each can ride on and how often they must come back to camp. If the youngest, age 6 riding for his second year, isn't back every 5 minutes & I can't hear his machine I go looking. Usually find him stuck, engine off, waiting for me. While they're not always under visual or audible contact, they're never out of contact for very long. Each cousin will come get me if he can't find the other. They play hide & seek a lot which is more about stealth than speed. I have no tolerance for horseplay, tailgating, riding double, speeding, failure to wear a helmet. Taking away the privledge for a whole day is a long time for a kid that only rides on the weekend. I have all brand name ATVs except for the 110cc Chinese no brand one. I paid $300 used for it & it's on the 3rd kid. I probably can't get engine parts but it owes me nothing. I couldn't see spending $2500 on something that would only return 50% the following year, they get outgrown quickly. The 50cc ones get outgrown even quicker. It's not just about play, they learn about speed /distance relationships & responsibility. They learn something our state motor vehicle department stresses, driving is a privledge, not a right. MikeD74T

 

[AlanB]

Sorry but i can't understand the thinking that a 2 wheeled vehicle (motorcycly) is safer than a 4 wheeler that is preset for max speed.

Others have answered, but I will add as well.

The throttle limiters are also widely available on the motorycles (actually the 4 wheeler stuff migrated over from the bikes)

But, as others have said, the 4 wheeler builds more confidence in the stability then what is actually there. The flip happens VERY quickly.

Please don't take me wrong, I think teaching your kids / grandkids to operate machines is very important. I think you should do it. My 2 cents is too get them whatever you ride, and they will follow along with you, then you are participating with them.

I don't know if credentials matter too you, but I have fair credentials when it comes to motorcyle and 3 and 4 wheeler safety and a number of years of experience, and that all really boils down to you have to do what you feel comfortable with for your kids and grandkids.

If you get a machine without a throttle limiter, contact me and I can help you add one easily at no cost.

Also, be aware that throttle limiters on two strokes with a centrifigul clutch have some inherent problems, in that to get it to rev fast enough to engage the clutch, if they are in an open field, can build a suprising amount of speed as they hold the throttle open. I tend to practice throttle control, and played red light green light with my kids (and others) for hours in the yard.

I attached a picture of my son, it is one of my favorite pictures of all time with him. He was about 8 at the time of that shot.

 

[MikeD74T]

AlanB, I'd love to have seen your son's face the first time he cleared that obstacle. All the safety statistics in the world are no substitute for training! MikeD74T

 

[AlanB]

The guy on the right of the picture is David Chaves, top RYP rider in the US at the time.

My experience with kids is they learn great, from anyone besides their parents

I had been trying all weekend to get Dean to try that (thought he could do it) and he would not listen to "dad"

Got Dean and Ryan to tell him to go do it, then he drove over and just did it.

For me, the riding sums up what gets often discussed in the safety forum, and applies in this topic as well.

Risk is an individual thing, and each person has to do a risk analysis for themselves.

What is perfectly acceptable for my kids and I, is unimaginable for my sister and her children.

But yeah Mike, that smile was a mile wide, David and I probably stood there an hour while Dean would grab another freind and say, hey, watch this!

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

i done 4 flips on a honda big red when i was about 16 it then landed on me after . i was riding fast through a cane field and hit a little cut ditch !BAM! darn farmers go changin the layout of the fields from year to year but i learned a good lesson to not go running fast through tall grass .lol i still to this day don't know how i walked away from that wreck but i did without a cratch too.

Because people think that 4 wheels are safer than 2 and that the 4 wheeler will be easier to ride. Yep the 4 wheeler will be easier to ride, they will can confidence quicker and in turn possibly get hurt. My parents didn't want me our my brother on a dangerous motorcycle so they bought us a 3 wheeler, and then a bigger one. We never got hurt on them so that was a plus. I think it depends on the kids and their abilities. My girls both have 4 wheelers and have been riding since they were 5 and 2. Well 2 1/2 to be more accurate. The 2 year old broke her arm when she was 5 when she hit a concrete block that was in some tall grass. Broke my heart. She would ouch her 4 wheeler for 8 months. Now you can't et her off of it. A friend of mine's kids have mini dirt bikes. They ride the piss out of those bikes and scare me when they get on kids 4 wheelers.

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

the best thing about kids is they will trust you one time .lol but if you joke with them one time thats it they ain't gonna rtust you after that. i would tell my son when i was showing him to ride in the woods i started him on a suzuki ds80. and he would do everything i told him to do until one day we was workin on the bike and the spark plug was filed out so he asked hot do you test it out . well me being the comic i told him you have to put your hand on it and push down on the kickstarter.lmao that boy didn't know wether to laugh cry punch me or run to mamma. but he ended up callin me a name and for that day i let it slide and we both laughed for a while . after that he done the same trick to his younger brother too years later. man the things we do.

Others have answered, but I will add as well.

The throttle limiters are also widely available on the motorycles (actually the 4 wheeler stuff migrated over from the bikes)

But, as others have said, the 4 wheeler builds more confidence in the stability then what is actually there. The flip happens VERY quickly.

Please don't take me wrong, I think teaching your kids / grandkids to operate machines is very important. I think you should do it. My 2 cents is too get them whatever you ride, and they will follow along with you, then you are participating with them.

I don't know if credentials matter too you, but I have fair credentials when it comes to motorcyle and 3 and 4 wheeler safety and a number of years of experience, and that all really boils down to you have to do what you feel comfortable with for your kids and grandkids.

If you get a machine without a throttle limiter, contact me and I can help you add one easily at no cost.

Also, be aware that throttle limiters on two strokes with a centrifigul clutch have some inherent problems, in that to get it to rev fast enough to engage the clutch, if they are in an open field, can build a suprising amount of speed as they hold the throttle open. I tend to practice throttle control, and played red light green light with my kids (and others) for hours in the yard.

I attached a picture of my son, it is one of my favorite pictures of all time with him. He was about 8 at the time of that shot.

 

[gordon21]

Tommy: Is there another way to test plugs other than using your hand??

 

[AlanB]

Tell them it is like a 9 volt battery and put it on their tounge

Well, maybe not...

My dad had his pinky finger in the coil plug opening on a corvair we were working on one time. He hollered something at me that I took as "turn it over" I engaged the starter with his pinky finger stuck in the top of the coil.....................

He was slightly unhappy with me

After his finger stopped smoking..............