Kid ATV's

[jingle]

Hello folks,

I'm thinking of buying a 4-wheeler for my 75 pound 10 and 11 yr. olds. My experience is limited to my 85 Honda 250 work horse. To me the little dirt bikes seem more dangerous, and I've read the $1,000 go-karts are next to useless except on flat ground. Do you have any advice on which way to go? We would be just doing casual riding around the property and on local trails. We're in the upper in Michigan with unlimited riding opportunities.
Also...does anyone have experience with "Kid ATVs" out of Minnesota? They sell a little 70/90 cc for $700. Thanks and God Bless!

[DCRthe3rd]

I would not give my 10-11 yr old a 250cc quad to ride , too much juice and too much weight for such a child is my opinion.
Next let me say it also depends where the kid will be riding that makes a difference , we ride alot of hills and that type of thing around here mixed with trails threw the woods  and my entire problem with the mid weight class of quads for kids is there is just to much power and weight for those kids to handle properly , and my concern is them getting them selves crushed , I feel the 2wd mid class quads stand up to easy for little kids, and they can tip to the side.
When I was deciding  on a quad or dirtbike for my daughter , we went with a dirtbike , and alot of the reason had to do with , normally when you dump a dirtbike you end up rolling along the ground or only have the weight of a bike upon you , a mid weight quad can squash you alot worse , so we went with the dirtbike , now these kids tearing up the roadways and misbehaving is a different story and not something that was going to be taking place on my watch.
For the small cheap china man quads for little kids riding in a nice area I am in favor of , I don't like the china man quads for grown up riders actually using the machine as they cost to much that I say get a real quad for a little more and have a much better machine , but if little jr is going to tool around the back yard or an old ball field for a few years before outgrowing it , I say get a small chinaman quad .............. 250 cc quads for little kids? NOPE

[jingle]

DCRthe3rd.,

Thanks for the input. There was a slight misunderstanding. I was definitely NOT thinking of putting the kids on my 250. That is why I am looking into the KidATV company. They make 70 and 90 cc bikes with, so far,  a pretty good reputation. When everybody is old enough and big enough they will move on to the name brand machines. Thanks and God Bless!

Jingle 

[30-30man]

I've never played in to the safety police so here goes......

All the atvs sold now have throttle limiters on them.  You can turn the 250 down and increase it as he grows into it.  They can get hurt on an electric scooter, horse, or a  bicycle just as easy as they can an atv.  I have a friend who is a doctor and he has seen more injuries from golf carts and horses than atvs.  Many people in my area buy them and think since they only go maybe 15mph that they are safe.  Never mind that they weigh over 1000lbs.  Anything is dangerous if driven or ridden by a nut.

  Just teach common sense and they will be OK. Make sure they wear a helmet at all times. I started my nephew by letting him ride with me up front with the throttle turned way down.  When I felt like he was capable, I let him take short trips across my farm.    My nephew rides my kawasaki bayou 250 all the time now.  We have a strict understanding, any craziness and the keys stay put.  I've never had a problem as he knows the rules.  I never let him ride alone or when I'm not home. To be honest, he is a bit scared of it.  Fear is a good thing with atvs.  A little one makes kids shed their fear of them too fast.  I've seen little kids on the 70cc atvs keep up with some of the big atvs.  Some of the 70cc atvs will reach 35mph with a light load.   He is 13 but has been on an atv since he was 7. 

If you're set on a Chinese 70-110cc atv, be prepared to buy another one in a couple of years.

[DCRthe3rd]

DCRthe3rd.,

Thanks for the input. There was a slight misunderstanding. I was definitely NOT thinking of putting the kids on my 250.Jingle 

well that's a good idea , I don't know about kidatv company , some co-workers/friends got into selling the chinamen quads/bikes a few yrs ago , they actually bought them by the shipping container , deal was they got what they got and some of the quads/bikes sometimes had something boogered up on them , but they certainly did not make anything like them when I was 10 yrs old , many of them have working headlights/alarms/electronic and REMOTE start/etc/etc , anyhow if the plan is to not work it hard like we do our regular atv's and use it like many of the smaller name brand quads I've seen get used , then sure get one , due to their ground clearance they do best on nice trails anyhow , and after 2 or 3 yrs and they outgrow it , you can sell it to some other dad.
But if the child requires a hard use quad , then I would not get a chinaman , but I don't think that often applies at 10 or 11 yrs old , it would do and maybe then at 14-15 or 16 yrs old depending on the kid , might be time for a 250 class at which time I stay away from the chinamens

[BlkHawk73]

  Looking at getting my son (be 7 in Sept) something to ride on also.  He'll likely have a little 50cc Honda bike to ride soon but I'd like to get him a little 4 wheeler too to ride on the trails and field on the property.  I'm leaning towards the can-Am one right now or maybe the Suzuki. Not wanting one too large of course but too small and he'll outgrow it too fast.  Would like a 70 or 90 so he can fit it for a few years.  I'd think any of the major manufcaturers would be a decent chocie so it'll come down to bang for buck and which he fits best.  Comfort for the little guy is importnat if he's gonna enjoy it safely.

[Lloyd Smale]

my take on it and im sure its not sharred by everyone is that this whole country has got so overpertective of there kids that there ruining them. I see kids on bicycles in there own driveways with helmets. My old man would have kicked my ass if i wore a bike helmet. He bought me mini bikes when i was 10 and turned me loose with them and i had race bikes by the time I was 12. We never had to wear helmets. We wore them because we thought we were cool with our easy rider red white and blue metalflake hemets. My kids even the girls had three wheelers when they were 4 and were racing dirt bikes when they were 10. You want a little candy ass kid that is afraid to assert himself in life then sheild him from every bump and bruise you can. I want a kid with character. One that crashes on his face and rubs the dirt out of his road rash and gets back on for more.

[30-30man]

 That's a a breath of fresh air...........I totally agree with you............Thanks for saying what I tried to say....I don't think I could have said it any better.....

[superdown]

Posted on: Yesterday at 06:41:08 PMPosted by: Lloyd Smale 
Insert Quote
my take on it and I'm sure its not sharred by everyone is that this whole country has got so overpertective of there kids that there ruining them. I see kids on bicycles in there own driveways with helmets. My old man would have kicked my ass if i wore a bike helmet. He bought me mini bikes when i was 10 and turned me loose with them and i had race bikes by the time I was 12. We never had to wear helmets. We wore them because we thought we were cool with our easy rider red white and blue metalflake hemets. My kids even the girls had three wheelers when they were 4 and were racing dirt bikes when they were 10. You want a little candy ass kid that is afraid to assert himself in life then sheild him from every bump and bruise you can. I want a kid with character. One that crashes on his face and rubs the dirt out of his road rash and gets back on for more. 

AMEN
I got my first bicycle when i was 5 and i got my first motorbike when i was 4 and the only reason i got a helmet was because i begged my dad for 2 weeks for a yellow helmet to match my yellow motorcycle. The first time i rode my bike with the helmet i was top heavy and wiped out and i threw the helmet across the drive way and gave it away. I figured out really early that peddling was stupid.

[bilmac]

I wouldn't give a kid anything with a motor until about the time he graduates high school. Well maybe a car or PU at about the same time as his peers get them. I see tha way kids ride their ATVs and wonder why any of them are still alive. We used to live in a small town with lots of kids. None of them had motorized stuff, and the kids were always happy. The big sport was tying a big dog to an old wheelchair and riding it around town. Then somone moved in and the kids had motors. Soon they all had to have motors. Kids didn't seem any happier.

[Lloyd Smale]

glad my dad didnt believe like that. He had me on mini bikes before pedldle bikes and even at 5 motors put a  big smile on this guys face. Buy your kids and yourself a dirt bike or 4 wheeler and spend some quality time in the woods with them. there not going to be around for long and some of the best memorys i have of my childhood were trail riding with dad.

[BlkHawk73]

  Wouldn't say I'm overprotective of my son but I know if he's on a dirtbike or 4-wheeler he'll have a helmet.  If that's being overprotective oh well, I can live with that.  If that makes him a soft, wussified kid he'l learn to live with that.  At least he'll be a normal kid running around having fun not a veggie.  I was lucky a few times in my youth by having a helmet on.  Pretty sure one incident, that helmet kept me from very serious injury. I think many tmes the probelm is the parants pushing the kids further than they should.  Maybe the whole image thing by making it seem tough and rough by not wearing a helmet is overshadowed by the safty factor.   Sad when image over-rides safety, especially with our kids. 

[Paladin]

nasty little buggers, don't like to start, don't take abuse very well. In my opinion they are not worth the money. parts are expensive and good luck finding someone to work on it.

[BlkHawk73]

nasty little buggers, don't like to start, don't take abuse very well. In my opinion they are not worth the money. parts are expensive and good luck finding someone to work on it.

  What make/model is this?  Can't see parts being any more than the full size machines and I'd take a wild guess that the dealers that sell 'em would be able and willing to service them.  Abuse?  They're not supposed to be abused.    For most brand new prices are in the $2000 range.  that's worth the joy and smiles from the kid to me.

[Lloyd Smale]

dont get me wrong i dont condone having a kid ride a dirt bike or 4 wheeler wihtout a helmet. For one thing its against the law. My kids allways wore helmets and leathers. What i chuckle about is parents that have there kids riding in there driveways on bikes with helmets and knee pads. I guess some may think that prudent but i think its comical We lived just fine through years of riding without them and dont remember any brain damage. (though thats debateable) parents these days completely overprotect kids they want them to grow up in a bubble and then face a world thats alot cruler then the world we faced when we left home.  A kid that can get up after a bump or bruise is going to handle it much better then the kid with the bike helmet thats mother was watching him ride out the window with a box of bandaids in her hand. When i was 10 years old i road dirt bikes by myself and my buddys and me would take off and come back when we needed gas. we also took off in the woods by ourselves with shotguns hunting and carried knives in our pockets more often then we wore underwear. Did my parents love or care about me less because of it. NO WAY they raised me where they could trust me in the first place by giving me resposiblity and letting me learn from my mistakes even if they caused me some bruises and cuts and theres no doubt in this guys mind that im a much better man for it. I rasied my kids the same way and they all thanked me for it. Most kids these days need that bubble broke and they need it broke by a good swift kick in the ***. That play station in there room is doing them a hell of a lot more harm then any dirt bike ever will.

  Wouldn't say I'm overprotective of my son but I know if he's on a dirtbike or 4-wheeler he'll have a helmet.  If that's being overprotective oh well, I can live with that.  If that makes him a soft, wussified kid he'l learn to live with that.  At least he'll be a normal kid running around having fun not a veggie.  I was lucky a few times in my youth by having a helmet on.  Pretty sure one incident, that helmet kept me from very serious injury. I think many tmes the probelm is the parants pushing the kids further than they should.  Maybe the whole image thing by making it seem tough and rough by not wearing a helmet is overshadowed by the safty factor.   Sad when image over-rides safety, especially with our kids.