MikeB, I'm with you on this one. What happened to starting small and "learning" your way up to bigger bikes? And don't forget about learning how to wrench on them. I see so many people, mostly adults, who have never ridden an atv go out and buy raptors, etc. only to get hurt.

 

reminds me of when my dad finally quit racing dirtbikes and stuff and sold his c520 dirtbike...and it was wore out bad, some young dude bought it that had never ridden a big bike like that....bad idea...my dads cr500 had about the most done to it you could get back then, and was dangerous even wore out, well....we heard later on that he broke his back and his arm or something lol, and that was like a few days or a week later.

 

My brother in law had a honda cr500 punched out to 540 and modded out, crazy fast! I hated riding with him.....I rarely saw him! LOL! And, when I did, he would throw a roost of rocks what seemed like the length of a football field! I had to wear a chest protector just to keep from getting pummelled by him! LOL! He had a hard time selling it because it was too fast for most people. He had ridden and raced dirtbikes since he could walk and even he said it was too fast and he was much more comfortable on a 250!

 

Haha, you just brought back some good memories for me...

When I was 12, I first learned how to ride on a friend's '86 Yamaha Zinger (50cc's). Boy was that a blast - I'll never forget the excitement of hopping on that thing for the first time and ripping around his yard!

Thank GOD it was an automatic - at 12 years old, I'm not sure I would have done too well with the whole "shifting gears" concept! Not to mention the absolutely ESSENTIAL concepts of 'safe riding', 'abundance of caution', and THE most important concept any ATV rider should understand very, very, VERY well - 'mortality' (as in, I now realize I am NOT invincible - death could be waiting behind the bend of ANY turn in a trail or at the apex of ANY hill I rip up)...

Refer to the following article for more information:

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=812722&category=&BCCode=&newsdat e=6/24/2009


Which brings us to the controversial and sensitive question of AGE -

How old is "old enough" to get your child(ren) their own ATV???

I'm not even going to ATTEMPT to answer this question, because it all depends on the kid - there's a BIG difference between the five-year-old who's riding the 50cc Motocross (dirtbike) Circuit with the training and constant supervision of dad, compared to the spoiled-rotten 14-year-old who has NEVER operated an ATV but convinces mom and dad to buy him a freakin Raptor or Banshee after seeing one on a TV show... I'd feel more comfortable riding with the 5-year-old, that's the honest truth.

Of course, I was absolutely obsessed with ATVs when I was 12 or 13, but there's no way in the world that my parents would have let me get one... Only a go-cart with a 5hp Briggs&Stratton on the back... And as much as I hated them for it at the time, NOW I understand. They were simply protecting me.

I can only imagine the pain/anguish of the parents whose twin 17-year-olds both just DIED after crashing their ATVs into eachother (in the article above). Those parents will have to live with that guilt for the rest of their lives.

Again - to the original poster - I'm certainly NOT trying to lecture you on parenting. I'll readily admit that as a 27-year-old, I don't know DICK about parenting (and hopefully I WON'T for at least a few more years!!!). You, on the other hand, have 11+ years of experience. So only YOU can determine whether your child is responsible enough to operate an ATV...

 

I wouldn't consider this a lecture to Banshee, just some things to consider as he welcomes his son into a great hobby.

A friend of ours who lives on some property just outside of town was just telling me the other day that their nighbor across the street allows his 3 grandkids, ages 5-8, to ride his 800cc utility atv, UNSUPERVISED! She said she almost hit them in her car as they crossed the road with one of them on the handlbars! She said they are always riding it and with NO HELMETS! She said she didn't know what to do. I said if I were her I would talk to the grandparents, maybe even print out some newspaper articles of tragic atv accidents that pertain to their situation. If that doesn't work, I guess just call the police so, once again, the government can tell the idiots how to live! LOL! Just maybe she will spare them their lives as they are too young to understand the danger involved. It just makes me sick.......

 

I'll start by saying I'm 44.5, and 200 lbs, and 6 foot tall. Keep this in mind.

Relative to almost all of the posters on this forum, I have little ATV or any other power sport experience. Suffice it to say,... My mother would have killed me if she knew half of the motorized vehicles I rode when I was a kid. My parents wouldn't have bought anything like a motorcycle, go-cart,... none of that kind of stuff. However I did ride and was passenger on god knows how many motorcycles in my teen years. I only got to ride what friends would let me. That was precious little. All the way up to my early 20's that was all I could get.... An occasional ride. Got married, had and raised a daughter (she's 21 already). Got divorced and more.... All without owning a motorcycle or dirtbike, or atv, or anything fun.

Fast forward past all those years and I found myself wanting to "play" with my grandchildren (married a family second go-round) and found and bought my first ATV. Yep... All excited, I bought a Yamaha Badger 80cc 4 wheeler. Probably one of the best things I could have done.

At age 42 (roughly) I got my first experience playing ATV dude, and I gotta tell ya... I nearly killed myself a bunch on that little dude. I learned how to put my foot down and let the rear wheel crawl up my damn leg,... I learned how my heart came up to my throat when I nearly turned over.... I learned that KIDS need not be on it without careful supervision.... Most times riding with me in "safe mode".

Again forward a couple of years - I have now owned 3 four wheelers. I got the itch after learning how not to kill myself with that iddy biddy one, to buy something "adult sized" and bought myself an 89 blaster. I wasn't sure I'd be able to stick with it much... So I bought cheap.

That Blaster had been through the wringer a few times. The motor had just been rebuilt and bored 60 over (so they said) and it had/has no rear brakes. We all know now why, as those mechanical disc systems suck pretty bad... The thing had 18 inch rear tires on it so it had limited top speed, but killer low end torque. Would flip over backward in a hurry. So much so, the previous owner had fashioned a "wheely bar" in place of a rear grab bar. I learned even more what a bunch of power I could have at my desire, and had some fun. about 10 or 12 hours of fun. The stator quit on me about a mile from the trailer and I had to order a new one stator (Not in stock,... as are most things for the blaster), so I went out and bought me another blaster.... a 2006 model with 4 hours on it. MAAN! what a difference to get on one and ride and ride and ride without fear of a breakdown!...... Needless to say, I'm hooked on ATV's now.... Already sold the '06 model, selling the badger soon,.... maybe even the old Blaster... who knows.... I would love for my wife to get the Motorsports bug....

Anyway,.... my point was going to be how even though I know the grandson well, I know his abilities are nowhere near "Blaster ready" at age 11. He's a BIG 11 year old too. I was almost not ready for the Blaster at age 42.....

If I knew he was ready and could demonstrate ability to ride the blaster, we might allow him a ride for readiness,.... but he hasn't even mastered the littler badger yet. If he had, and could show me his "prowess" with it,... maybe moving on. But til then, he'll need to work on his skills a bunch.

If you know the kid and he demonstrates good ability and responsibility,.... A blaster is not way outta line if he's ready for the power. It's certainly one of those "judge each by his own abilities and character" things.

Good luck with the decision making.

As for me,.... Either a Raptor 350, or I'm ditching Yamaha and going Honda or Suzuki (simply because I can find great deals on Suzuki....) Honda being the choice if I can find a good deal.

 

"I wouldn't consider this a lecture to Banshee, just some things to consider as he welcomes his son into a great hobby."

Firehog - Absolutely, I couldn't agree more. I didn't intend for either of my previous posts (OR this one!) to sound like a "lecture" and/or an attack on the original poster, just a bit of "think before you act" advice, I guess. Just my two cents (and that's ALL that ANY of our posts are, right?)

Terrell brought up something I hadn't even thought of - What about a used Badger, as opposed to a new (or used) Blaster? That might be a bit more "appropriate" for the age-range we're discussing here...

Let him tool around on that for a year or so, and make his mistakes, and then reward him by moving him up to a Blaster - AFTER he proves he's learned his way around the sport and machine (and most importantly, that he rides safely and responsibly!).

God forbid the quad flips on him - I think I'd rather have a Badger on my rib cage ANY day, as opposed to a Blaster (or even worse, a Warrior - Ouch!).

Terrell also mentioned "I learned how to put my foot down and let the rear wheel crawl up my damn leg"... Lol - don't mean to laugh, but I had that happen to me on my old Blaster, too. I STILL have a scar from that incident. "Trail Rash", haha... Live and learn, right?

I don't remember whether the original poster said he's considering a NEW quad or a USED quad for his 11-year-old, but here's an analogy that might apply - most parents DON'T buy their newly-licensed 16-year-old a brand new car, but rather a "beater" - something old with some dents, dings, etc... Why? Because it's only a matter of time before a new driver gets into some kind of accident - minor OR major - regardless of how responsible or well-instructed he/she is... I don't care how "good" of a driver the kid is (ANY kid, that is) - it's a matter of inexperience, simple as that...

I'd use this same logic when deciding what kind of quad to get your son. Sooner or later, he's almost definitely gonna bang it up a little bit (or maybe a LOT, God forbid), just due to inexperience if nothing else. And you, as the parent (AND funding source, I'm assuming) will feel a lot less resentful if he dumps a used '88 Blaster or Badger, as opposed to a brand-spanking-new, flawless, 2009 Yamaha Blaster, Raptor, whatever. Just something to consider.

I got my Blaster when I was 22, and it took me a good six months to really "master" it and be able to SAFELY push it to the max. And even after years of experience with my old Blaster, I'm STILL getting used to the '95 Warrior I just bought!

All in due time, my friend... Just gotta pace yourself...

Sorry for the novel!

-Mike

 

"Either a Raptor 350, or I'm ditching Yamaha and going Honda or Suzuki (simply because I can find great deals on Suzuki....) Honda being the choice"

Can't argue with you there - Honda makes AWESOME cars, quads, bikes, you name it. Best products around.

 

But with that being said, I dunno - there's just something about Yamaha quads that I can't resist... I LOVE 'em...

So for cars, I choose Honda. Quads? I'll stick with Yamaha for now (until I can afford BOTH a Yamaha AND a Honda, that is!)

 

Hey Banshee - have you made a decision yet about what to get for your son???

Keep us posted!