which would be better/safer for my 6 year old, atv, dirt bike?70cc

 

mykool61679,

I put my 8 year old daughter on a TTR90 two years ago. Now I thought it would be safer for her to ride a dirt bike. I thought that when she would fall she would fall away from her bike, and she did. The problem was she did not like getting the bumps and bruises when she went down, so she quit riding with us. Last year I asked her if she had a quad would she ride with us again and she said yes. Now I don't regret putting her on a dirt bike because she learned the fundamentals of riding and she is a good little rider. My daughter originally wanted a quad but I thought I knew better. I should have listened to her a little more and probably should have bought the quad to begin with, but who knows. The best thing to do is to not let anyone try to sway you one way or another. Take your child to your local motorcycle shop and sit on a quad and a dirt bike. Find out which one your child feels most comfortable on and talk about it and make the decision together.

Good Luck.

SB.

 

have you consider a buggy? it's safer,difinitely a lot more fun, you can learn more about them at www.buggynews.com

 

.

If you are looking for best possible safety levels, go with a Dune Buggy. They make single or double seat versions. The better one's have reverse, are 4 strokes (for low rpm torque), lights and reverse. If we had the spare dollars today, I'd trade up both our ATVs for a dune buggy. Something with roll cage, double chest seat belts, auto tranny, lots of suspension depth and ballon type tires.

If looking for safety ratings between a dirt bike and mini-ATV, I'd go with a dirt bike. When you roll a dirt bike, it tends to go in one direction and the rider goes in a different direction. For some reason, mini-ATVs tend to "roll over" their riders much more then a dirt bike. And most mini-ATVs are in the 200+ lb range. Put that weight in motion and its like 300+ lbs.

If you do decide to go with a mini-ATV, immediately replace its front A-Arms with 3" wider A-Arms. Thus, making its front end 6" wider. Even if on warranty, wide its front end ASAP. Also install a skid plate - to stop it from digging into things. With a much wider front end, the risk of roll overs on the sharp corners (and lack of proper leaning) is dramatically reduced. If wondering, we installed 2x1.5" wheel spacers on the front of our Pred-90. My son hasn't rolled his mini-ATV since installed these wheel spacers. Having the front end 6" wider via 2x3" wider A-Arms would be even better.

Hope this helps....

.

 

I put my kids on dirt bikes because thats what i ride. I thought I could teach them to ride a dirt bike easier/better than I could teach them to ride a quad. I also think that a quad provides a false sense of security compared to a dirt bike. The dirt bike looks dangerous and that alone will keep them from trying stuff they may try on the quad because they think they are safer on it. Either way cover them with all the protective gear you can and limit their top speed in the begining and keep a close eye on them.

 

I always thought that having 4 wheels on the ground would be safer than that of only 2. It makes since though about what yall are saying. It would have been about a grand cheaper for me to have gotten my kids a dirt bike. I was looking at that ttr90 for awhile before I choose the sp90. I agree with the need for full body protection.

 

Either one can hurt a kid. It comes down to what the child is comfortable on... bike or wheeler... I ride a bike... I do not feel comfortable on the wheeler at times, Off cambers and steep up hill climbs are hair raising for me....... But to the next guy or girl a bike would make them feel uneasy.

 

I think the dirt bike rider will probably have more spills than an atv rider but the atv spills are usually a lot more dangerous...It all depends on your riding conditons though.We ride in lots of soft sand with fist sized rocks that make riding a dirt bike very difficult.You can cruise these same trails on an atv and not even notice the terrain so in this case the atv is safer.

 

If you are doing casual riding, and your daughter is a good rider, then buy her the quad. My daughter races a quad and handles it quite well. You want her to feel comfortable. Just explain to her that she can still fall and get hurt.

If you ever plan on racing her, the motorcycle by far would be cheaper! When you race quads, you open a whole new can of worms. If you want to be competitive, then it will cost you $$$$$ in aftermarket upgrades - unless you can find a motocross track that offers a stock mini quad class.

Good luck on making your decision!

 

We have a 49cc dirt bike,70cc Pitbike and 90cc ATV,....my boy is 11 ys. old....he started on the dirt bike and seems to like his new Pitbike the most.....they all have +'s and -'s .....bikes are more natural to learn on......ATV'S are more comfy to ride but are a whole different learning curve and take more time to get use to.....