the reason i ask is that i have a stepson and his father bought him an arctic cat 90 for his 5th birthday and he rolled it the first time out. Now he is scared of it and wants to sell it. Is this atv too big for a 5 year old? he was 60 lbs but has no riding experience on anything, not even a power wheels, the only thing he has ridden on is my kawasaki mojave with me. Just wondering because i am a little worried about him on this machine and i wanted to know if i should be worried. thanks

 

I have a 5 year old bout 65pds. He can drive a 90, we dont give him much throttle and is very closely supervised. If you can afford to keep it. I would, kids change there minds quick.

 

I would say no if he is a good size kid.
Just cut the throttle back some till his skills improve. My grandson is going on seven and pushing 80 lbs. He has had a polaris 50 since he was 4 and rides it like a pro, needless to say he is ready for a 90.

 

My son is 8 and is 60lbs and he has been riding his LT80 for almost 4 years now.I just let out the thumb screw a little bit each year....and watch him like a hawk....lol...He has rolled it over on himself got scared of it for a week then was right back at it...

 

I think you should be concerned. I just bought my son (4yrs/35lbs) a power wheels and even though he is all ready comfortable with the speed, his attention span is terrible. He is always looking everywhere but in front of him and often thinks he has to hit something before he lets off the throttle. My daughter did not have this problem when she was 4 but then again she is "old" for her age. I'm sure he will grow out of it, but my point is, I'd rather he get his bumps and bruises while he is learning, on a power wheels instead of on a 90cc quad.

My daughter has been ready to move up to a 90cc machine for atleast a year (7yrs/40lbs) but is too light for my comfort. Waiting till she is over 60 lbs.

I think being a little scared after a fall is natural but having some experience (say on a power wheels) would make getting back on it a lot less stressful for everyone involved. Plus, at 60lbs, I'd bet he'll get bored with the power wheels and beg you to let him ride the 90cc quad again in no time.

good luck!

 

Here in minnesota the law reads that less than 12 years old are restricted to 50cc. 12-15 year olds are 90cc material. That machine weighs 240 pounds. I would recommend having a grown man of that size stand on your child for a couple of minutes to become familiar with effects associated with having that much weight on top of them while you were distracted from supervision duty. Then imagine one of the handle bars impaled into there chest cavity while they choke on their own entrails being forced out their nostrils. If everyone’s ok with that - then you only have a problem with the child protection laws and the court appointed officers that will take your child into custody when you show up in the emergency room because the doctors are required under law to report child endangerment by parent or adult that results in injury. I personally know of a father who now has only supervised visitation with his son because Dad thought 9 years old was old enough to drive his own snowmobile - into a tree. It was throttle blocked to do less then 30 - but the tree didn't budge.

Amazing is how the light doesn't seem to come on until the ambulance shows up. There may be bigger regrets then standing outside an emergency room door. I just don't want to think about them.

My kids started on go-carts at 10. They had a 90cc ATV at 12. I'm the only one who has been carted to the hospital. Thank God.

 

WhoDatInDaMud

i couldn't agree more, i bought my first atv this past summer and began giving my stepson rides on it. My wife (his mother) had talked about getting him a 50cc one but decided that he was not ready for the responsability, and the cost of that kind of toy for a 5 year old just seemed like a little too much. His father bought his the arctic cat without consulting his mother (which really pissed her off). I don't see a problem with a child having an atv if it is the right size and he is tought how to ride it and care for it properly. My fear is that he will not be taught the proper respect for the machine and with it's size and weight he could get seriously hurt. The problem is that we don't have any control over what happens with the atv and my stepsons father think that it is completley ridiculus that his mother has a problem with this kind of purchase. I don't know i guess i am just rambling now but i am worried about my stepson but there seems to be nothing i can do. I have not yet seem him on the atv but we were ia a mall this past weekend and they had the 90 oin display, and judging my the saddle hight i would be very supprised if my stepson could even sit on the machine and still have his feat touch the floorboards, he would have to always be standing for his feet to touch the floorboards. I guess my point is my wife and i are extremely worried and there is not much i can do about it, His father will not listen. He thinks that this is perfectly sutable machine for a 5 year old and scofs at the idea that his son may not be ready for a machine of this size.

 

WhoDat, I only partially agree with you. I feel this decision should rest on the parents, who must take the size and skills of their children into account.

You paint a graphic (though unlikely) portrait, and it's one that should be considered by every parent before they let their kids ride. I have about 4-5 kids I let ride our 90cc, all of which are under 12. Each has a different degree of direct supervision (and machine throttle restriction) based on their size, skills and the responsibility they show before, during, and after riding. I'm also very careful about WHERE and WHEN I let them ride. A few of these children have become fairly good riders (for their age) because of this direct, hands on approach to their instruction. Not every parent is willing to make this commitment, however, and this is where problems occur. Before you let your kids ride, consider how much time YOU are willing to invest in it. To me, this is a family sport, and I'll invest a lot, to another these may not be the case, and if so, PLEASE choose something ELSE to do with your kids.

As for Minnesota Law and ATV size, children under 12 aren't really allowed to ride anywhere in Minnesota except on private land (with the land owners permission). Many do anyway (including us). Starting July 1st, children between 12 and 16 may ride machines larger than 90cc providing they pass a safety class which includes a riding componant on the machine they will be using. This is a good thing.

The real problem I have with these restrictions is the manufacture of these machines. Point blank, despite what the label says, MOST 90cc machines are MADE for 5-11 year olds. My eldest boy is 13. He's 5'10" and 140 lbs. He's WAY too big for a 90cc. It's actually UNSAFE for me to put him on one. My wife is 5'2" (I'd list her weight, but I want to live). She's not as skilled as my son (though she's learning) and has less height, and mass than him, yet by current law she can hop right on a Raptor with no training and my son WITH training can only ride a 90 (which, as I stated, is undersized for him). Just plain silly, if you ask me.

To address bsabrosa's question, the answer is probably yes, the machine is too big for him. Not necessarily because of size but because of skills and what appears to be too little supervision. That said, with your tutelage, he can probably learn to ride it but first I would 1) restrict the heck out of the thing (limit it to 10mph) and 2) Cover the kid in protective gear (helmet, goggles, chest protector - make his dad pay for this). You may also wish to invest in some "chatterbox" style radios so you can talk to him as he rides. If you're not the one riding with him and his father isn't the type to provide this direct supervision then yes, you should be worried.

 

Although i think Whodats post is a little extreme (but could be quite accurate of what could happen) my son does not own a 90. This is a friends. He grew up on power wheels. No he is not ready to own a 90cc or a 50cc for that matter at 5 years old, 5 year olds dont think, listen, think or listen hehe. After re -reading the posts here ill have to agree with Whodat and you bsabrosa. Sounds like a tough situation and a bike purchased for the wrong reasons. If you guys are the parents im sure you can request he doesnt ride that machine until hes ready? I dont know what the laws are here for younger riders, i bet there are some tho. My kid has a full face helmet and chest protector. This i make him wear when out touring with me. Because even it 3~5 mph anything can happen. Id still keep the bike tho. For later!

 

Pechmial – I always appreciate your posts. You often come very close
to agreeing with me.

I agree that the rider size is important. bsabrosa says here that his
step-son cannot sit on the seat and his feet touch the floorboards. I was
assuming as much when I asked my wife how big a 5 year old would be.

I am one of the MN DNR Certified ATV Safety Instructor and will be participating
in the testing and licensing of youth for ATV operations. One of the criteria used
in deciding if a applicant is properly sized for the machine is to have
at least 3 inches between crotch and seat when the driver is standing on
the floorboards. Another is that the arms are not fully extended.

Possibly a higher qualification is that I have rolled my ATV on top of
me in December. I can speak directly to that. I had 2 broken ribs, my collar bone was broken
laterally from neck to rotator cup and the internal bleeding turned me
black from neck to buttock. It hurts just to type this. It still
hurts a lot – and the pain was terribly bad for many weeks. I would
jump to remove this 5 year old from the ATV if it were happening in my
presence as the ramifications are significant. To some parents you
could also let the child play with a loaded gun if you supervised them.
Sorry – your going to prevent nothing but will only get to the
injured AFTER they are injured.

My 14 year old daughters brand new Honda 250 Recon is sitting in the garage waiting for
her to complete the safety course in July. She’s 14 now and gettig to big
for the 90. But she has to wait.