Ol' Dragginbutt here, going to make a few recommendations to the newbees out there looking either for themselves or someone they are making decisions for. First a disclaimer. I have been riding all kinds of machines for 50 years. Yep, ATC's, dune buggies, snowmobiles, ATV's, SxS's, Dirt bikes, you name it. And I AM STILL LEARNING NEW WAYS TO GET HURT. Even with tons of experience, you need to respect what these machines can do if you fail to follow basic common sense rules. Second, I am a BIG proponent of wearing proper safety gear. Helmet, goggles, gloves, leather boots that cover the ankle, and long pants at a bare minimum. If you can't afford it, go fishing. Lastly, do not decide on make, model and size based on what others are doing, and don't get caught up in the got to have the fastest thing on the planet hype. It almost always leads to injury or death. If you don't know what you are doing, get training from a competent instructor. Not your buddy next door. You will thank me later on that one....

So you want to buy an ATV. Well got a couple questions for you to think about. First is Why? Because it is cool? You want to go fast? You want to impress your girlfriend? Well all may seem like good reasons..... to a 15 year old who is fearless and indestructible. Funny thing is it sure isn't the way to learn that like Rock-paper-scissors, steel always breaks bones. You can't fly, and trees will stop you every time. Don't expect to go from zero to hero on the top of the line super fast sport machine like the Yamaha YZ450F or the many other just as fast sport machines out there. Even if you are a prodigy, chances are you will get hurt. Start on something smaller, less powerful, develop your skills and learn how to ride it to it's fullest potential before thinking about trading up to more zoom- zoom.

Now there are good reasons, like you need it to help you do work around the farm, or plow snow, or explore the woods, and maybe to do a little racing in a controlled environment, which brings us to question number 2. How and where do you intend on riding? If you expect to need it for working, or exploring deep woods, or mountainous terrain, then you probably would need to look at something in a Utility machine, or at a minimum, something with 4x4 capability. Oh sure a 2 wheel drive sport machine may be able to handle mountain riding, but trust me, a 4x4 is way more suited to it, especially if you find the inevitable mud hole that wants to swallow you whole.

Engine size isn't important in the beginning. How fast the machine will go isn't important either. Now I have trophies on my mantle, and have done my share of racing, and I'll tell you it was fun, but I could not have jumped on an open class MX bike without any experience. That would be suicide. Learn from that. Understand that the sport you are entering is designed for novice riders to by novice machines, and trade up as your skills increase. That is part of the deal.

And for you parents out there, trust me when I say your kid will have just as much fun on a lessor sized machine designed for them to learn on as he or she would on a pure race machine. So be the parent, and pull back on the reins. Make sure they have the aptitude and the ATTITUDE and self discipline that is needed to properly wear the gear, to follow rules like no rides with the buddies on board etc. THAT is your responsibility.

ATV's are not toys, they are not baby sitters, they take attention, and discipline. If your child does not understand this, or demonstrate the ability to follow your rules, then buying them an ATV is not going to solve those problems.

Don't get me wrong, riding ATV's can be a blast, can be a great family experience, but they must be done in a way that ensures everyone makes it home safe to ride another day.

So endeth the sermon from Dragginbutt.

 

 

Good points, Dragginbutt.