I am looking for an ATV for my 13 year old son. We live in Michigan. Can you give me any recommendations on makes and models? I have no idea where to start!

 

An ATV safety class is a great place to start. How experienced is your son? Has he ridden before when you were watching? What kind of terrain and conditions do you anticipate on the trails you'll ride? Another big factor is the size of your son. A kid who weighs 150 can influence a quad more than a kid that weighs 100. If your son is a good learner he can handle quads without automatics.

 

He has ridden his friends a few times and he weighs about 100lbs, about 5 feet tall. He likes sports and outdoor activities and has no previous ATV riding experience, but has friends that have ATVs, and has ridden a friend’s off-road motorcycle a few times. The ATV will be used for recreation only primarily by my 13-year-old son.

 

I would still got with the safety class first. Lots of things you might not think to cover. Find out what his friends are riding. If it's something he's used to riding it might be good to get the same model or similar to the ones he's been on. In my mind a 13 year old could handle the 250cc class machines like the Honda Recon. Foot shift that doesn't require using a clutch handle or semi-automatic. Honestly, a kid can get hurt on any machine that gets up to any kind of speed. It's what he can control and is comfortable with. Are they riding through mud or snow? You might want to look at an older 250 class 4wd or maybe even a 350. Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki made quite a few models betwee 250 and 400 cc's that had 4wd. Heavier machines that are a little hard to muscle around than the 2wd machines. If it's almost all hard pack trails a Honda 250 ex or 300 ex may be worth a look. These would require using a hand lever clutch if I remember right. May not be right on that.

 

I rode for several years before I took an ATV safety course and still found it useful. I'm pretty sure Michigan got rid of that stupid old law that said you had to be 16 to ride anything bigger than 90cc , but you should check to see what the current law is before you buy anything.

 

The Honda 250 ex would be a good choice. Its foot shift just like the Recon. If he's comfortable with using a clutch(as you said he had ridden an off-road motorcycle) a Yamaha Blaster would be a good choice. They're just about the smallest and lightest adult sized atv there is but plenty of power especially with a smaller and lighter rider. Can find them in good shape pretty cheap too. The older ones were 2 stroke and were pretty fast. A Yamaha Warrior would be another good one too, manual clutch on it as well but another atv that is a good value used.