Well i know that the stickers advise that you be 16 to ride a full size quad. But i think that it is a bit excessive. I would say if you gave a child a quad suited to their age and didn't teach them or supervise them then there would be close to, if not the same amount of risk as if they were in the same situaltion on a larger quad regardless of if it complies with age requirements. Last summer when i was still 15 (and not supposed to be on a large machine) i rode both my cousin's moto 4 100 and my uncles foreman 450 S. And let me tell you, the 100 was WAY more dangerous for me! I am not a big girl at 5'1" adn 110lbs, but i found that my size was more than that quad could handle sometimes, and there wasn't that much power at all. My cousin is 8 and had that quad for a few years now. and even he looks too big for it and is going to be getting a new one soon. I had NO trouble what so ever on the 450 and MUCH prefered its stability and caracteristics. i am now 16 and it is legal for me to get my car license here where i live! So i think that not too many people agree with those standards but i am sure everyone would agree with proper training with any quad. Because just because you have the "so called" right quad for your age, that doesn't mean you can't get hurt on ANY size quad. I don't think it would hurt to give the 14 year old a anything from a 300 to 350 and he would do fine with training and such. and the 9 year old would be fine with a 220 or 250. the 14 year old, i am sure will catch on quickly and then be happy he has a quad that is capable of handling him. Plus he is probably going to grow and stuff so it wouldnt' be great if you got a tiny quad and he just out grew it more! that is my two cents any way!

NeWf

 

my freind who is 14 has a bayou 220,
i have to admit, its rather quick once it gets moving,
i kept up with a 00' sp500 untill i was forced to stop,
the 1st gear is super low,
which isnt very good, if your going up a hill and your forced to downshift, 1st gear can flip you very easily, it can pull wheelies pretty easy to, which is more proof of what i just said.
i started out at 14 with a 1986 Suzuki quadsport 230,
its a manual 4 stroke with good power,
unless you have no confidence in your sons riding ability, and you dont go up hills, dont get the 220,
if you start him off on a bigger quad, he wont get bored of it as fast, and he will have more use for the power and not be limited,
id say find him a nice used honda fourtrax 300, its a very good machine, good power, very reliabel and pretty comfy, its peppy enough for normal trail riding, its very well balanced, and it has the ***** to get through anythign you want,
as for your younger son, a 90 - 120 cc quad would be good,
keep in mind, its more dangerous to not have enough power, then to have "more then you need" think for a while and you will come up with many examples....
and if you cant find the 300, a recon would be good, or a bayou 300

 

Many thanks to everyone for the advice (lecturing in some cases, but I digress). Anyway, after much research here is my "semi-educated" decisions.

For my 14 year old; 2001 Honda Recon (red). Eliminated the Bayou 220 pretty quickly, really too small for him (physically) now... plus according to several sources, including one respondant here, it has a super low 1st and if you down shift unwisely (or mistakenly) while gowing uphill it is easily flipped. Also the dealer only wanted another $300 for the Recon. The Bayou 300 4x4 entered the picture late and stayed in the running until the end. The real discriminator here was that if I was going to spring for the additional $1200 over the Recon, I might as well make it $1600 and get the Rancher 4x4 (by any reasonable evaluation a superior ATV to the Bayou 300 4x4). So I was getting budget "creep" and decided for a first bike I'd stick with the original plan (i.e., 250 class). The BearTracker finished second. The weight to power ratio concerned me a little (I've been told repeatedly that an underpowered or undersized ATV is more dangerous than an overpowered). Plus the dealer wanted within $100 of the Recon for the Beartracker. After my son rode them both forget it, Recon all the way. We also looked at the following and eliminated each for various reasons...Polaris Xplorer 4x4; Polaris Magnum 325; Bayou 300 4x2.

For my 10 year old we decided on a Yamaha Breeze. It was really a combination of things. First, I liked the size of the bike for him. He just "looked" too big for the Badger... although I think he would love the "Raptor look" version of that bike due out in November. None of the sub 80 sized bikes were big enough. Plus I was really impressed with the ride of the Breeze. It's automatic and has full floorboards. I've heard that one thing that gets younger riders in trouble a lot is their feet slipping and them losing their balance... also when they get in the least bit of trouble inexperienced riders want to "put their feet down", which can lead to disaster. Plus, my grand plan is to graduate him in a couple of years to the Recon and assign this to my wife (5'5", 120#). The fully automatice will allow him to concentrate on riding... not shifting. It should go anywhere I'd allow him to go for the first year of so. Anyway, as fate would have it while I was negotiating with the dealer on my older sons Recon (he didn't have a Breeze) they took a 99 Breeze in on trade. It was like brand new... it couldn't have more that 25 hours on it. So that did it, I made a package offer.

Once again thanks to everyone... now to get them in an ATV class, then it's to the farm and the trails.

 

good decisions,
the breeze is probably perfect for your 10 year old,
and the recon is fun, reliable, and has power to boot

 

Truth be know,
Armyman is correct.In the early 80s when everyone and their mothers were being injured by 3 wheelers,shows like 60 minutes and 20/20 ect SLAMMED 3 wheelers as a safety hazard.So April 28th of 1988,to avoid further lawsuits ect,all the manufactures of ATVs EXCEPT Polaris signed a 10 yr CONSENT DECREE with the CPSC that basically said NO more production or sales of three wheelers and warning labels were a MUST on new production 4 wheelers with age/cc RECOMMENDATIONS.It is LAW that dealers could not KNOWINGLY sell a ATV out of the recommended age/cc recommendations,very few dealers abided by this.If caught,serious penalties could apply.About 50% of the dealers abided by this law,and the others did not.Today,even though a new Consent Decree has not been signed,the dealers and CPSC still have a verbal agreement to abide by the age/cc recommendations for ATVs.This age/cc recommendation is a JOKE in most cases!Here they are,

6-11yrs old,under 70cc
12-15yrs old,90cc or less
16-over,90cc or above [except Artic Cat is 18yrs old]

Now,
as a licensed ASI [ATV Safety Instructor]I MUST also abide by these redicules recommendations.In other words,if you went out and purchased a 229cc Honda Recon for your 15 yr old,I COULD NOT teach him the ASI safety course,he/she MUST be on nothing larger than a 90cc.For the most part,im in disagreement with these age/cc restrictions put forth on us safety instructors.In all my yrs of ATVing,[since 1983]I can count on one hand the amount of 12-15yr old kids on a ATV of under 90cc.As a ATV saftey instructor,I am suppose to teach and preach the SAFE and RESPONSABLE use of ATVs,putting a 15yr old on a 90cc is NOT SAFE in allmost every case.

So unless I have a loaner ATV for your son/daughter of the correct size for him/her,guess what?THEY DONT GET THE ASI SAFETY COURSE.

Now in Michigan,there is another safety course that is everybite as thourgh as the ASI safety course,I also taech for MATVA or the Mich All Terrain Vehicle Assoc.I DO NOT have to abide by age/cc recommendations.It is left up to the expertise and descretsion of the instructor[as it should be for ASI]whether to teach the kid on the ATV he/she brings to class.Teaching for MATVA,I DONT miss very many kids.My 14 yr old daughter rides the Honda Recon,it fits her like a glove.Best of luck,

Bill

 

so technically on one's 16th birthday on can go from a TRX90 to a Raptor. now that would be something

 

Actually,if you tell the dealer the quad is for you,you can buy whatever CC range ATV you want for your kid dependeding on local State laws in your area,however,in order for him/her to take the free ASI Safety training class administered by a licensed ASI safety instructor,they MUST be on the correct age/cc recomended ATV when they show up for class.After the class,they can generally ride what they want ages 12 and over,[depends on local laws].

In the State of Michigan,it is unlawful for ANYONE aged 10 or 11 to ride ANY ATV except on private property with a training certificate and with supervision.BUT,the defination of an ATV in Michigan has an engine size of 50cc to 500cc,so if you wanted your 11yr old to LEGALLY ride a quad on State designated trailways,you could LEGALLY put him on a quad with a engine displacement of OVER 500cc,[660 Griz,650 Kawi,Raptor,DS 650]it than is classified as a ORV,not an ATV.To legally ride an ORV in the STATE of Mich,you have to have a safety training certificate and supervision.You could actually take the motorcycle [ORV] safety class at age 11,get your ORV certificate and ride the OVER 500cc displacement ORV quads.

How STUPID is that?

Bill

 

muddy4life... there was no disagreement on my part with armymans' post... just sort of came across as a lecture.

You mean if I take my soon to be 15 year old with the Recon to get training they won't let him drive his ATV... UNBELIEVABLE!!! We tried to be fair in our evaluation of ATV size to his height (5'8&quot and weight (>130#). The only thing which was close is the Honda Sportrax 90. He's even too big for the Breeze (124cc and very tame)... which technically he doesn't qualify for either. Do you know if there is any move under way to change these size/age limitations? If I felt my boys weren't ready to ride, physically and more importatantly emotionally, I wouldn't allow it. Even at that, I'm very concerned with safety. My boys will be TRAINED and SUPERVISED. I wouldn't have it any other way. Still I know accidents can happen, but if accidents happen at least it (hopefully!!) won't be from igonorance or complacency.

Another thing I find interesting is that my oldest son, who has his license for motorcycles and marine vehicles, could purchase and ride any size motorcycle we could afford. On the street too!!!

 

OZ,
we ASI instructors all come together and have workshops a few times a yr to discuss concerns and problems with the administered safety classes.These age/cc recommendations have allways been a concern of mine,I strongly feel that for the most part,they are inoppropiate and dis-allow the kids the chance to get training.ASI will probably NOT change their take on the age/cc recommendations because they are actually funded in part by the manufactures of ATVs,so if they dont follow the rules,they dont get the job.This is where MATVA comes in,we WILL train your 15 yr old if the instructor feels he/she fits the ATV.In the State of Michigan,ages 12 and up can ride legal State trailheads with whatever CC displacement ATV they want just so they have a training certificate and supervision,they just cant take an ASI safety class on anything larger than a 90cc ATV.

Before I became a ASI safety instructor [March of this yr]I purchased my 14yr old daughter a Honda Recon.I could NOT get her the ASI safety class because of the age/cc recommendations and the instructor had NO loaner ATVs for her size.

With all my ATV riding experience[since 1983],I KNOW I fit her on the correct size ATV for her size,ASI disagreed,so she did'nt get the training.

She really did'nt need to take the safety course because she had been trained by me previously,however,Michigan law requires that she take the safety course and show proof of it if stopped by law enforcement.She can do that now!

Bill

 

Oz,

As a follow up to Muddy4life’s comments on the ATV Safety course, I can confirm his assertion that any child equipped with any ATV that does not meet the CPSC guidelines will be refused admittance into the course.

Just before I took my daughter to the big Cochranton Poker Run in 1999, I tried to get her signed up for the ATV Safety course. Here in PA I was told the minimum age to take the course was 16. At the time my daughter was 13 and had been riding my 400 Bayou for 3 years already. I was astounded at the instructor’s refusal to accept her into the course. I rhetorically asked him how it would benefit those children under 16, who probably need the training most, to be denied entry into the course? He could only mumble something about various state/federal regulations.

Since I had taken the Motorcycle Safety Course a few years before, I simply applied what I learned there to ATVs and taught my daughter safe riding techniques myself.

Perhaps my original post did sound a bit pedantic. However, I have seen far too many punk-kids on ATVs doing incredibly stupid things. It has been only too obvious that Mom and Pop bought the kid a quad in lieu of a babysitter. There is a very definite reason that new rules, regulations, restrictions, and laws are being aimed at ATVers by state and local authorities, and by the Feds - in a word… irresponsibility.

The gross irresponsibility of some parents, who have used various mechanical toys as mechanical babysitters, has caused the current spate of regulations to come down on our heads. Here in PA a new law says ALL ATVs must be registered by October of this year. If by stressing responsible parenting, I could prevent even one less undisciplined brat from taking to the trails, then I would have helped the sport to survive.

How many young punks have bragged right here on this Forum that the cops will never catch them and their hotrod you-name-the-brand sport quad? As if the cops will never find out where they live or go to school and arrest them there?

Responsibility. If we as parents don’t exercise it, and don’t trouble ourselves to instill it in our children, then the nanny-state will step in and do it for everyone in a one-size-fits-all fashion that you’re sure to dislike.

Pedantic it may have been, but I stand fully behind my original post, which was directed at the wider Forum audience as a whole and not at you specifically.

I’m glad you found two suitable machines for your youngsters, and I wish you well in training them to be safe, and responsible, riders.

Army Man