[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]I have two boys; one 14 (5'7" 130#) and one 9 (4'9" 90#). I am looking for utility ATVs for them. For the older one I've looked at Beartrackers, Recons, and Bayou 220s. I notice they all have decals on them saying you must be 16 to ride. Is this law or advice? If it is only advice, what do you guys think? Too much four wheeler for a 14 year old? Also, they are all within a few hundred dollars of each other, which do you recommend? For the younger one, I've looked at the Honda Sportrax 90, Yamaha Badger and the Polaris Sportsman 90. They all have the "Must be 12" sticker on it... same questions as before.

Thanks in advance for helping out someone who is clueless on this subject.

 

you really don't have to be 16 because i was 14 when i bought my bear tracker.... i like it alot had almost for a year now and had no problems. it a good trail rider.. if you want a used one i'm tring to sell mine because i'm 15 now and a 4x4 where me and my friends go....but don't get me wrong the bear tracker is a good trail machine just that where we go we go in deep mud and water. if you would like to buy mine just e-mail me at www.carmanluke@aol.com it is a 2001 model boughtnew in 2000........also they just recommend you being 16 or 12 it's not the law..... also what are you buy the atv's for (trail riding) or other stuff

 

The age limitation stickers on the quads were promulgated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (a group of leftist/Marxist bureaucratic busybodies who believe they know better how to run your life than you do).

The CPSC guidelines are just that… only guidelines. They do not have the force of law, even though most dealers seem to treat them as if they do. When I was shopping for a mini-quad for my son, I had several dealers tell me they would not/could not sell me a mini-quad if my son did not meet the age “requirement”. I thanked them politely and simply changed my strategy. From that point on, I told every dealer I visited that I was buying it for myself to use for transportation around the farm because I had bad knees that prevented me from walking very far.

Let me tell you of my experience with kids and quads.

Six years ago when I bought my first quad, a ’96 Kawasaki Bayou 400 4x4, I put my then 10-year old daughter on it right away (she was 5’6” and 110 lbs). She had some trouble with the steering due to the weight, but other than that it posed no real difficulty for her. After three years of practice and drill, my daughter was doing very well on my Bayou 400. But it was obvious that, due to the added up front weight of the X1-F Superwinch and mount, the heavy steering on the 400 was taking its toll on her physical stamina during long training sessions. I knew that if she was going to continue to ride, and not become discouraged by the amount of effort required to ride, I would have to acquire a quad with lighter steering.

In July of ’98 I picked up a used ’91 Kawasaki Bayou 300 4x4 for my daughter to ride.
The steering on the air-cooled, winchless Bayou 300 proved to be significantly lighter than that of my liquid-cooled, winch-equipped Bayou 400. My daughter was all smiles as the lessons again began in earnest. She had all of the basic riding techniques down pat, and she had a good grasp on many of the advanced riding techniques. I now concentrated on building up her stamina for long rides. For the next 8 months right through the Winter of ’98 we practiced whenever we could.

In April of ’99 my daughter (who was then 13) and I and the Eclectic ATVers, a select group that included Tree Farmer, headed to Cochranton, PA for the World’s biggest OHV run. The AHPA Poker Run draws riders from all parts of the United States. That April there were over 6,000 riders queued up to ride three different trails. The Eclectic ATVers rode Trail B.

Mostly because of traffic tie-ups, it took all day to ride the 35 tough, muddy miles of Trail B. At one point the trail descended into a broad, steep-sided gully with a small stream at the bottom. The trail followed the stream to the far end of the gully, and then exited the gully up two small hills that were not as steep as the rest of the gully. But blocking the exit was a guy on a 2WD Warrior who couldn’t get enough traction to make the first hill. We waited and waited as the Warrior rider tried the hill again and again, only to fail on each attempt. Doug B. ran out of patience, turned his Bayou 300 4x4 to the left and made a run up the very steep side of the gully. Julia followed on her Bayou 300, and I followed on my Bayou 400. None of the other Eclectic ATVers, or any other riders, attempted the steep side of the gully. I finally used my towrope to pull the Warrior out of the gully and allow the rest of the riders to proceed.

In April of 2000 my daughter (who was then 14) and I again rode with Tree Farmer at the 2nd Annual Quads-On-The-Rocks ride at Tasker’s Gap in Virginia (see the feature article of 8-15-99 for details of the 1st QOTR ride). QOTR II was followed the next day by the Little Fort Trail Ride, also held at Tasker’s Gap. Both days we rode about 33 miles over some of the roughest, rockiest terrain you can possibly imagine. We also made a pass up Tasker’s Run, the rockiest place on the whole mountain (and a place that during QOTR I former trials bike champion Gordon Banks referred to as “pretty challenging”). I managed to make it up Tasker’s Run without getting stuck. My daughter got stuck four times (this is no reflection on her – I got stuck three times on my first trip up Tasker’s Run behind Gordon Banks during QOTR I – it is difficult piece of technical riding). But each time she was able to get unstuck by backing up and taking a slightly different line.

This past May when my daughter was 15, we journeyed to Salamanca, New York for the Allegheny Indian Reservation Volunteer Fire Department’s annual Dice Run, another very tough piece of riding. My daughter has successfully ridden some of the toughest terrain there is, and has done so in an exemplary fashion. Many adult riders have praised her skills and her riding style.

Also in May of this year I bought my 5-year old son (he is 3’11” and 43 lbs) a Polaris Sportsman 90 mini-quad. For the past seven weeks my son has been drilled extensively on the basics of riding. I initially concentrated on teaching my son throttle control and braking. With a long tether attached to the kill switch, I would stand beside him in the yard and have him accelerate for about 25 feet and then brake to stop. We spent about a week making start-stop circuits of the yard. On uphill sections my son learned to give the SP90 more throttle to get going, and on downhill sections he learned to give it just a little throttle to get going.

After the first week, I began having him attempt complete circuits of the yard while I ran beside him. At first he would slow or stop on difficult sections, but after a few days he was successful in maintaining a nearly fixed speed while looping about the yard.

In seven weeks my son has progressed from start-stop circuits of the yard to woods rides that include hills, rocks, mud, water crossings, and log jumping, with a one-day record of 15 miles. But every foot of that 15 miles consisted of many 50 to 100 foot sections that had been previously practiced piecemeal over, and over, and over until I was satisfied that he could successfully negotiate them. And that I was satisfied that he knew why he had to do certain things in order to successfully negotiate them.

I have spent endless hours training my daughter to be the very accomplished rider she now is, and my son is being trained in the same fashion. My training style can best be described as “military-style drill”. My children have practiced things repeatedly. They have practiced them until they can do them reflexively. And then I had them practice them some more.

Did you ever wonder why so many teens and young “adults” (18 to 22) seem to commit a disproportionate number of obviously stupid acts? Lack of experience is certainly a factor, but more importantly recent medical investigative studies have shown that the frontal lobes of the brains of teens and young adults are still growing during those years. These studies have shown that this incomplete cerebral development is directly associated with the individual’s ability to adequately assess risk.

Risk assessment is something mature adults take for granted. And it is something that allows them to instinctively avoid high risk situations. Neither my kids, nor your kids, are yet fully capable of accurate risk assessment. It is our job as parents to ensure that they receive the appropriate theoretical and empirical training to develop that ability.

I would sincerely hope that you had planned on doing more than just showing your kids where the throttle, brake, and shift levers are, and then invite them to ride along after you. As much as I disagree with them, the reason the CPSC guidelines exist is because there were a large number of parents who abdicated their parental responsibility and allowed their children to operate today’s mechanized “toys” without training or supervision.

In fact the primary reason for this long-winded screed is to encourage you, and every parent whose child wants to use machinery that requires adult judgement to operate, to give your child the serious training that their ultimate safety depends on. It can only benefit them and the sport in the long run.

If your financial situation will permit it, I would suggest that you get a 300-class 4x4 for your 14-year old and a 250-class 4x2 for your 9-year old. Then train them and drill them under your direct supervision for the next several years. And keep in mind that speed is the last thing they need to learn. Only responsible parenting will ever put an end to the odious CPSC guidelines.

I have had good luck with both of my Kawasakis and I would not hesitate to recommend the Bayou 220 for your 9-year old, and Bayou 300 4x4 for your 14-year old. Good luck with whatever you select.

Army Man

 

Thanks for the feedback. I have no intention of either of them riding without proper training and supervision regardless of any stickers the government may feel they need to apply to the machines. I will be as meticulous in their training as I am being in selecting the proper machine for them.

 

I would suggest the Recon for the 14 year old, and the Honda 90 for the 9 year old. I take lots of beginner kids (and adults) riding, and the Recon is everyones hands down favorite!

 

Short of automobile, I have seen nothing that serves as a better test of a kid's maturity and discipline than riding an ATV. I cannot count the number of child-related accidents I have come across since the first three-wheelers hit the market many years ago. While many might view 16-year-old rule as being there to match the size of the kid to the proper size ATV, I see it more as way to help ensure mental maturity. Still, in today's world of two income families, there are those who see the purchase of an ATV as some kind of payback for more time not having been spent together. Then to make matters worse, they simply provide the child with almost free access to ride when and where they wish with no supervision. Spend time in these forums and you will begin to get the picture as kids discuss finding new areas along powerlines, pipelines and other such places where they ride without permission or adult supervision.

Little wonder so many of them will end up in an emergency room or some place even worse.

 

Those are some of the very reasons that we are moving judiciously. We are very involved in our boys development. We will NOT, under any circumstance, allow either to ride unsupervised. I have also been checking out local training resources, I am not sure that a quick talk by the salesman, a video, and a helmet are enough. We constantly stress decision making to both our boys, but I can only offer them very generic advise on this topic (i.e., always wear your helmet, don't take a passenger, don't ride on unfamiliar grounds, never take risks, don't ride on paved or gravel roads or trails, ...). All of which are things I will be able to control since I'll be with them... I would just like for them to learn the proper riding techniques, not only for safety, but for enjoyment as well.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

Well, my dad got me my 1997 Recon when I was 14 and I had NO TROUBLE. In fact, in a year, I got a 300ex, cuz the Recon got quite easy (and the TRX125 broke!). They ARE IN FACT JUST ADVICE but some stores will not sell if it will be ridden by people under 16. But there was a 3 page discussion on this earlier, and the silliness of this advice is obvious! The Recon will be a FANTASTIC first quad for a 14 year old. It is the best quad of its class, and will work just fine!

I'm unfamiliar with smaller ATVs...so I won't suggest anything there.

 

Polaris makes a 90 Ute, but I don't know how "Ute" it really is. It looks just like the big one, but I don't know what's underneath it. I bought the Scrambler 90 for my daughter (she's 6) and she loves it so far.

I am so glad to see other parents on this board who are as committed to their children's safety as I am.

On a very sad note, I was talking to my mom the other day who went to visit her brother in a different state, and she told me a very sad story. Apparently a friend of her brother's was out riding his quad with the friend's little 3 yr old riding on it with him, and somehow rolled the quad, crushing the little one in the process. The 3 yr old died days later from the injuries, while the adult was OK. I get sick to my stomach every time I ride and see adults riding doubles with their little kids - WITHOUT helmets, or at EXCESSIVE SPEEDS. I saw a guy riding with a baby that couldn't have been more than a year old in front of him, with no helmet and no pad on the crossbar. Made me sick.

So, needless to say, I am very glad to see this thread, and to know that most of us value riding smart and safe, especially when it comes to our little ones!

 

Two months ago I bought a Polaris Sportsman 90 “mini-ute” for my 5-year old son. Under the plastic, the Polaris Scrambler 90 and Polaris Sportsman 90 are absolutely identical. The only exception is the larger rear tires on SP90.

While the cargo racks on the SP90 appear to be only decorative, and while for product liability reasons Polaris has set the carrying capacity at 10 pounds front and 20 pounds rear, in reality the racks are fairly substantial.

As a test of the SP90’s ability, I have had my son carry my cased Craftsman 16-inch chainsaw on the rear rack. The cased chainsaw probably weighs around 20 pounds, which is right at the “official” carrying-capacity limit. The 20 or so pounds on the rear rack did not alter the handling characteristics of the SP90 or pose any problems for my son while riding. The SP90 could probably carry 30 or 40 pounds on the rear rack before the handling started to suffer.

I also fabricated a trailer hitch for the SP90 from an 8-inch gate bracket, a 6-inch gate bracket, a 2-1/2-inch exhaust-pipe clamp, and a 3/8-inch hitch pin. In the course of doing some yard work, I removed several large spiria and barberry bushes from my property. When pulled from the ground by my F150 pickup, each bush weighed about 25 or 30 pounds. My son used his wagon trailer pulled behind the SP90 to haul the bushes about a half mile into the woods behind the house. The SP90 had no difficulty pulling a 40 or 50 pound load.

Since I own two full-size utility quads, a mini-ute was an obvious choice for my son. What kid doesn’t want the same thing Dad has? I chose the SP90 for a number of things it did have that other minis did not, and for one thing it didn’t. It didn’t have the sport-quad look. It didn’t look like a Banshee or a Raptor. It didn’t look like its sole purpose was to go as fast as possible. Even the illusion of speed was not a perception I wished to convey to my son. In my view, it was far better to have him think of the mini-quad as just another workhorse. There will be plenty of time for speed later when his judgement has matured beyond where it is now.

The SP90 performs quite capably in its role as a mini-ute, surprising even me with how well it can handle small jobs around the house or barn. To my mind this extra measure of utility is worth many times the mere $100 MSRP premium over the Scrambler 90. Anyone who is interested to see my homebrew trailer hitch, or to see the SP90 doing yard, can email me under separate cover for pictures.

Army Man