Originally Posted by j_mauld

Do your parents ride with you? If not, you could take that route. Convince one or both of them to ride with you. It is safer to ride in a small group.

Originally Posted by Scooter86

When I was a young teenager many years ago, my passion was much like yours to get a three wheeler. Much like you, my parents were concerned about the safety issues. This was the mid '80s, and there was a lot to do about atv safety in the news. Over the course of about 18 months I managed to convince my parents to look into buying one. I was persistent in asking, but tried not to be annoying. As I was only 13 at the time, I couldn't really do much to earn money. However I used what money I did have to buy every dirtbike and atv mag I could. I peppered my walls with posters from said mags, and made it a point to let my parents see me constantly rereading those mags.

Ultimately, when my parents finally decided to start looking at machines, we ended up going with quads because they were "safer." The main factor that brought my folks on board though was the father/son time we were going to be able to share. My parents ended up getting two quads, and I rode with my dad all the time. We were able to use the machines for trail riding, snow plowing, hunting, etc.

My advice to you, start saving money to make your own purchase. Do your research and know what you want and why. Be committed to buying all the safety equipment necessary up front, even before purchasing a machine. Try to get one or more of your parents hooked on the idea of spending quality time with you. Take the atv safety course. Look for other uses for the machine besides recreation. Get your parents to ride along on some more rental trips. Be prepared to respect your parents wishes. ATVing will be around for a long time, and it is always something you can come back to.

Originally Posted by MooseHenden

Good point on the parent/child advice. I've been riding with my son since he was 13-14. He's 21 now and still rides with me. He'll be going out with me and a buddy, and his sons to Marysvale, Utah to ride the Paiute Trail in late August.

Originally Posted by CleanSweap

Can I get your point of view since you're a father , what would you expect your son to say when he asks you for an ATV and what made you say yes ?

Originally Posted by MooseHenden

Well, it was a mother and father decision. My wife knew that it would be something we could do together and liked it for that reason. We'd also seen him ride a friend's quad (Honda Recon 250) well and he did well on the first quad we bought back in 2004. He was 12 at the time and I had bought a Kawasaki Lakota 300 with the same kind of semi-automatic clutch that a Honda Recon has. We also went to an ATV safety course together and he showed good common sense in the questions he asked and his answers to the instructors.

We bought him the Polaris ATP 500 when he was 15 (Big kid) and around 180 lbs. and almost 6 ft. tall. He had shown he could handle the bigger machine and the 2wd Lakota did not hack it in the tough terrain here in New England (New Hampshire and Maine riding). He also started working to pay the money off on the machine bit by bit. We had him show that he was responsible. When he upgraded to the Renegade 500 he still owns my wife gave him a couple grand towards the new machine which he paid off quickly.

So, whatever you can glean from our decision making process to help in your situation, go for it. You sound reasonable and certainly come across as more mature than a lot of the younger folks who pose this question to the ATV community. And you speak and type pretty well too. I hope things work out for you. Every parent is at least a little different so there is no set in stone method of bending a parent's will your way.

God bless. -Moose

Originally Posted by Atv Galaxy

a fathers point of view..
my kids are well behaved, have good grades and don't get in much trouble. a few years ago i got tired of my son riding my ltr450 so I took him to the dealer and bought him a z400, then I piced up a long traver kit, elka suspenion, asv, houser, and a few lonestar parts for it. My son got good use out of the quad and I enjoyed him having fun out there.
As long as he maintained a good attitude and good grades I didn't have a problem spending a few bucks..

Originally Posted by Loki1699

I have 2 boys, 11 & almost 13, they wanted a mini bike but I just happened upon a brand new Chinese quad (110) so I got it. We all fell in love with riding, we got another one (110 also) and soon got me a TRX 400. We ride as a family at least once a week, its the best father/son time I could think of.

Originally Posted by CleanSweap

I
I have just one more request, since your the parent, could you give me a few arguments I could use in regards to the safety issues on ATV's ? I'm certain that the most important blank I should fill is the one of safety because my parents have already told me that's why they're stil not sure and that we're good financially wise !

-Regards !