The Consent Decree was signed April 28th of 1988 and it was a 10 yr agreement,so actually,this agreement was over in 1998,not two yrs ago.The dealerships are still ''suppose''to follow the guidelines within this agreement today.

For the most part,these age/cc ''RECOMENDATIONS''are set forth to protect the MANUFACTURES own A$$es from lawsuits[remember the 3 wheeler days?].I disagree with KNOWSALOT,in most cases,kids aged 14-15 do not properly fit on an ATV with an engine size of only 90cc,the smaller the engine size,the smaller the ATV.Most of TODAYS kids are MUCH bigger than when the ATV 200 was built.Im a licensed ATV safety instructor and for the most part,I DO NOT support the manufactures age/cc recommendations.Its funny,the manufactures tell you [the parent]that if your 12-15yr old is ''too big''to properly fit on a 90cc ATV,than dont let him/her operate one till they reach the legal age of 16.ATVing is a ''FAMILY'' sport,and im NOT waiting for my kids to reach the age of 16 before we spend quality time together doing something we all enjoy.When your son/daughter reach 16,they have even more responsabilities/things in their lives that occupy their time like High school Football,Baseball,Basketball,Cheerleading ect.At 16,they may not have all the extra time to spend with their families?Im NOT waiting,instead,I'll make sure as a parent that I take the proper precautions and make sure my kids ride in a SAFE and RESPONSABLE way.I dont need some buracratic agency telling me what is best for MY sibblings,I'll make that decision.

In Michigan,we have NO engine CC requirements that we have to follow for ATVs,instead,ALL kids under 16 MUST posses a VALID ATV training certificate and be under visual supervision of an adult BEFORE they can operate their ATV.

Its time the CPSC and the manufactures set loose this age/cc recommendation.Its old and outdated material thats based on statistics from the 3 wheeler days.

Bill

 

actually, my trx90 fits me pretty good but i am short for my age, being 4'11[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] the 90 juss seems small on the trails. i really like the blaster anyway so thats what i'm gettin and i wanna learn how to work da clutch

 

The younger group tends to forget that the older group was once their age too. I'm 28 and respect the opinions of the "younger" crowd, however, as you get older you will see and understand MANY, MANY things that you didn't when you were younger. You will not understand where many of the "older" groups opinions and views until you yourself reach that time in your life. I look back at many things and say to myself "Gosh, was I really that stupid too?". The answer is usually "YES!" [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]. You'll understand that statement someday [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]. I'm not saying the "younger" crowd is stupid, I'm just saying you will understand what I'm saying at a later point in your life. Do be careful, and respectful of others, so you can reach that time.

 

well I don't see what the problem is these days. I'm only 16 and I ride a 400ex and I do all sorts of things with it. I love to jump with it and hill climbing is also fun. I've only had it for now 3 months and I can ride wheelies like I've been doing my whole life. I have to say that I have had accidents on my quad like flipping my quad over forward then it rolling over me and wheelies coming out from under from me and I've seen lots of people mess up for instance last night we were riding down this long road and me and my friend justin were riding wheelies together and he came up riding one beside me and there he went over and he hit the ground hard and rolled a good ways. well he rested for a few then got back on his 250ex and we did it some more. by the way wearing helmets and such is something we don't do and its probably not a good thing but you know what I don't give a f**k!!! later guys from NBR

 

red400ryder, I strongly suggest you wear a helmet. I use to be a dumba$$ like you, never wore a helmet and thought if I don't push myself too hard I won't wreck. That was not the case, I decided I would show off, and rode a wheelie down the street. I could usually do it no problem but I wasn't use to the twist throttle and started slipping back on the seat, and pulled more throttle. Then I flipped backwards, and to the side and my head slammed into the ground. Luckily I wasn't going very fast, but I still had one helluva headache for the rest of the day. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I could have hit ym head on a rock or something. Believe me, one day you'll wish you were wearing a helmet when you eat **** doing a wheelie or trying to clear a double that you have never done before.

 

Red400ryder is what gives us younger people a bad name. Not wear a helmet when you do jumps and wheelies is just plain stupid even if you are a pro one wrong move and your in a wooden box.
The age restrictions have to be the 2nd most @ssnine thing next to not wearing a helmet. When you have a small quad its not only about topspeed its about power that you will need to have fun with older freinds or family, and suspension when you go in the bumpy stuff it doesnt knock you arouind and some of it also is speed. If you were 15 would you want to go 30mph at tops.

 

The age restrictions are out of date. I think we still need to have some sort of guideline. I'm 15, 5'9" and about 190. Do you think I could fit on an LT80 or TRX90, no. What should be done is instead of age, height, or weight huidelines, the CPSC or whoever sets these regulations should have every rider who is under 16 take a training course on the quad they are interested in buying. I also think the parent should have the say in whether or not their child should be on something over 90cc. Personally, some kids can handle the bigger quads, while other less mature/capable kids can't. For instance, my friend had a Banshee, and he let his little brother who was 11 or 12 ride it to his nieghbors house. He wasn't allowed to go out of first gear, and when he got back he thinks he can handle it because he didn't flip the quad. Well, about 6 months before that, I let him ride my Mojave around ym small Mx track I built. He came around a burm, caught a rock and flipped it, while going 15 MPH. So what needs to be done is have every rider uunder 16 take a course, have them on the machine they intend to buy, and have an Instructor witht hem, watching what they do, and how they handle the quad through different terrain. The final decision would be made by the Instructor on whether or not the kid can handle the quad. I guess it would kind of be set up like getting your license.

 

I thought this post was about blaming young riders for being inconsiderate and such!? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Yea, it was, but this relates, doesn't it?[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Bill, The CPSC is supposed to have a new set of guidelines that are even stricter than the previous ones in the works I hear. I may be wrong but we were told that the new recommendation is no quad is to be ridden by persons under age 18 unless they are at least age 16 and have passed a CPSC regulated safety course BEFOREHAND. This information might be incorrect, but since you happen to be a safety instructor, I would like to hear what you have been told thus far of this situation.

Also, not to discredit you, but I find it hard to beleive that a safety instructor is against the current age restrictions based on the ammount of deaths occuring with "under age" kids having accidents on larger ATV's than what the recommendations call for.

Also, does your dealership follow the age restriction guidelines,..fully? We have NEVER sold an ATV to anyone under age 16 unless the machine was 90cc or below since the consent decree went into effect. And we don't play dumb when it's obvious someone is buying for someone other than himself. We simply turn down the sale.