Until two years ago i felt the same as most of you on here. But then someone said something that hit me like a ton of bricks and i would like to share it with you guys. Two years ago my family and i were at a race, my sons race the 90 class and there was a awful accident in aother class and a young man lost his life. The next day their was a service held at the track for this young man, and in short the pastor talk about we all have a appointment and no matter were we are or what we are doing we will not miss that appointment. I am not a religious person by no means, but what he said that day made sense out of something that I could not make sense of myself.

 

Who dat.. your propensity for quoting "LAWs" is misleading. What may be law in one state, may not be valid in another. I think a lot of people would appreciate it if you would preface your comments with "In Minnesota". A quick check of Wisconsin's interpretation shows many differences to MN. Also, in some states like Virginia, there is no "age limitation law" in effect, however many riding areas do try to be in line with the guidelines.

I have yet to have someone tell me the difference between putting my 8 year old on a Yamaha 50 and a Yamaha 80 with the throttle stop applied and having him keep it in first gear? The chassis are the same, and if I can kep the speed down to just about a good walking pace, and I have installed a tether system off of a personal watercraft so I can kill the motor.. what is gained?

I know you are passionate about kids and quads... we all are... but like belly buttons, we all have opinions too.. and who is to say which one is right?

I like Spike's idea about how to's for lights, better stability by making them a little wider etc. As a dad looking for options to make the adventure even more safe, I think it makes a world of sense, and I too think there is too much emphasis placed on cc/age by the safety council. If it is such an issue, why don't they lobby the manufacturers to provide them with a couple of 50cc machines to use for training purposes when they need them rather than turn a kid away, who really needs the training. You leave it up to the parent, and that may not be a good idea if they teach bad habits.

Also, I think the Manufaturers might find they might sell more machines that way... if I have my kid riding a yamaha provided free in the course, chances are I just might look at getting him a Yamaha.

Lastly, I advocate everyone, no matter how many years they have ridden..but especially those just starting out, take the safety course.. and I know I'll catch heck for this, but I think everyone should have to be certified PRIOR to riding one... independent of age. We make everyone take a hunter's safety course.. why not this? If combined with the free mini quads being provided for kids, I think you would have a lot of kids taking the course and the effect would be for parents to SEE if the kid is ready or not before they spend the money for the quad.

This would also give the dealers the option of suggesting this to parents prior to commitment to a major purchase. I don't know about you, but if this had been an option, I probably would not have relied on the purchase being based on emotion and my wanting the kid to learn... I'd have seen right away that my son may not have been ready or not....once you pays your money, many feel committed to making it work, even when the kid is not able to handle it..

 

 

Spike, I agree with what you say 99% of the time and I really do value your opinion so I hope you don't take this wrong. BUT, the day they mandate a license for atvs is the day I trade mine in for dirt bikes. Which by the way, my state's department of public safety already tried to regulate and lost in court in because the judge decided the DPS had no jurisdiction on vehicles not made for public highway use. I've been wondering why nobody has tried to sue on behalf of the atvs. I also wonder if that's why they worded our current atv laws to apply to state owned land only.

Also, how would you regulate person to person sales of used atvs?

 

Not sure where you are raptorlegs, but in many areas of the country, just about theonly place you can ride is either public land or if supported by government funds, they have to follow the government mandarted guideline for that state. Out east there are few privately owned and supported areas open to the public.

I hate the idea just as much as you do concerning the license deal, but I am also realistic. It would provide a proactive versus reactive means to ensure everyone meets a certain level of competency....

I also agree with spike that making htem take a course before they make a purchase would have some drawbacks. I don't know what the answer is... my focus was on the under 12 crowd... I guess my idea wasn't fully thought through... but still it would have been nice to put him on something so I could have seen what his skill and fear level was going to be prior to spending that 2 grand. I also think that the manufacturers could help out in teh pee wee area with some basic 50 machines available to the guys like you to use for doing the teaching etc. I know in a few years I will have a mini with few miles on it that I would consider donating for just this reason... Or at least make it available to teh local dealer so he can have kids ride it around without depleating his stock... Heck, I'd even like to find out how to become a certified instructor and offer to do it myself... just handle kids on minis.

 

 

OK Spike, make that 98% of the time! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]


Dragginbutt, I am not in a heavily populated area. The highway patrol and occasional sheriff are the only ones that go anywhere near where I ride because it's about 25 miles from the nearest town. Desolate area to say the least. They leave us alone if we stay off the highway and don't mess with the oilfield equipment. If you add both sides of that highway, I'm guessing 4-5 square miles of sand dunes between fences. Not really a large area, but lots of fun. Seldom crowded and always unregulated. I'd like to keep it that way.

 

 

Forget the laws - forget the certificates? Maybe we should smoke dope and drive the wrong way down the freeway. Hey - somebody will encourage that behavior too. It makes for good entertainment.

Approach control this is Boeing 747 228W - were going to do a loop before we land and come around the back side for a high speed pass..... the heck with rules - were having fun!

Its starting to sound like someones moron chip is off-line.

 

Yeah let's go marry the same sex and boot God out of our schools.

Must be OK since somebody passed a law. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]