More sound advice from the ATV instructor.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

and as always, more wonderful words of encouragement.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

Why not offer up some real advice, that we might be able to use. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

TY,
Justinsmom

 

 

My 6 year old daughter rides my 96 mph modded banshee with the throttle screw only half way in and does so well. The thing she likes the most about it is it has flames on the banshee and the hotwheels bike helmet we got with her hotwheels bmx bike does too!!
They gotta learn the clutch some time!!

 

KILLEREX,

Can your kid do wheelies too? In my younger days, I could only do wheelies on my motocross for a max of 200 ft. Too much drinking & smoking dope in my earleir days. With 2 back wheels, I'm sure your daugher can do wheelies for 400 feet. If kids know more then we were kids, I'm sure she could easily do 500+ ft wheelies. Let us know when she's mastered this...

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I don't know what neck of the woods you came from but 500+ foot wheelies are not long !We do them for miles one handed and no footed

 

ok.... On a 4x4, in Reverse, wheelie on the front wheels, against traffic, in the dark with your lights off and, while on "cheap" drugs. The expensive drugs just don't do it anymore. With this combination, 200 feet is my max limit. I guess we all have our limits... Thanks for making me laugh. I needed that tonight!!!!

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Excuse me,

Can someone remind me how to unsubscribe from a thread??

 

Trx440,

I'm sorry. You are right. We pounded this subject over and over again. I'm sure it's making everyone "see sick". Actually, I was hoping we could hit the 1,000 read mark with this one. Now that would be a record breaker! Perhaps next time???

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It all comes down to a matter of responsibility...

Is it responsible for the safety counicil to turn an 8 year old with an 80 cc Mini machine away because he does not meet the guidelines?

Is it Irresponsible for putting him on an 80 because the 50's would not pull his weight up an incline safely?

I think the answer might be obvious in both questions. I don't advocate putting a child on a throttled Banshee ( I pray you were joking), but a slightly larger CC mini should not be such a big deal. What is a big deal is that he needs the course but can't take it because according to the guidelines, his parent acted irresponsibly. That has been my beef all along with this thread. Also, I don't see much difference if a child shows up with a 50 that has been modified to increase power to the point where he runs circles around the stock 80... technically, he is legal, mine is not.

No, I don't think my decision was irresponsible.... in fact I thought very long and hard about it before deciding to go with the 80, feeling that I would rather he make it to t the top of the hill, and not put himself at risk of sliding down backwards if he didn't.

Again, understand I do not advocate putting hm on a full sized quad of any size either. He isn't ready for it. I doubt any 8 year old really is...but there are a lot of 12 to 15 year olds that are.. and if they can demonstrate the ability to the satisfaction of a professional safety instructor and EARN a certificate of competency, then they should be allowed to ride one, as it shows a certain amount of acceptance of responsibility. the responibility here would be on the parent's decision as to how large a machine they feel he can handle.. again I don't advocate a raptor 660 or Banshee... but a blaster, or a 300 honda would be a very nice stepping stone.

Will they act out? Probably.. but with the proper instruction, they may at least think twice about it Plus, it would give local authorities a corrective action to take if they were to pull the certification for a couple of months and require attendence of a safety refresher again... It is quite the motivator to a 16 year old who loses his driver's license.. so it may have some merit here as well. To provide consistant application, this would require a national program.

Would I like it ... no.. I hate regulation and restrictive laws as much as the next guy.. but do I think it may make for a safer environment and sport? Yes I do!

And I think basic safety gear should be mandatory too... Helmets and eye protection should be mandatory. As well as boots over the ankle. No tennis shoes.... I'd recommend chest protectors, jerseys, mx pants, gloves, neck roll too... but not make them mandatory.

In any sport your kid plays, there will be mandatory gear... shoes, perhaps shin guards for soccer, helmets for baseball when batting, all the way up to some pretty heavy duty pads for football and hockey.. so you see, making it mandatory to wear a helmet and eye protection should not be too out of line.

The bottom line is that the world has changed since I was a kid. Although I would like my child to experience the same freedoms and care free experiences I had when I was a kid, the reality for many in the new urban society is that it just isn't going to happen any more...He has to grow up in a vastly different world than the one I did... one filled with rules and regulations of a modern society. Welcome to progress...

 

I think anybody needs to understand ATV's and what they can and can't do before they ride. Safety courses are a must. You just need to get familar with them. Parents shouldn't be out there buying there kids just any ATV if they themselves have never ridden and are not familar with them. These things can be dangerous for any age person. If parents don't understand what can happen if they put there kids on ATV's that are to big (physically and power wise), the results can be tragic. I'm sure we've all seem and herd stories. Those parents that let there kids ride ATV's that are obviously to big, should be held accountable for their actions, do not blame the manufacturers or anybody else. IT'S THERE RESPONSIBILITY.

My kids are 6, 7, and 9. I bought them a Suzuki LT80. It is a pretty small (physical size wise) ATV. Just about right for my 6 y/o and almost to small for my 9 y/o. Power wise, it is to big for my 6 and 7 y/o. The throttle limiter fixes that problem. They have no problem controlling that thing with the throttle turned down. I would be irresponsible to leave it turned up and hope they would figure it out. But I also wouldn't think about putting them on anything bigger, that would be irresponsible.

I guess the botom line is parents need to understand what can happen by placing there kids on ATV's that are to big for them. To do that, they need to be experienced riders and understand how to ride and what it takes to handle these machines. They also need to hold themselves accountable when something happens due to their actions, not anybody else. They can't say there are not enough warning label, they are all over..