did you know you can restrict throttle on the 450? yes you can, just turn in screw on handlebar by thumb throttle.
my 9 y/o CAN ride my 450 fine, but it's a weight and power concern. and it does get other kids saying, "aaawww, no fair, why can't I.." I guess that's a problem for the parents to deal with, like "Johnny, I don't trust you, you're too much of an orangatan". and then there's the whole bad publicity thing. I'd blame myself forever if something happened to my son while riding an oversize machine. why not a mid-size like a Breeze, or LT160? Lots lighter, and still lots of speed and power.

NL Warrior, not a former kitchen-partier, sorry, wish I was cuz I got many buds from the rock, and they're ALL great people. I always say, never met a Newf i didn't like (except that POS Shannon Murrin, but i never actually met him, just followed his murder trial. you guys should do society a favor and send him off into an ice-flow).

snappy, a friend of mine was in Q-city when he was the Mayor of a local Vancouver suburb. They tried to communicate they wanted fruit for breakfast, and they brought them french-fries (french for fries is "frit"). How stupid! they just didn't want to help. but I understand if ya make an effort to speak da lingo, they're a little more helpful. Hey, gotta love those Colorado Avalanche leaving Quebec City and winning the Stanley Cup the next year!! Man, I'd be bitter if theCanucks did that. well... bitter-sweet!

 

hahahaha thats awesome, I'm not surprised what so ever!! They probably did that on purpose!

 

Showing the skill to handle and having the intellect to handle are two very differnt swords. Thats all I was trying to point out. Kids definitly want to do what they see other kids doing. This thread has started an argument between my wife and me. I showed her this thread and she took it even further to asking me how I came to the conclusion that my 7+8 year olds were ready to ride 80's. She doesn.t see much difference between what we do and what the other parents mentioned in this thread. Of course she isn't exactly what you would call an ATV enthusiast either. I just wish there was a true test to when a child or even an adult is ready to ride any atv, and I am not talking about more regulations.

 

when i took the training class so i could get my atv license (since im under 16) there was a dad with a 7/8 year old ON A SPORTSMAN 500. the instructors actually let this kid take the class on the 500. the dads excuse was "its all i got". the kid could hardly control the thing his feet barely reached the footpegs. every bump he hit nearly bounced him off the seat. i thought this was just plain stupid. regardless of how skilled that kid might be (and he didnt look very much to me) that quad was simply too big for him. and it was the dads problem for lettin him ride it. these are the people that ruin the sport for us the people with total disrespect for the rules.

 

Oops, guess that's my fault [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] . I think an 80 is fine cuz it's DESIGNED for kids. you can limit speed and power. IF there is an accident, it's all relative to MASS and PHYSICS. They're on a lighter machine so they won't get as hurt as being on a Sportsman 500. Also, the ergonomics of how they sit in the seat, hold the handlebars etc.., is realtive. on the 80 they're in a seated posititon, on a 500 they're standing up, and I totally agree DC504, that when they hit any bump they are more prone to get bucked.

I think life is too short to worry about every conceivable way you can get hurt. It also completely destroys any chance at self-confidence cuz the first instinct you end up with from worrying all the time is, " I could get hurt", and then you almost sub-conciously find a way to do it. quadduck, get your wife on an atv. and show her this post.

the "true test" is your judgement as a parent, ability to recognize when they're ready for the next step, and rigid guidance. there is no hard and fast rule. sounds like you're already doing a great job.

 

Hey confused she has rode before and doesn't really care for it. If you can covince her to go I already have my eiger she could ride, but pigs would probably fly first. back to what I wrote earlier about some sort of test, your right, I was thinking more for those parents that aren't making wise decisons on thier own.

 

sounds like our friends to teh North have teh same issue we have in teh lower 48... inconsistant administration of many times non existing regulations. I think in many cases, and especially in the one you describe, these setbacks could be truned around.. but it takes time and involvement. Are you ready for that? Most are not. You need to go to the source and confront the people responsible. Not in a bad way, but at least let them know that there are two sides of the story. Obviously, some bad examples have led to the crack down... so it is important to let the leaders know that not all apples in the bag are bad... and that their actions are unfairly impacting the people who are acting in a responsible manner. If you can't take that step... then don't complain about being legislated out of existance.

Another person commented about setting up new trails, and having htem closed immediately. I have found that orgianised groups carry much more weight when trying to convince people to change the way the authorities are reacting. Joining or organizing a club, and then using the combined voice to negotiate "official" riding areas etc are the key here. One thing you absolutely must do is clean up the act of everyone involved. Acting in a responsible manner is what will get you results. Failure to do that will just result in more harrassment. Most importantly remember that change will not happen over night. It can take a single action by someone acting stupid to lose something, but it can take years to recover from it...

 

Oh I agree completely. The ATV clubs in my area are almost scared of the cops, and the rich yuppies that are the main implementers of these regulations. It does only take a few people to ruin it for everyone else, granted. Putting fines and registration costs up is definitly a means of a "quick cash grab" by our poor, twisted Nova Scotia government, and NOT a means of "Safety Enforcement". Money should be put into education and rider awareness about the actual rules, not into paying some excavation company $300 an hour to put one ton boulders into a path just because residents don't like the noise during thier Sunday dinner hour. It took the legislation 6 months to put rules into effect, and another month to start dishing out insane fines to the legit rider......... it will take years and years for the cops to actually regualte the "bad apples" out there that are ruining it.
I have had police admit that to me. I've been pulled over and harrased for 45 minutes on my bike just because I was parked at a gas station, just off a main "government regulated" trail. The cop admitted to me that it only takes a few bad kids to ruin it for everyone..... my thoughts are at this time "why the hell don't you get in your cop mobile and find these punks rather than spending 45 minutes harrasing ME when I havn't done anything wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!" The police also justify the stiff fines by saying "if you can afford a bike like that, you can afford the fines that we hand out! I think not, I pay for my bike monthly and there is no way I can afford anything but those monthy payments..... plus the damage I've done to the bike since I've gotten it.

 

The reason they don't go chasing after the bad guys is because in their eyes, everyone that rides is lumped into the same basket. Besides, you are a non threat to them... an easy mark. They know they can "catch" the legit riders... the ones that run from them and duck into the woods, will never get caught, but statistically speaking, the value of the fines and the number if citations justify their actions in the eyes of their superiors. I've seen this many times... and it isn't until the local business people start to feel the pinch economically when the riders no longer come around because of it, that they start complaining to local authorities and then something is done to call off the dogs.

All you have to do is show in terms of lost profits what they stand to lose... and you start getting their attention real quick... That usually relates to tax revenue, which provides for the salaries of the law enforcement in the first place....

It may be different up there in Canada.. but I doubt it....

 

yeah exactly..... but this also translates into where we are riding, which is very close to a new Golf Course bordered by a very wealthy new neighbourhood. These people pay a lot more tax and they feel that if they have to pay such high taxes, they should have a lot more control of what goes on in the area. Since their tax paying translates into cops salary.... the police feel that these wealthy people's complaints should be honoured before anyone elses. Recently, one of these new residents posted a complaint to the government saying 4 wheeling is out of control in the area. The funny part is ATV usage in the area is the same as it was 20 years ago and we are riding the exact same trails. This person has a picture of a bog in the area that we have to cross and naturally in the wet spring this bog is a mess. It dries up in the summer, then you wouldn't know there was a bog there. This picture "sparked" outrage in the environmental community.... in the mean time 1000 yads away form our trail, the entire forest is being mowed down by logging. This is just a hate on for ATVs