hey whodat...not trying to change mind or anything...just speaking my peace....my son is always in my sight....there is no riding when im not there.....always geared up (mx from top to bottom)...he started with me sitting infront holding on to handle bars and boots up against fenders...did that for about a year...got to the point buddies having a hard time keeping up on the trails...we even started jumping(small ones now)...then something strange happened....when dad and the buds were going riding on sat or sun...he started wanting to stay home with mom....thats when i knew he was bored with it and then i got him a guttless 50cc.....stayed on it for a year...got a lot of good experience....then about 3 weeks ago at the local kids track i sat him on a fellow racers raptor 80...looked good...so on mlk day bought him the 90 pred....doing very well on it i might add...well thats my story and i agree it only takes once....but as far as "its just around the yard"....that aint happening here....thanks for the input

 

I don't think the majority of guys here are going to yell too loud at ya... I see that you did start him on a 50, and got a year of riding under his belt.

Kind of scary there when you talked about riding with him on your quad with you.. but I'll leave that alone... he survived.

The point is that you pay a lot of attention to him, you started him off slow, and legal.. and now YOU feel he is ready for a little more power. We can't judge that here, you know your son the best. Not sure what state you live in, or what the local regs look like.. so what is illegal here, may be OK there.

Ol' Whodat couldn't help himself.. he has puppies on his brain.... but listen to what he says... he is a professional at this, while most of us are not, and has seen and experienced much more than most of us put together. We may not always agree with his politics, but he does have child safety tatoo'ed on his chest... and that makes him OK in my book.

I want to caution you though on one thing. When upgrading machines, do it for the right reasons. Like he outgrew it for one... and I don't mean just because he is bored with it. That is a wrong reason. I for one have to believe he could have gotten by on the 50 for at least 3 to 4 more years. As a parent, we want to believe they can handle it.. but physical ability is only half the answer. Emotionally capable of making rational decisions under emergency conditions is even more important than being able to hang on and get some air. You can be right beside him, even talking into his ear with the radio, but if he meets someone on the trail coming the other way and panics, or his throttle sticks, it is your son that has to make that decision to save his life.

Statistically speaking kids that young are not equipped to do that. Adding speed with a larger machine only makes things worse, and lessens his chances of survival or keeping from injury. Think about it long and hard please. We don't promise our kids that they are going to have a faster machine than his buddies. At that age, it shouldn't be important, unless he is getting that idea from somewhere close to him (DAD). Teach him well, and to act responsibly... then when he is 11 or 12, start letting him find his limits... Time to be a parent, not a friend.... do the right thing Dad... Your job is to see him grow to an age where he can act responsibly on his own.

As for the racing deal.... I have to wonder if it would be more fun to go for a ride with his dad on the trails somewhere, just you and him playing follow the leader through the trees, or you standing on the sidelines watching him perform? You might ask him some time.

 

hey d-butt...many good points and lots of food for thought....im down on the gulf coast in alabama...our regs down here are pretty non-existant...as long as you arent driving on city or paved roads your okay... i listen to some of you guys and the stickers, ins., tickets, etc...we dont have any of that...the most the cops will do around here is tell you to move your truck and trailer a little further away from the road...as far as private property...we just dont go where its posted...simple... as far as why the upgrade ...other than i felt it was time...i really like the 90 pred...the 50cc was going to start to cost me money i would rather spend on a new one.....i had a buyer for the 50...i got the pred for $1984 out the door for the 05 model....the pred like all models has a governer....and gods gift reverse....and did i mention i really like the little pred...many mods to choose from and oh yeah...billy at wrh racing is about 15mins from me...figured it was a sound decision.. as far as racing and trails....we do 90% trails and 10% track...i may have miss lead you on the racing...he just does laps...not organized racing....although he does great around it i know he isnt ready for competition riding....that one really scares me...i may never let him...who knows..thanks for the input!

 

Like I said before, it looks like you are very involved and on top of things.. and you are the best judge on your child... I would however suggest sticking to areas where two way traffic will be kept to a minmum for a while. No matter how good a child is, they are usually oblivious to what is going on around them, or prone to panic... anything you can do to increase his magin of safety is a good thing.... Make sure you practice emergency procedures with him as well. Things like taking hand off throttle when in trouble, knowing how to hit the kill switch, proper way to pull over when meeting or being passed by another rider etc... Things that can make his experience a more enjoyable one.

Just understand that there are some on these lists that would question the call... as long as you can live with the possibilities, I say go for it... Don't be too defensive though, as I think we all have the kid's best interest in mind... and are on the same side... Sometimes it is good to hear other opinions.. it helps with making decisions down the road.