The real problem in our sport isn't age restrictions or a parents right to decide what's best for thier youngster on thier own being rediculously legislated. It's the hall monitors that grew up to be evironmentalist wackos and OHV Rangers that create the issues/ legislation that lead to this constant round robin debate. There are too many people in this world that feel they have the right to impose thier will on others. I say will because so often what could be a conversation with a thought provokeing end turns into a battle for which bird gets to sit on the top wire. As for me, I am just like everybody else I suppose... in the end I would rather be the pooper than the pooped on.

So here it is... If its NOT your child, unless you have something contsructive to say coming from a place of genuine care for that child, take your Will and beat it.

If your CARING words are met with some rediculous reply just walk away. I don't want my kids growing up and having to deal with the fall out from that gene pool anyway...do you?

As for crack. I say smoke it freely and in large volumes. The sooner your reckless approach to life is gone and out of my way the safer I am.

 

i had my daughter riding an old school lt50 3 months before she turned 2 last year. if your kid can't handle it, then send them to one of those schools where they don't use a grading system and both teams win the soccer game. that'll help them make it in life.

 

Im a Off Road Director for one of the major ORV safety associations here in Michigan, and I detest ANY legislation that indicates when THEY think its OK for youth to ride.

I have a 25 yr old son who is now in law enforcement, and a 19yr old daughter that recently graduated from HS with a GPA of 3.940..........I started BOTH these kids out on ATVs at the age of 4 and NEITHER of them have EVER been into an accident...Not all kids have the same learning capacities and its up to the parents to understand this if/when they are thinking about allowing a younger youth to operate an ORV.I would never dream of not being able to ride with my kids at an early age because some idiot legislator [who has never rode an ATV] thinks its a bad idea.

Comparing youth drug use with irresponsable ORV parental guidance is not fair game IMO.

 

I have my son on a 1996 blaster that I got from a friend at a nice price, it's been well taken care of mainly for my 9 yr old son. I throttled it way down and started him out just in my side yard in circles. That was about 7 months ago now he can ride along with all the guys he's been on trails with myself and his uncle. Never out of sight of course. My point is that he was taught at an early age what to do and he also knows the reprocutions if he doesn't act responsilbly. We set ground rules and he respects them very well and I'm quite proud of the way that he carries himself while on the machine. I never really had any guidance until I started to get into MX quite a few yaers ago with a freind of mine and his dad taught me a lot about responsibility and how to act when you are on your machine, because it's just that a machine, not a toy. I think a lot of parents just get the kids a quad and let them, go and go back in the house and plop on the couch and wonder why little jimmy just crashed into the house or worse. Just my opinion. Thanks for listening.

Steve aka LumberDude

 

I've probably said this somewhere before but I moved from Chicago to a rural part of Indiana. We didn't get to do things like ride atv's in Chicago so when we moved out here we brought a 70cc with us to tool around on. It was a blast, but then the motor blew because it was used and abused but sold to us as new. Moving on...

I bought a Redcat 150 and my fiancee's brother got a Redcat 110. I am 5' 11" and 240 lbs. The 150 was underpowered for me but I rode it for experiences sake. My fiancee's brother is 13 yrs old, 6'2 and 180 lbs. He has been riding the 110 for just about a year now. Just befor fall of last year he was riding in the back yard and got teh darn thing to roll over his leg. His mom took him to the ER for x-rays. We found out he just bruised himself badly but when the doctor found out what happened from my future mother-in-law he started talking down to her, and telling her how irresponsible she was and what good parents do (no lie). The doctor was making her feel like crap and was about one step from crossing a line there was no way back from. I had to step in front of him and thank him for his candor and suggested that he refrained from any more accusations.

Bottom line is you don't want to be in the ER being grilled by a doctor about your kid's atv injury. It's an uncomfortable position to be in. Furthermore, should the boy have been on a 110 with his level of experience at the time? I can't say. The one thing we know is that it was the smallest thing he could fit on given his size and weight. By some logic you could argue that he shouldn't have been riding it with out any experience, from another view point you could say that the atv was still too small for him physically and he should have been riding something with a better suspension and motor to accomodate his features. I think by the time he was old enough to ride something bigger and more accomodating, the experience he would have lost by not riding the 110 would have been damaging.

Thank you and good night.

 

uh lets see 4 year hits the pipe and i'd say in about 1 minute they will be seezing and then going blue and your off to jail for child indangerment of charged with death of a minor not even funny and i for one aint hearing that stupid joke any ways back to kids riding if you want a 4 year old on a quad detune it down to a crawl and hang out and watch no big deal

 

1111 That made no sense at all. None.

 

AHHH Ok ?????????????? The Little 50 atvs could be slowed down to 5 mph thats the same speed if not slower hwn the power wheels so .....? I dont get it???????

 

i was just refering to who that indamuds comments about kids and crack pipes

 

1111 Gotcha makes since now.