OK parents, here is something to get your teeth into. What do you look for in gauging your childs mental state to see if they are ready to ride, able to make good decisions, whether they are concentrating on their riding etc.... Let's fill in the blanks on this one....

 

If my boy doesn't wash off his bike after riding or show concern ,at least when no water is present. No ride til he figures it out by himself and shows it done without prompting. Same for pre-ride check, safety and maintenance. His gear may be missing a piece every once in awhile, just to see if he'll go on without it. BUT, I race too, cars not bikes. fast cars and he see's this and has since before he even knew what it was. Before he ever rode he had to call it an engine, not motor. motors are electric. He is 4 now, if at a rest, on his bike, he sets the helmet on his knee holding the strap, it goes on correctly in one move as the throttle as starter are reached for. However, last friday 6:15 am, him-kitchen table-spoon in one hand my nitrous jets in the other line off of nozzle and 200 extra HP going in before i got up. maybe if he got them both changed ,Ok. not just the N02 and no extra fuel. he did Not know this, he admitted.

 

My kids are all grown up now, my son is 27 and my girl is 21.

There is more to riding than just hoping on an ATV with riding gear. I started out my son on the 6 volt electric GI Joe car when he was about 2 years old. I also use to take him WITH me on my ATV right around the same age. He use to ride as a passenger on my roadbike too. He developed the same passion that I have for ATVs.

For starters, when he was 4=5 years old, I bought a used LT 50cc ATV for him. He KNEW that riding gear was a MUST before the ATV could even be started.Next, I set a series of cones out in my back yard. Gone thru all the controls with my kid. When I said ''brakes'' he had to squeeze the brakes for me. When I said ''turn left'', he had to turn his handlebars left for me ect ect ect.All this, while just ''sitting'' on his quad.

Once he had the controls down pat, I PUSHED him [with the engine OFF] and told him when to brake/turn ect. Once he had all this stuff down pat, it was time to put him on the obstacle course I had built for him with cones. We started the engine and he was READY to show daddy his stuff. With the throttle limiter set, we did all the above and more. We had certain hand signals he had to abide by when we were training together in the back yard.

Once I felt he mastered the above, he was ready to hit a small area of trails with me. When he was 6 years old, he entered his first race and won his class. The rest is HISTORY.

My son Rocky had a very distinct advantage over most kids because ATVing was not only in his daddys blood, but also all of his other uncles too. A passion of all our family.

 

I hope to get my great niece on a "real" quad next year. She's had 2 power wheels. What I've watched for, is her awareness. First one she got, all she knew was "go" and that was it. A wall, bush or whatever was in her path were the brakes. Fortunately, it didn't go fast enough to cause any harm. Then we got her a bigger one. Two speeds and reverse. At first, it was the same as before, go till it stops, then look at me to move it. Then she started to figure out how the steering actually worked. Then she figured out what reverse was. Last time out camping, she really impressed me with the way she recognized when to slow down, turn, stop and back up. To me, those are the skills that need to be shown before you put them on anything with a motor.

As far as gear goes, I don't think I'm gonna have much of a problem. She already has it, and she just likes to wear it.

Hopefully, my biggest fears will never be know to her. The last thing I want her to be is afraid of the machine. But at the same time, trying to teach her not to be fearless.

 

Well my son is now 9 and he was diagnosed with autism three years ago. Although his autism is "high functioning"(Asperger's Disorder), he handles his Honda TRX 90 like it's a part of him. He refuses to learn to ride a bicycle however.

I weighed the decision to buy him his atv for quite some time and was skeptical about buying it when the boy could barely pedal a tricycle! But I went ahead and purchased the 90 back in 05 and took all the necessary precautions a parent should do before turning him loose.

He "putted" around here on my 2 acres in 2nd gear for a week before he read the manual and started shifting the thing by himself. He now drives it like he's been on it for years. That's provided I can even get him on it now!

I took a chance on him because of his disorder. But I am glad I did. For all I know, he may be one of the next great atv racers of tomorrow. He amazes me and my girlfriend, who was dead set against me buying him an atv.

Just wish he was more enthused about riding it.

 

Ddrumman...thanks for sharing your story. I'm new to the site (and to ATVs). I admire your willingness to take a chance and let your son ride. I am in a similar situation regarding my 9 y/o son. He isn't autistic but does have a blood disorder (hemophilia). We're fortunate in that he's never had any "major" bleeds but still have a tinge of doubt when it comes to putting him on anything with wheels (and a motor)! He plays soccer and basketball without any problems.

In any case, I think I have his Mom convinced he'd be O.K. to ride an ATV (fully protected of course). He's had a Powerwheels ATV when he was younger and is very cautious. My decision will be to either find a used Honda, Yamaha etc or take a chance on a Chinese bike. I realize there is give & take with both purchases but hate to spend a couple of grand on a machine just for it to sit in the garage. I'm considering purchasing a Chinese bike for myself so I can ride with him but have to admit, all of my dirtbikes were Honda CRs or XRs! I don't mind wrenching if it's my own but hate the thought of having him sit around while I "work" on it.

I was wondering if you would mind telling me what I could expect to pay for an '06 TRX 90? Also, any problems with it tipping over or anything? Blessings to you and your family!

 

I have no idea what a used 06 TRX 90 would cost but I do know that it will hold it's resale value when the time comes to sell it.

He rides behind me on trails that are on my girlfriend's place as well as she rides hers. There are 230 acres there that range from open, rolling grassy hills to old farm roads through the woods.

As far as any problems with the machine, other than being cold natured, the battery has run down a few times due to lack of riding.

I have no doubt that I could easily sell his atv, if I had to as of this moment, and get 2 grand for it. It's clean, runs great and has less than 100 hours on it. Even though this machine lacks a reverse, it took just one time for him to get into a situation to where he had to get off and push it. This is quite a chore because he lacks upper body strength which is common in AS kids.

The atv is stable as long as it's not pushed beyond it's limits. He has never got into a situation like that and I taught him from the start that he must "respect" the atv for what it is and can do, just like he respects me, my g/f and all grown-ups.
As soon as anyone loses respect for whatever they drive....it will get them!

 

Be very aware of their attention span, and don't be afraid to have them do something else for while. Little kids can't concetrate for long periods, So it is normal As for losing interest altogether, that is another sign of boredom. They need constant change and stimulus. Don't sweat it. I bought my youngest his first machine when he was 6. He rode it three times, scared the crap out of himself, and never asked to ride for 6 years. Only now that he is 12 is he wanting to try it again. Go figure. I have to be the only guy with a 6 year old machine that has never run a full tank of gas through it. Talk about low milage cream puff.
Selling mini's is easy, and they really keep their resale. As long as they are in decent shape. Buy what you can find, and chances are if you move up in a year or two, you can get pretty close to what you paid for it.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: MUDDY4LIFE

My kids are all grown up now, my son is 27 and my girl is 21.



There is more to riding than just hoping on an ATV with riding gear. I started out my son on the 6 volt electric GI Joe car when he was about 2 years old. I also use to take him WITH me on my ATV right around the same age. He use to ride as a passenger on my roadbike too. He developed the same passion that I have for ATVs.



For starters, when he was 4=5 years old, I bought a used LT 50cc ATV for him. He KNEW that riding gear was a MUST before the ATV could even be started.Next, I set a series of cones out in my back yard. Gone thru all the controls with my kid. When I said ''brakes'' he had to squeeze the brakes for me. When I said ''turn left'', he had to turn his handlebars left for me ect ect ect.All this, while just ''sitting'' on his quad.



Once he had the controls down pat, I PUSHED him [with the engine OFF] and told him when to brake/turn ect. Once he had all this stuff down pat, it was time to put him on the obstacle course I had built for him with cones. We started the engine and he was READY to show daddy his stuff. With the throttle limiter set, we did all the above and more. We had certain hand signals he had to abide by when we were training together in the back yard.



Once I felt he mastered the above, he was ready to hit a small area of trails with me. When he was 6 years old, he entered his first race and won his class. The rest is HISTORY.



My son Rocky had a very distinct advantage over most kids because ATVing was not only in his daddys blood, but also all of his other uncles too. A passion of all our family.</end quote></div>

I pretty much did the same thing mentioned above. My boy started on a Power Wheels Kawasaki four-wheeler. The helmet and gear thing is a must for him to ride. Now only if I can get him to keep this right hand finger on the brake lever!!!!
Whats up with the controls on these mini quads? You almost need adult hands to operate the brake handles. My son's Kawasaki kfx50 handlebars and grips are thicker than my Renthal bars and grips. Not to child friendly.