i just picked up a 01 scrambler 50 for the boy.
paid $1900 out the door.
it came with a helmet even.
anyway, he's 5 and it's his first big toy/
any tips on what dad should do to keep it safe and fun?
thanks in advance.

 

The only way for your boy to be safe is if you park it and wait until he is older. Get real man the engine and exhaust get hot,there is a chain and sprocket and it probably goes to fast.

From a concerned Father

 

Dude, Congratulations,

I am sure Gage will love it. Its just like dads but smaller. E-Ton makes the motor & tranny for the Polaris kids quads. We have an E-Ton 90 & the only problem is one foulded spark plug, not to bad after 500 miles! I would suggest getting an extra plug for his quad. So when is the wife getting one?

Does his quad have a horn? If so it really comes in handy.

We get over 50 miles to the gallon on a 90 so your 50 will do much better than that.

This is only the beginning, he will need some cool goggles, gloves, riding armour, boots, etc, etc, plenty of things to spend your money on.

The oil injection is good on these quads, we hardly use any oil.

We bought some aftermarket tires for our 90 to help it be more stable on the trails.

Have fun, I think we are going riding this weekend, maybe even try to find some snow to play in

 

If you were a good concerned father AND a quad fan (or any motorized vehicle for that matter), you would teach your children how a quad works, what happens, so they understand by themselves what to watch, and why they have to be careful. We (adults) call these machines toys. In their mind, children have to understand that it's much more than a toy for that simple reason : they can get hurt with it.
Keeping them away isn't to me the good solution for children to learn about vehicles. I have been myself introduced to any kind of vehicles since I can remember and before (thanks dad and mom), and I never got severely injured. The biggest trouble I ever had was a broken arm...playing basketball in the backyard. Rode MX bikes since age 8, never broke anything (on me and on the bike). Knowing what happens in a vehicle is what it's all about.

 

I agree with you 100% zorro. Except that his son is only 5 (FIVE) years old !!!!!!!

 

VTwin,
relax man.
sure the exhaust gets hot. so does the tail pipe on your car, but do you worry about the kid touching it when you get home from work and park it in the driveway? do you come in the house and say "now kids, the exhaust on daddy's car is hot, don't touch it."
no, you don't. maybe you do.
the quad has an adjustable throttle, i can make it go as slow as 5mph. which is the same speed as one of those plastic jobbies at toys r us.
it also has a kill switch tether that hooks to his arm. it also has full footboards so no feet get caught in a tire.
anything else that will calm your nerves?
btw, i give my boy another year before he starts riding competitively. he's no wuss and this is just the beginning.

 

i had a mini bike when i was 5 a 4 wheeler would be allot safer, back then my dad would start it for us, and drink beer while i drove that thing all over, wiping out he would laugh! no helmet no brakes sticky throttle, but that was in the 70's when parents aparently were not lucky enough to have 17 million rules telling them how to raise there kids.

 

Supportive, caring instruction, supervision, and evaluation can produce a safe and enjoyable experience for the lad, I believe.

The attitude and the aptitude of the child appear important. Is he attentive? Is his attention span long enough to grasp safety fundamentals? Willing to follow instructions? Well-coordinated? Focused children can be taught to operate these machines safely, I think; however, some of the undisciplined hellions I see in the drugstore or supermarket couldn't be trusted with a nerf ball (thanks to their parents, who ignore the children's behavior).

Could a child this young complete the ATV Safety Institute Rider Course? Maybe one-on-one; I imagine a child this small would hold up a mixed class with other, older students.

Finally, constant evaluation by the parent is necessary, free from denial--if the child does not demonstrate the capability and willingness to operate the machine safely, corrective action/consequences must follow.

Trusting a child with any machine involves risk; manage the risk for everyone's benefit.

Tree Farmer

 

Man I'm sure the last thing you needed was a lecture. I hope dad knows best what his child can do. I would spend alot of time with him to be sure he is capable. Just bought my 8 year old a Scrambler 90. He's big for his age about 4' 6" and 65 lbs, just didnt want to have to buy another one in a year or so. I'll just keep it throttled down for a while. Safety gear is a must. Gloves, boots, helmet and pants.. Have fun.

 

so,
gage got home from school, he was itching to go for a ride (on mine of course). so i got out the video camera and we went out in the garage. then i asked him if he'd rather ride his own 4wheeler and pulled the tarp off of the 50. he was so excited. i explained everything, fitted his helmet, went and got him some gloves and we went to the open field by our house. we have a couple inches of snow on the ground and it helps smooth out the throttle jerks, bumps and steering. he did a great job. knows where and how the brakes work, understands turning and the responsibility of speed and control.
then i got mine out and made trails in the snow which he followed. i can't wait until he gets out of school today so we can go again.
i am really impressed with the quality of the scrambler 50.