I would trust a 12 year old by themselvs on a quad long before I would trust a 16 year old. Maybe it was different when I was a kid, but I started riding when I was 12. I would take off into the mountains and not tell anyone where I was going. My parents learned to trust me. If you wait til thiy're 16 you aren't going to have much to base your trust on, in this situation.
14mins - if you trust your kids to ride with their friends when you can watch them, maybe you can give them a short leash and let them go on short trips by themselves. Just lay down some rules. If they break the rules, you take the privledge away. JMO.

 

My 14 year old daughter rides a 99 400EX, my 11 year old daughter rides a Bayou 220, and my 9 year old son rides a 250EX. I usually watch them pretty close when they ride, but occasionally they'll ride through the neighborhood without supervision. Kids are funny little animals....they do right when we are watching, but tend to stray when you're away!
My kids are fairly responsible, but a kid is a kid and will try things they shouldn't and are easily influenced by their peers. That's usually when the trouble starts!

 

Well, I don't have any kids, but I do have tons of nephews and there is one thing I do know about them..you CAN'T trust them...

 

i am 13 and i can ride my warrior bymy selph aney ware, im the only one in the famly with an a.t.v

 

I was running all over the neighborhood by the time i was thirteen but then again i got my first threewheeler before i was 3 yrs old.

 

My 2 cousins are 11 and they ride around my grandpas 60 acres constantly... they run the wheels off those machines. It is all flat and they are usually just out playing in the mud or cruising the trails that we have made (I tore around those short loopy trails on the Cdale when I was home, yeahhaaaa! - lappin the kids was sure fun [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] ) - they are usually riding a 1998 Kawasaki Prarie 400 and a 2002 Arctic Cat 400 and they have yet to get hurt at all. They both started out on slightly smaller machines but those mid-powered 400's keep them out of too much trouble. The worst thing they usually do is get stuck. One of my cousins has some sense and he rides pretty slow and controlled. The other... has NO sense. He'll try anything and he's usually the one getting them stuck in the mud... since it is flat there isn't much he can try as far as jumping or climbing and somehow he is smarter than to roll it over. I think they are ok to ride around that 60 acres, you can see it all out the windows of the house and they get their priveledges taken away when they get caught doing anything stupid or the machines don't get washed at the end of the day. Usually they ride until they run out of gas - both really love to ride and I can see the ornery one becoming a very good rider in the future. You'd be amazed how well he can handle that 400 already....

At that age I think you should keep them close, make them check in often, make sure they are riding safe terrain (no big hillclimbs or anything, heck I'm still stupid on those), and make sure they are wearing helmets. Teaching them proper riding habits is probably the single most important thing. They are kids and if they see you acting dumb, they will try it as soon as they are out of your sight.

My advice is until about 14 keep them real close, then give a lil more as the years pass. Take away priveledges when rules aren't followed, etc.

Geez, I sound like a 40 year old father of 3 ... and I'm only 20 [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

I glad most side with me (too young)

I do let my son go get the paper/mail etc. I will let him ride to his grandparents house alone. ( 2 miles thrugh family property) But i have doubts about his friends etc. Maybe i will let them go to the open field that i can see from the garage. I am afraid of the "i dare you to jump this" or let race like the grown ups do. lol


I would let him go ride with a few 12 years olds at the kermit dunes alone because i have ridden with those kids since they were 6.

 

I darn sure wouldn't let him take the Raptor:-)

I was riding my minibike without supervision when I was 8 but never went more than a mile or so from the house. At 10, I had a Yamaha 125 and was able to go more than 20 miles from home without running out of gas on the way back. I left the 125 in the woods one day with a busted chain and Dad made it crystal clear that I needed to appreciate things a little more so after the minibike and 125, I had to buy my own motorized toys. At 12, I had a Bultaco 250. At 14, a Suzuki 400. After playing with PW50s and and old Honda Trail 90, I bought my boys 4 stroke dirt bikes, a Honda XR100 for one at 12 and a Honda XR200 for the other at 14. They went for 2 strokes when they upgraded a few years later, a CR125 for the 16 year old and a YZ250 for the 18 year old.

Your son seems like a nice kid and you've got plenty of room for him to roam, if he doesn't know right from wrong by 12, he's not going to learn it with you watching anyhow.

 

What?! Im 15, i have never wrecked when riding with my friends, they know their limits and i know mine, that is whats important. I wouldnt trust a kid under 12, unless they have a good feel for the quad, and i knew they did, that is more reasonable. My dad used to let me ride down the road, i never got hurt, so he doesnt even care where i go anymore since he knows i can ride responsibly and wisely.

 

I keep hearing how kids are unresponsible? you guys are the ones setting the examples riding 40+ hp quads.
and you guys really know how to push the limit too. with that said....you guys are awesome

but anyways first take a ride with his friends and see how they ride, after that ya gotta let him go sometime.

i mean what are you gonna do when he is 16 and wants to take his car on a long road trip with his friends?
those days will come!!!!!