start em' early. then, once they are like 10, they will be beating yur A** in a race.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img].

 

18 months old on the electric 4 wheeler.

3 on the Suzuki 50.

About 8 on the Blaster.

13 on the LT250 Quadracer.

My younger son is now 10 and rides my YFZ450 like it's his own.

Mucho coaching, lots of butt-chewings, plenty of riding time, a couple of scares, no broken bones. This is mostly on open sand dunes too which can be a very safe learning environment when done right.

Shady

 

Being an ATVSI instructor, the ages I see in here give me concern. Children younger than 6 are not generally suited to riding a motor vehicle (no, its not a harmless toy). There are some guidelines besides being able to reach and manipulate the controls to take into consideration:

The child should be good at riding a bicycle before getting on an ATV.
Judgment of speed and distance while riding a bike and react with proper hand/foot actions.
Social/ Emotional Development: Is the child willing to follow rules and demonstrate safety conscious attitudes?
When presented with a problem situation, the child should be able to come up with a sensible answer.
The child should be able to tell you what causes accidents and how to avoid them.
Being good at playing video games or being able to hit a baseball are good signs that hand/eye coordination is good.

Supervision and preparation is key to having a good time for all. Choose an ATV that is appropriate for his/her size, equip it with speed controls, and get him/her into the habit of putting on all safety gear before ever getting on the ATV. Children are not as physically tuff as you might want to believe they are. Their little bones are not as strong as adults yet.

 

I started my little girl out on a Raptor 50 at the age of 3.

 

I'm sorry, not a wise decision for a parent to make.
My opinion and the opinion of the ATV Safety Institute stands.
And yes, I have a granddaughter.

 

Started my neice out on a E-Ton 50 last year.. at 4 1/2. Started out just letting her steer.. then letting her do the gas and steer with the throttle screw in.. and we are just starting to let he do this without someone on the back.. still walking/riding with her with the tether just incase though.. She is 5 1/2 now and pretty much ready to ride.. Knows the brakes.. how to gentilly hit the gas(what a concept.. haha that one took forever).. how to steer without flipping(another concept) and she now even knows the hand signals... Not bad for a year... She wants to race dirtbikes... so we are lookin for a PW50 with training wheels for now... And if she likes that we'll sell her atv..

 

My Son didn't start till he was 10 and that was because i couldn't afford one.

 

My girls started out in Barbie jeeps at the age of about 3 or so. That gave them the working knowledge of how things work. My youngest was riding our Honda 70 at age 4-5 set at a real slow speed and under my "strict" adult supervision. I agree with some of the things MSGT stated, some are very valid points[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]in his first post. Each child is different and a single law/recommendation cannot cover all situations. Make a realistic decision based on your child's ability and try not to have money play into the equation.

 

My old man used to put me on his handlebars and climb the dunes when I was about 2, now that I think about it I dont think it was all that safe...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

I got shotgun in the buggy and the jeep too.

I've had a Powerwheels, motorcycle, golf cart, mule, trike, atv or snowmobile ever since. My family never had much money when I was growing up, but they always found a way to keep me entertained and I am eternally grateful for it. Of course, when I purchased my first toy on my own it was a great feeling.