I totally agree with this. I called my shop to give me a price on a 2001 Banshee and they asked how old I was and I didn't lie, I said 14. They said they can't even tell me the price. So the next day I called and said I was 16 and they told me. Thats what is really dumb. Also, I am 5'8 and about 175 and I could never ride anything smaller than a 250. I can't even ride Blasters comfortably. Oh yeah, my Mojave, which is an 87 says you have to be 14 but I guess the laws have changed since then. Is there anyway we can make up a petition or something? I don't want to have to take other peoples word when they are buying me a new quad in the next month because I am only 14 and the dealer won't let me test drive either quad I want. Oh yeah, it says it is recommened you are 16, so I say screw it and I have been pulled over plenty of times on my Quad by Cops and they don't say anything about it.

 

FAST98WARRIOR,
There is away you could have had the ATV you wanted,alls mom or dad had to do was tell the salesman that the atv [WARRIOR OR EX] was for them,than the salesman would of sold it.
Bill

 

<< im 13 and have a 200sx
and that thing is heavy
and slow but to legaly
drive it i got to be 16
and THAT SUCKS!!!!!!!!! >>



I started riding on a 200sx when i was 7 years old. My dad would put it in 2nd and i would ride around the yard all day. I never crashed and could handle it pretty good but I had to stand up the whole time. As I got older i grew into it and then out of it. Man did I beat the crap out of that thing. I still have it too. The warning label on the 200sx says no one under 14 also. They must have changed the rule since 1986.

 

THESE AREN&quot;T LAWS, just &quot;Industry guidelines&quot; This is like the sign that says &quot;We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone&quot;. There are no laws, state or federal, limiting the age of Off-road vehicles. It is BEYOND their JURISDICTION. They can't tell you what to ride or how old you have to be if you are not on their roads. SO GO AHEAD AND LIE TO THE DEALER! GET WHAT YOU WANT! IT&quot;S NOT AGAINST ANY LAWS!! Hey, I'm 46, and I couldn't get a test ride of my new DS-650. They said it &quot;wasn't serviced&quot;. After I bought it, they loaded it in my truck 15 minutes later. They lie too. Cops lie. Teachers lie. People lie. Salesmen really lie, a lot. So it's really okay to lie to them.

It's all about the Lawsuits. There are lawyers out there still gunning for the off-road industry, and this is the first line of defense for the ATV industry. 3-wheelers were marketed to kids like Joe Camel, there were lots of wrecks, injuries and lawsuits.
Quads are safer, for sure, but you can still get hurt. The age guidelines are a tool for the ATV industry to protect itself in the courtroom. But they are not laws. Go ahead and lie, but if you do get hurt, forget about sueing, you lied! hah.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

Fourlix is right. I believe I said that too in my post. But you know what, I still think it should be based on height and weight, along with a parents signature or something. I HAVE ONE QUESTION THOUGH. Why is it that I can by a CR250 but not a Banshee or 400
EX?

 

Age, Height, Weight, Experience, Type of Riding, and $$$$$$
These are the real considerations for choosing a quad. Unfortunately, test drives are getting harder to come by, and for youngsters, all but immpossible. I test drove an Arctic Cat 500 Auto, bought it, and sold it after 106 miles anyway. Fact is, parking lot test rides aren't very revealing anyway. This Forum is the best place to find information, and some of us really like to give advice! Hah! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I ride a Extremely Modfiy Banshee and i am 14. well i have noticed some people have Posted the dealer would not sell the Machines to them to young and stuff like that. Dealers around here dont CARE!!I would have to think As long as there selling something there are happy.
AnDy

 

CHECK THIS OUT if you have the new August 2001 edition of Dirt Wheels.(660 Grizzly on cover) In the LETTERS section, there's a picture of a guy and his son. I can appreciate that he uses quads as &quot;bonding time&quot; with his son, I think that's very cool. But look at the picture. This kid looks pretty young, and I bet that the quad he's sitting on is within the correct age/cc requirement.
He's just about to hang his butt over the rear of the quad, the tires are nearly mashed into the fenders, and the handlebars are so close to touching his knees, that it looks impossible to steer if sitting. If he stands even the slightest bit, the handlebars will most likely leave his reach.
That's sad. That a kid has to get his youthful impressions of riding, by sitting on a machine that is uncomfortable, slow as dirt(from being overloaded with a kid that's too big for it), and looks silly in size. (comparable to those battery powered &quot;Power Wheels&quot; toys that toddlers ride)
These standards in age/cc's is obviously set by the &quot;bean-counters&quot; and &quot;legal advisors&quot; that probably have never even seen these machines up close. They have NO CLUE about body English(yes, even kids use body English) or comfortable riding positions.

 

WildTurkey,
I like your post.It speaks the truth.I dont buy ATV magazines anymore because they are so full of BS,however,I am going to keep an eye out for this particular one and save the picture you mentioned to show ASI [ATV SAFETY INSTITUTE]at our next instructors meeting in July.

I have argued for some time now about these age/cc recommendations to ASI.Me,as an ASI instructor,feel that I am losing a HUGE number of the younger ATVers because I CANNOT teach a safety class to ANYONE that is outside the age/cc requiremnts.And HARDLY anyone comes to class with a 90cc ATV.

I also soon will teach for MATVA[Mich All Terrain Vehicle Assoc]I do not have to abide by these ridicules age/cc recommendations for them,as Mich has NO age/cc laws.It is left to the descretion of the safety instructor if he feels the ATV is to big/small,thats the way it should be.
Bill

 

Maybe age limits aren't the answer but I would like to see it be mandatory for kids under the age of 16 to have to take an ATV safety course in order to ride.
The safety courses do teach you some good stuff, some of the techniques they do teach are ones we might take for granted.
I believe that in the state of Maine you have to be atleast 16 years old to ride an ATV with out an adult unless you have taken the safety course. This law is good but why not make it mandatory to take the course anyway. I mean it takes less then a day to complete the course.
I know Yamaha used to pay you to take the course if you bought your ATV from them. In my opinion that says alot about the company.
I also think that a large portion of these accidents (ATV's) are a result of people not respecting the speed and power of these machines and the only other options the manufactures can do is put age limits on them or not sell quads at all. I guarantee you atleast 80% of kids that are riding aren't off correct age.
I guess I have rambled on long enough but the morale of my story is...AGE DOESN'T MATTER SAFETY DOES!!!!!