Thinking of getting my boy a four wheeler for Christmas. Took him to a local dealer to let him look and sit on some and even on the 50's, his feet couldn't reach the floorboards all the way. I think the Raptor 50 looked to be the most compact. He had his eye on a little Suzuki DR 70 dirt bike but I really don't think he is ready for that, especially since you have to shift gears. He just turned 4. One of the guys at the dealer told me they couldn't legally sell it to me anyway due to liability he HAD to be 6?? I see videos every day of 3 year olds riding the snot out bigger bikes and RZR's' and such on youtube. I figure no way to know what he's capable of without trying it. What are some other good options? I don't really want any of the little Chinese ones if I can avoid it
Can he ride a bike, if so he could ride a little dirt bike. They also make training wheels for them, saw a young girl on a trail with her dad. Surprised the hell out of me.
How handy are you? I'm "getting" a mini bike for the kids this Christmas. It's going to consist of a box filled with wheels, an engine, chain, sprockets, etc. and we're going to build one. I was going to buy them a PW50, but it'll be another 4 months till they can ride it. They BOTH love building stuff in the garage with me, so this way they're involved over the winter, and come spring they have something to ride. Might build 2, not sure yet, but one for sure. Just another option you might not have thought of. I have a couple buddies who've bought those chinese atvs for their kids and they've served "ok". The only issue with those is the ROI. When you buy a yamaha, suzuki, etc it's essentially like putting money in a coffee can until you're done with it and the kids out grow it. If you look after it you can sell it for almost what you bought it for. Sometimes more, if you find a good deal on one. With the chinese ones, by the time the kids out grow it, it's usually worthless. Carbs fucked, tires flat, stuff bent, plastics broke. They just don't hold up. I've been trying to find one of those mini120 sleds for a couple months, and even 30 year old kitty kats are going for $1500 lol. They just don't go down in price. The line about not being able to sell it to you is complete bullshit. You can sell a Busa to a newly licensed 16 year old, but not a pw50 to a 4 year old?
CRF50... It can grow with them and when they’re tired of it, you can ride it! I’ve got a set of training wheels for one of those. I’d be happy to make you a super sweet deal on them.
Look for a used LT 50 Suzuki. Bought 2 of them 2 weeks before my kids turned 3. They fit perfectly. They rode those for 3yrs before we upgraded to 90's. Sold the 50's for more than I paid. Now he has a 250 and just turned 10.
The newer ones a LT-Z 50, which are 4 strokes. They quickly outgrow that, because they are SO speed limited (have a friend who had one). Find the 2 stroke, and they will get a few years out of it. Here is my daughter a week before her 3rd birthday. (I have twins, so had to buy 2) Put a video in the youtube thread of them riding at our old house.
This - 2 stroke, smaller, faster (but can be governed), and lighter (think flipping on the kid) than any 4 stroke quad. Keep it in good condition and they appreciate in value. I bought one 5 years ago and its now on kid #3 of 4.
My advice. No way I would ever put a kid on a four wheeler. Limited skill to ride one which results in them riding over their ability and they can tip over and injure or kill themselves. Too many kids killed on these things. I would never get one for a kid. Better to put them on a two wheeler. The skill level required and balance needed seem to provide a built in fear factor that keeps kids more in check with their abilities. Plus it’s a tip over not a 300lbs. rollover.
What's a proper machine for a youngster starting out? The one on which they can reach all the controls. My personal advice? Stick to two wheels. Forget the quad. When he rolls it, it's a big odd that it will steamroll him. When he gets jostled, loses his footing and takes a stab at the ground, it's another big odd that his foot gets steamrolled, draggin' him off the machine to be further full-body streamrolled. That's how quads roll...for everyone. They don't care one bit what the rider's skill level is. Let's just say the chances of any of that happening are in the 99th percentile. At least with two wheels, the 99th percentile is he'll go one way, the bike goes the other. Chances of being mushed, 1%.
The damn thing is 150lbs. Not 300. And if you are that afraid of not being able to teach a kid how to ride an ATV, then better not let them on a bike either. How many kids hamfist a throttle when they scare themselves on a bike? Even a TTR50 weighs 125.
The point is a four wheeler weighs more than a two wheeler while also being bigger in size and can injur and even kill a small child. I did find the following: “The smallest entry-level youth ATVs are, of course, the lightest. The average weight of a 50cc ATV is about 215 pounds. The heaviest 50cc ATV I found was the Yamaha Raptor 50, which weighs 237 pounds. The lightest 50cc ATV I found was the Suzuki QuadSport Z50, which weighs less than me at only 174 pounds.” Again, bikes tip over. Quads roll over. Big distinction. You are deluding yourself if you think a two wheel mini bike presents the same level of risk and injury to your kid as a four wheeler. When a kid gets scared on a two wheeler they typically slow down. It takes zero skill for a kid to jump on a 4 wheeler and press the thumb throttle. They don’t learn balance, they don’t learn speed control when cornering. A simple google search will show the risk and injury difference between the two relative to kids riding them. I certainly wouldn't turn two kids loose together in a field/yard with out boundaries or a defined riding path/area. But that’s just me.
When the boys mom wanted to get him a 4 wheeler I put a stop to that. When you crash a 4 wheeler it ends up following you. At least when you crash a bike, it usually separates itself from reducing the chances of it hitting you and the kid can usually pick it up themselves if they do crash it. And a stock 50 has a throttle stop you can set.