Looking about a kids quad

[tinhunter]

My son rides the electric, power wheels quads, right now. He will be turning four in a couple of months and I was thinking of buying a 50cc quad to start him out with. I was looking at the Polaris since it has adjustable foot rests, but the kill switch tether is on the handle bars and not on the back. Otherwise all the other quads look pretty much the same. Does anyone have a kids quad that they would recommend trying out? Is four too young to put him on a real quad? I have friends that said they started their kids this young, but all the manufacturers say six and over, so I am not sure. Thanks in advance for your help.

-Matt

[traildad]

May I suggest that you look into putting a helmet headset into his helmet. With an inexpensive GMRS radio you will be able to talk to him as he rides. It sure beats running like crazy trying to catch up so you can get his attention.

[tinhunter]

That is a good idea. I never thought about putting a headset in to talk to him. That will definitely solve the problem of getting him to stop or slow down when I want to. Do you think four is too young to start riding gas powered quads, or since he can operate the electric ones its ok, as long as I keep the speed down on the gas powered ones?

[Ken]

I think 4 would be ok, if it was a small, supervised area. I know from watching the 4 year old's ride motorcycle at the pee wee track....they FREAK OUT in snap decisions.

Example...if they are on a road, and suddenly someone comes at them? They'll do anything...drive off cliffs, hit gas accidently......you name it...they'll do it. My son had a 4 year old come right at him on a motorcycle....he turned right to avoid the kid....and the kid turned left! Kenan slammed his brakes..they collided...and partially tore his ACL trying to save the kid.

I wouldn't trail ride with a 4 year old, personally...unless you had him sandwiched between you and mom....it's a catch 22...you put in front to watch, and someone could hit him head on....you put him behind you...and you'll spend your whole time staring backwards.

When I bought kid quads...I went with Polaris, because they were bigger for long term use.....the other brands were much smaller. I've heard the 50cc can be bored to 90cc later on.

[Norcalbmxer]

Max was only 3 when he got his Chinese 90. His feet wouldnt reach the footpegs when he first rode it......He found the throttle right away, and i had to govern that down for him. As for steering, that was no problem. the brakes on the other hand took a good 6 months to find....and his hand still arent quite strong enough to pull them correctly

[tinhunter]

From the picture it looks like you ride trails with him. Do you take him into the woods on trails or do you stick strictly to the controlled OHV parks? Since he can't completely pull the brakes back do you have a problem getting him to stop correctly and quickly?

[Norcalbmxer]

From the picture it looks like you ride trails with him. Do you take him into the woods on trails or do you stick strictly to the controlled OHV parks? Since he can't completely pull the brakes back do you have a problem getting him to stop correctly and quickly?

Since we live in Foresthill, even our house is considered backwoods trails ha.....we ususally stay away from the busy OHV parks, but he has ridden at the Mammoth track just outside of Auburn. The picture was taken at the Miyagi Ride, and he had a ton of fun just riding around camp there.

Hes a bit better with the brakes now, and when the trails open this year, I think he will be ready for some of the flatter ones....

[Gtown]

My oldest son rode his power wheels quad from 3-6 also. I was looking for a 50cc but found a great deal on a 80cc Yamaha on craigslist. He's now 7 and been riding this for a bout a year and amazes me how well for his age. The 80cc is still a little large for him to use the hand brakes affectively but I have it governed down and he only uses 1st and 2nd gear so the foot brake seems fine.

A buddy of mine picked up a Kawa 50cc for his boy of the same age and it's a great starter quad but my 7 year old already looks to big for it.

My youngest (3) has been on the power wheels about year now and should be ready for the 50cc this spring. We also do 99% of all our riding on the property to be safe.

[tinhunter]

Since we don't have property I am limited to public areas. I am a little worried about having a youngster out with other people who may not be the most cautious. My son rides the power wheels quad real well, but I am just nervous about being in a crowded area with him. He has been riding the power wheels since he was around 1.5 years and he is almost 4 now. I may break down and buy one and test it out on one of the local OHV parks and see how he does. I am just nervous about being around other people, especially at OHV parks, there are too many knuckle heads out there. Maybe I can take him to some quiet fire roads and try him out.

[traildad]

Since we don't have property I am limited to public areas. I am a little worried about having a youngster out with other people who may not be the most cautious. My son rides the power wheels quad real well, but I am just nervous about being in a crowded area with him. He has been riding the power wheels since he was around 1.5 years and he is almost 4 now. I may break down and buy one and test it out on one of the local OHV parks and see how he does. I am just nervous about being around other people, especially at OHV parks, there are too many knuckle heads out there. Maybe I can take him to some quiet fire roads and try him out.

If you can take him with two adults you can put one in front and one behind him. That should take care of most issues. Don't let him follow to close to the leader and you can radio back to him if you encounter traffic in front of him. If you go somewhere like Meadow Lake there is enough open area where you can ride around some and see people coming. In the Mendocino NF there are some open areas where the kids ride. I would not feel safe to put him on a quad that he can't reach the controls. If he can't use the brakes, that could get him into danger.

[Ken]

Since we don't have property I am limited to public areas. I am a little worried about having a youngster out with other people who may not be the most cautious. My son rides the power wheels quad real well, but I am just nervous about being in a crowded area with him. He has been riding the power wheels since he was around 1.5 years and he is almost 4 now. I may break down and buy one and test it out on one of the local OHV parks and see how he does. I am just nervous about being around other people, especially at OHV parks, there are too many knuckle heads out there. Maybe I can take him to some quiet fire roads and try him out.

If you go to places like Prairie City in Sacramento, they have specific areas for little kids. It's usually a small track, with everyone going in the same direction.

Like I said....little kids like that...don't make good snap decisions...with everyone going the same way.....you eliminate that.

I'm pretty sure PC has a 50cc track.

[tinhunter]

Maybe I will try a place that has a kid only area or I will just hold off from buying a quad for him until a little later. Thanks for everyone's help it was appreciated.