What age?

[BCGIrish]

I was wondering about what age everyone started their kids out on mini quads? Right now my daughter is 2 1/2 and rides around an electric quad. She wheels it all over the place, it has a thumb throttle button so she can learn how to ride. I know she is still a bit young but I was wondering at what age I should step her up to the real thing?

[charles welch]

My son started at 3 yrs and 7 mo and my daughter started at 3 yr and 1 month.
They both started racing at age 4 with mostly drags and a few mx.

[smokinwrench]

Both of my kids got LT80's on there 4th birthdays. i had them turned down really slow.

[Valder]

Had the kid on Power wheels until he was 7. At 8 he got a Desert Cat 90. I waited til he was big enough and had the brain to know what to do with it. So far only one mistake and he learned a big lesson from it. Nothing broken was a good thing!

[mandmburke]

Hey there,
My son started riding the real little electric quad when he was 1. Then when he turned 3 I got him the bigger, 12 volt Power Wheels Quad. A couple of months later, he did not ride it as much, I asked him why his reply was,"Daddy its not fast enough". At this point I decided to get him a gas powered 50cc quad for Christmas, when he was 3 and a half. I did not want a "big" 50, as he was only about 35 pounds and only about 38 inches tall. My concern was weight of the quad and overall size. Most of the newer quads, except the Kazuma/Reccat 50s are way over 100 pounds and could cause some damage to a child if rolled over. I decided on a mid 80's Suzuki lt50. The quad has plenty of power if needed, I threaded a throttle limiter screw to limit speed, and widened the tire track by 3.5 inches. There is no suspension, but the quad is actually lower than the Power Wheels and wider. I started him out at about 5mph, then he graduated to about 10mph. He now rides the quad full throttle and goes almost 20mph. He has taken it on most of the same trails that I ride and only has minor problems with clearance. For his 5th birthday in June I had the opportunity to pick up a modified Arctic Cat 50cc. I moved him into that slowly because it has much more power and is twice the size and weight. He still rides the little Suzuki and has a blast. When first riding the lt, he rolled it, just on its side a couple of times, so I'm real glad he wasn't riding a heavier machine. I knew he would outgrow the lt in a couple of years, but I'm very happy that I went that route as rolling a bigger one could be dangerous. I wouldn't reccomend getting a bigger one and throttling it down as it is still bigger and heavier, and "growing into" a quad is generally not a good idea. The smaller ones have plenty of power and can be ridden aggressively if wanted. If you are somewhat local to Eastern PA, stop by and I'll show you my son's quads and your child can try them out.
Thanks,
Michael
ps. I have a Suzuki LT 50 for sale.

[cjkranz]

Same story... When my daughter was 3 1/3 we bought her a Kazuma 50 (micro mini). It was turned down and only left in 1st gear. The shifter was removed so she couldn't make it go any faster. Right after she turned 4 we bought her a stock LT 50 then just before she turned 5 we hopped that quad up. (pipe, open filter, shaved head, 110 octane, removed oil pump/tank, widened front/rear, douglas wheels, new wide track tires, ported/polished the motor, polini 3 shoe clutch system.) I built this quad with the intensions of her riding it in the sand and not moving her up anytime soon. She turned 5 last April and in June I ran across a deal on an LT 80. She now lets the 50 sit and rides the 80. My suggestion would be this. Start out little and slow, and move up when the child is ready. My son is now 2 1/2 and on an electric one ONLY... He won't be ready for a gas quad as quickly as my daughter. She is very cautious but he just wants to haul a**. Go figure.:)

[wvspeedfreak]

Austin started riding at age 5.If Powerwheels count then it was age 3 :p

[lem dad]

Dylan was 2 when he got his Eton 40 had to block up the pegs
he is now 7 and rides a modifier lem cayman races dist.12

[bowtiedmax]

All my kids (4)were riding a trx70 at 2. No regrets. They all have there own quads and are between 8yr-17yr. We had a electric one but the trx would do everything a whole lot better. And you can slowly give them more trottle adjustment as they get bigger.

[Arctic Cat Dad]

Michael never had an electric quad,thought they were a waste of money. At 2 1/2 he could take me for a ride on my quad almost anywhere. Mom said noway till he's 4. At 4 bought a small lt50. It fits the little kids great. Did all the mods to it also,because he said it's way to slow. So he would jump on his brothers modded lt80. At 4 he could do thinks to this quad that whould make you shake your head. And the rest is history.

So what I'm getting at is this. Not all kids are the same in size and brains. Only you know your child. But for most part 3 1/2 or so with the parent by their side on level ground is a starting point. Then from there you can judge if there ready.

[161xchonda]

I started riding when I was 2 and racing at 3. I am now 14. I would ride a lt50 quad aand a little suzuki bike. On the quad my dad put a tether switch on it and would run around behind me and if need be would pull on the cord and the quad would shut off.I was practically raised on a quad. I got my first quad gas powered quad when I was 1 month old and my dad would drive me around on it. Like Artic Cat Dad said you know your son better than anyone else. Get him one when he feels comfortable. I know if I ever have kids they will get quads when they are still knee high to a grasshopper.

[joker11]

I am glad to see this thread here. My son is 8 (Turning 9 December 31st this year), my daughter is 7 (turning 8 in May of 2007). I just bought them Honda TRX90EX ATVs. I was worried that maybe they need to start on 50s, but Honda doesn't have anything smaller than the 90s. As far as I have found on their website and at the stores. None of us have any riding experience, so your stories make me feel more comfortable with putting them on 90s for their first rides.