`05 400ex and 10 year old?

[jfwyatt]

I just traded a `98 vtr1000 sportbike for a very clean `05 400ex. My intention was to resale or trade for a raptor 250 for my son but hes been riding the 400ex around the house and seems to do great on it hes very tall for his age and has been riding since he was 4and has way outgrown his viper 90. Now im thinking maybe i should just hold on to the 400 and let him ride it (with me present of course) and sell his viper and maybe pick him up a cheap dirt bike to ride when we hit the trails. He should be ready in a year or 2 for the 400. what do you guys think?

[rocky_mtn_honda]

just my .02, but i wouldnt give my child that i dont even have a 400ex until he could at least ride and handle a 250 for a while...dangerous, but not my kid, so have at it lol
i think if you stepped him up to a 200ccish area, and he worked well on it for a year or two like you say...then hell yea
thanks dad!

[slightlybent47]

Thats hard to say without knowing his ridding skills and level.
I have seen some 10-14 year olds ridding like pros but for the avrage 10 year old I would say no not yet.

It's not the size that concerns me as much as the wait of the bike.
An ex is over 400 lbs where a 250 would be much lighter.

[b.lee]

You already let him ride it.
That's done with

Don't take it away now.
Just watch him or ride with him.
No unsupervised shenanigans.

I had a built banshee at 15 and no major crashes, but I was aware of the machine's power and the consequences. (possible death)

[matt14c]

Just leave stock and get a throttle assembly from a trx90 it has a screw so he cant go full throttle. Also go up on the front sprocket. Being 10 hes what? 100lbs soaking wet. 400's are wheelie machines with full grown adults. Like what was said you already gave it to him so dont take it away now. Just be a good parent and watch him whiles he is riding and make sure he has a bucket on his head. Teach him the dangers of goofin off. I had a built 250x when I was 11 and only had a trx 90 for two years before that and that was all my riding expierence and im still alive. As long as he reaches the pegs and controls just fine I wouldnt worry about it.

[rocky_mtn_honda]

also just so we're clear...i definately wasnt suggesting taking it away...just delaying turning him loose on it. and i love matts idea, my trx125 has the thumb throttle with the throttle stop screw in it...great suggestion i bet you could actually just install a screw on the 400's thumb throttle. for sure change the front sprocket too, great suggestions here...kill switch maybe?

[b.lee]

a throttle stop is definitely a good idea

[matt14c]

With a kill switch though for it to work its already too late!

[rocky_mtn_honda]

Originally posted by matt14c
With a kill switch though for it to work its already too late!
true, but i sure wouldnt want it running away in gear if he fell off and ran himself or someone/thing else over...lol

[slightlybent47]

All good points and yes he is on it now so with good supervision probably ok.

[Blazin400]

coming from a dads point of view i know what your saying... when i was prolly his age maybe a little younger or maybe a little older i jumped from a yamaha breeze 100 to a yamaha warrior 350... you need to figure out a way to gear it down some... once he gets into a decent crash he will realize what happens when you lose control... hopefully he doesn't crash... i rolled the warrior goin bout 30 and just got really bad road rash, that tought me alot when i did that... so basically what i'm sayin is step back and look at the situation and judge it yourself... hes your son... so i hope everything comes out good for you and your son..

[bkelley]

I was going to suggest a throttle stop but got beat to it. Just gonna beat the dead horse here and say that with proper supervision, protection and experience he'll do just fine. Main thing is he knows how to work that clutch and knows where the brakes are, and when to use which one.

I started on my dad's 350X with him on the back when I was about 5, moved on to solo status at about 10 and by the time I was 12 I was climbing Comp Hill at Dumont.

[Pipeless416]

just my opinion, but how would you feel if something happened? ten year olds do not always deal with panic situations the way you'd hope. would you be able to live with the consequences?

[jfwyatt]

Thanks for the input guys. Im probable going to keep the 400 and just pick up a cheap dirt bike for him to ride on his own for a year or 2. His age really dosent consern me as he is already a much better rider now than i was at his age but thats because ive spent a lot of time teaching him what you can get away with and not. When i was 6 my parents turned me loose on a trx125 on about 100 acreas of woods and i didnt even have a helmet. moved to a `88 trx250r at 11 and had a `90 banshee at 13 . The closest my parents ever came to watching me was watching me go out of sight down the road. ive spent a lot of time with my son riding hes put over 600 hours on his viper 90r in the last 2 years.(i installed an hour meter) thats about 4 topends which he changes himself i might add.

[dalejiw25]

Oh ya, Well when I was 3................ lol

[triple b]

Off Topic......Kind of......To much of a power for a young kid

My mom got a 69 nova SS brand new when she graduated HS and she still had it when I turned 16. So the day before got my DL my dad disconnected the secondary circuit on the 4 barrel carb.....So I drove that car for 2 years with a 2 barrel carb and did not know the difference.

He did not tell me until a few years ago (I am 36 now)

[Jessem24]

well. theres a track down the road form me. the owners son is 8 and rides a stock 400ex just fine. jumps good. hes like 4 foot tall

[jfwyatt]

Im going this weekend to look at a `00kx65 that only needs a new topend for $400 for him to ride around when im not but ill probable keep the 400ex for him in a few years but will still probable let him ride it some with me with him. Im not just going to turn him loose on it by himself but let him follow me around the trails at our house.

[Miami_Vice454]

lmfao!!!!! tripleb he didnt tell you till you were like 30, what an a**, buts that hilarious

[triple b]

Originally posted by Miami_Vice454
lmfao!!!!! tripleb he didnt tell you till you were like 30, what an a**, buts that hilarious

Yea it was funny.......We were at some family function and my dad told us.

Even better......My brother is two years younger than me drove the car the same way.........The Nova was in the high school auto shop every week for 4 years in a row and nobody saw it.

Sad thing is my brother crashed it 1993 and she has parked. Some day we will have some father son bonding and get her back on the road.

Alright back on topic......sorry

[3ddds400ex]

well, my son and me go riding at glamis. because of the sand he needs the power. this is his first quad, its a 250 and he's 13. he doing fine but, he's trying to do jumps.

[tri5ron]

I can see both sides here, and find myself in a strange place of agreeing with BOTH sides in certain points.

Basically a 400ex is too big, heavy, and too much power for the AVERAGE 10 year old.

But, If his riding skills are high,
and he is under your constant supervision,
and you do the above recommended mods/alterations,
(ESPECIALLY the trx90 throttle assembly)
and they can be found on ebay for pretty cheap, or I may even have a extra if your interested.

I would also suggest that you consider installing a Remote Controlled Kill Switch,
that YOU can operate, from either standing there while watching him, or that YOU can operate from, and while riding, your bike.
These types of "Kill Switches" can also be found on ebay quite reasonably.
here's a few from a quick ebay search. i'm sure there a also plenty of others....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Quad-KIDS-ATV-Parts-50-70-90-100-110-cc-SAFETY-SECURITY_W0QQitemZ110449177113QQcmdZViewItemQQptZM otors_ATV_Parts_Accessories?hash=item19b748b219

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Generator-Remote-shut-off-switch-Remote-on-off-switch_W0QQitemZ120481247556QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMot ors_RV_Trailer_Camper_Parts_Accessories?hash=item1 c0d3df144

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/REMOTE-ALARM-KILL-STARTER-SWITCH-50-70-90-110-125cc-atv_W0QQitemZ160366315110QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors _ATV_Parts_Accessories?hash=item255693c666

[radchad3]

I find myself on both sides of the fence here is well. I have no doubt that your son maybe larger than most. The major issue is the fact that he has the mindset of every 10 year old. Consequences are not there for kids that age. For that reason alone I would hold off on the 400 until 16. Unfortunately I have personally encountered several deaths and numerous head injuries in my 14 years of riding. Just don't want to hear that anything happened to your son!

Just my 2 cents! :)

[TRXRacer1]

Alright, my 2 cents........

There's so many good mid sized quads now that I'm just not feeling this idea. To each there own and God knows I've done my share of bad moves but I couldn't in good conscience put my 10 year old on a 400 unless they already put their time in on something a little smaller.

[rocky_mtn_honda]

x2 my sentiments exactly

[jfwyatt]

Found a blaster that needs some work for cheap may get that and he can fix it this winter and ride that for a while.

[3ddds400ex]

Originally posted by radchad3
I find myself on both sides of the fence here is well. I have no doubt that your son maybe larger than most. The major issue is the fact that he has the mindset of every 10 year old. Consequences are not there for kids that age. For that reason alone I would hold off on the 400 until 16. Unfortunately I have personally encountered several deaths and numerous head injuries in my 14 years of riding. Just don't want to hear that anything happened to your son!

Just my 2 cents! :)


I agree, I also, seen my share of deaths on quads. Most are kids. all year around.

[KFX450Rrider490]

ok now from a 14 year olds perspective the first thing i would do is create some sort of throttle limmiter like on most minis and limit him to around 1/2 throttle because as someone said before 400ex's are wheelie machines which they are now and comming off of a 90 he most likly likes to ride wide open so the limmiter is a must

now if he was like me id say absolutly not because i was insane on my minis when i was six i could wheelie my scrambler 50 for a pretty good distance and once i got my 90 i would try highchairs but then once i was twelve i bought a 300ex and loved it for the year and a half that i owned it now ive got a kfx450r that i am currently paying off

so it realy depends on your kids mentality people think that im atleast 18 if they dont know me so

good luck
and choose wisly