quad or buggy for kid?

[Glen from Crany]

I have a 10 year old son and want to get him into either a quad or one of those off road go-kart type things. I'm just not sure what to go with. I'd like to go with a quad so he can come with me when I'm on mine. My wife likes the idea of a roll cage and seat belt on a kart. I want something that will last so if it's a quad I'll go with either a suzuki or can-am but I'm not sure if any of the little karts will stand up long term. I have another kid on the way so this will end up being a hand me down and I want to be able to get parts still in 5 years.
So the question is what do you you have for your kids and what do you think of it.

[canucksafari]

Get a quad but also make sure he has full protective gear and teach him to ride properly. There are tons of vids which will convey to him that it is a fun toy but like any big boy toy it can kill you. If you wife thinks a roll cage will be fool proof, then she has never heard of someone being speared by branches. Sounds like the type to freak out a bit so maybe best not to tell her that. :laugh

[Glen from Crany]

I know there are risks to both. I'm just not sure which is safer for him to take out by himself or with a friend. We have a big old gravel pit behind our new place and it would be nice to be able to let him just go and ride without always having to go with him. He would only be allowed out alone after he has proved that he can be a save rider/driver.

[bry-an]

i grew up dirtbiking and have been on lots of both quads and karts. one major factor to me is rollability. quads are about 100 times safer in my mind, and that is what i will get for my daughter if she ever gets into that kinda thing(fingers crossed).


A quad allows easy escape, and honestly falling off is not that bad. id rather fall off than roll into some mud and be strapped inside if you get my drift. plus if you get speared by a widowmaker(as mentioned) wearing safety gear on a quad you will simply fly off, where as if you have no where to fly you will get crushed or impaled.

a 10 year old doesnt have the body mass to roll a quad , unless its in an off camber situation... where as when surrounded by heavy tubing the center of gravity is pretty high to start with.


just my personal thoughts and experience with both.

[Glen from Crany]

Thanks for the input bry-an, I hadn't thought of the water rollover or impalement issues, food for thought.
Glen.

[Dan]

a non made in china quad will have a serial number and you can buy the required liablility insurance for it, a cheap offshore buggy has no serial numbers or registration so its a little tough to buy the insurance required to run on a FSR

[Glen from Crany]

As far as I know you can only get insurance if the rider has a valid drivers license, my 10 year old is a few years away from that so for now I can't get insurance any way I go.
I'm leaning towards a quad as I haven't heard of any buggies that are going to be reliable over the long haul. I want to be able to get parts still in 5 years.

[lars]

IMO I would think a dirt bike would be safer. Let chance of rolling over or having it roll over top of you. More chance of falling, of course.

...lars

[suzuki2stroker]

IMO I would think a dirt bike would be safer. Let chance of rolling over or having it roll over top of you. More chance of falling, of course.

...lars

X2

quads can give you a false sense of security. and rolling them can be deadly (so can crashing a dirt bike mind you).do you think the kid could push a quad off himself if he was stuck under it?

another thing is that theres way more places to dirt bike than quad. we live where theres super dense forest, so singletrack is quite common. the only good places to atv are on the river or out past merrit. plus racing is a blast. i dont know of anywhere that you can race quads..

its your choice, so take your time and choose what you think would be best. ask the kid too, hes the one that will be riding it.

Dave

[86extra-cab]

x3 i think dirtbike is safer the kid is more likely to be able to push it off him if he's stuck under it and it's a little easier to jump off a bike then a quad least i think so and you can go alot more places i'v been rideing dirt bikes since i was 8 years old never had a mager accident

[SecretAgentMan]

x4 for the dirk bike. Less chance of him getting into "Superman" mode on a dirt bike. With Quads, too many people get a false sense of security... Wait until he is older for the quad..

[suzuki2stroker]

you should check out mission this weekend and hang out in the pits. you'd probably be amazed at how many kids his age there are. hang out and talk to some of the dads there. look on this link to see if it gets cancelled.
http://www3.telus.net/qas/Agassiz%20Motocross%20Track.htm

if you think you'd be more into trails/camping than motocross, then sign up for this board and ask all the questions you want. http://www.fvdra.com/ theyre more family/camping oriented, lots of younger riders too.

My opinion may be slightly bias as i ride dirt bikes myself. but i generally hear that bikes are safer for kids than quads

[SecretAgentMan]

My last & next bike will be another Honda Trike. I've owned 4 of them, I love them. BUT they're down right dangerous in inexperienced hands, too many people seriously injured or killed riding them.. My first one was a 1982 Honda 110cc, I bought it in 1984, it was a dealer Demo. I've owned 2 quads wasn't impressed by them, I get stuck easier with a quad than I ever did on my trikes..

I also owned 2 dirt bikes, never got a dirt bike stuck :D :D

[zedjay95]

X2

quads can give you a false sense of security. and rolling them can be deadly (so can crashing a dirt bike mind you).do you think the kid could push a quad off himself if he was stuck under it?

another thing is that theres way more places to dirt bike than quad. we live where theres super dense forest, so singletrack is quite common. the only good places to atv are on the river or out past merrit. plus racing is a blast. i dont know of anywhere that you can race quads..

its your choice, so take your time and choose what you think would be best. ask the kid too, hes the one that will be riding it.

Dave

mission has quad racing for the young folk it's quite amuseing to watch

[cambo]

glen, you own 2 quads.......so you know how easy it is to get over confident , i think most quad manufacturers recommend 16 years or older for quads. i would go motorcycle for both of my boys even though my oldest wants a quad or nothing. i have lots of extreme quading experience and would rather not risk my kids health knowing how quick these things can roll.

[Glen from Crany]

I grew up on a dirt bike so I know what bikes are like. I'm not against it, I'm actually getting a bike for myself but I don't know if he would go for it. I think what I'm going to do is get him to try both a bike and a quad. I have a friend that has both for his kids so I should be able to make it work.
I like the quad in that it can be ridden year round where as the bike would be parked once the snow flies. We've been riding the quads a fair bit this winter and have ended up in the snow every time we go out. We aren't riding anywhere too crazy, mostly just old forestry roads.
Safety on both I think comes down to responsibility and rider training.
Might just come down to what he likes better.