Get kids on a dirt bike or ATV?

[Sno Junkie]

Dirt bike. Dirt bikes demand respect. They will put you on the ground immediately if you get over your head. Quads give a false sense of security. Anyone can ride one and feel safe, that is exactly what makes them dangerous. I'm not saying a dirt bike isn't dangerous, but it will require skill before speed is achieved.

 

[hockeyb4]

My oldest has her own 50cc four wheeler I can say this the braking and throttle control help on the wheeler looking to get her a bike since she is over the 4 wheel thing (as I was very early!) so I will get her younger sister on the wheeler then bike etc. my vote went bike for sure with boys they seem to take wrecking better

On a side note if anyone knows/has a pw50 or comparable bike let me know

 

[cubby]

Wow a lot of people get defensive over this subject I see LOL. Well all I know is my 5 year old daughter has both and so do I and momma only a wheeler just cause she has never rode bikes and has no desire to learn now. But as PJ said I have the wheelers for hunting and family vacations and the family loves them. Mind you no matter what my daughter is riding that day she always wears all the gear. We ride bikes together also but sometimes daddy and the boys just need some time on 2 wheels and we get kinda crazy out on the trails because my friends nor I race on a track. I think bottom line is no matter what you buy her just teach her the proper way to enjoy both sports, because their both fun in their own surroundings. Only reason a lot of people wreck their wheelers is cause their dinking off and not using them for their intended use.

 

[M5-]

I have dirt bikes and quads and I have kids, I also work in emergency services. My kids rode both and quads and bikes. By far the worst injuries I have seen both at work and our own experiences have been from the quads. People, including kids don't like to fall down so they are much more cautious on the bike and implicitly give them respect. If I had it all to do over I would have never bought quads. The stats I have been quoted through the ER are that there are 6X the number of injury accidents on quads as compared to bikes.

M5

 

[assault 700]

if your kid can learn to ride a bike then he can ride anything

 

[EZmoney]

I started out on a jr50 when i was 5 and had alot of fun. My daughter got a quad i bought of ebay $ 600 to the door to see if she would even like it. She loves it rides up and down the alley and down logging roads. IMO Its very safe, shes not on a 700 grizzly or banshee riding rough trails. shes a kid learning the fundamentals of how to ride, throttle, break, lean check oil and gas. You guys are having a debate over what is more safe, his kid is 7 years old and is learning. I dont think you can go wrong with a bike or quad.

 

[HANDSOME]

I started on bikes then went to 3 wheelers then 4 then back to bikes in a matter of 30 years. I started my kids on a raptor 80 and it scared me watching the wrecks they had at such a young age. I then bought a crf 50 for my 4 year old and he started racing 4th race of the season and made it to second over all by the end of the year.We were all hooked and he doesnt race anymore but we all ride and have a blast and no injuries.

 

[tomx]

My buddies kid broke his arm on a four wheeler last summer on a rollover. I think he'd only been riding it a couple days when it happened.

It's a no brainer for me, dirt bike all the way. My daughter has been coming to the moto shop with me since day 1. I bought my last sled with her sleeping in her car seat next to me. For her 5th birthday this year she's been asking for a dirt bike, no prompting from dad at all. Stoked.

 

[backcountryislife]

If the kid is as smart & coordinated at you...



You should probably get him a tricycle & call it good.


A pic I took of paul last time I was in Utardia...

 

[sandorsnow]

Dirt bike

Then you can go the mall and buy Fox or Metal Mulisha clothing, wear a flat brimmed Monster hat over your ears and at least look like you can ride.

No matter what you ride, you will get hurt. It's not "if", but "when" and "how bad".

My 5 yr old has been tearin' it up since he was 3 on the pw50. The training wheels just came off. They could have come off earlier, but it was me holding him back. He's a damn adrenaline junkie like me. There is definately more respect to the risk on a bike than a quad.

Quads have their place, I use mine during hunting season and that's about it.

Good Luck

 

[xrated]

Show me that statistic

I feel they're safer because they have 4 wheels. I've had both dirt bikes and atv's and the atv's have always been safer and more stable for me

I work in the ER and I have seen worse injuries and more deaths from quads. they might not happen as often but when they do they go big.

No way a quad is more stable at speed or sketchy terrain then a bike.

And think of this, you flip a bike on yourself it is what 200lbs? What is a quad flipped on top of you weigh in at?

 

[xrated]

Not a doctor but have worked in orthopedic medicine for almost 15 yrs. My very unscientific observations would support the results of the study posted by SledsWest. I've seen injuries from both but I would say more, and far worse injuries from ATV accidents. I grew up on dirt bikes so I may be biased but my vote went for the dirt bike.

Who is this guy some damn xray tech or something? Those types don't know jack chit

 

[Jaynelson]

Quads are great for camping, fishing, hunting, plowing driveway, etc.

No way I would buy one to ride "for fun." Bike is so much more fun and teaches balance that transfers well to many other activities.

 

[coyoteman]

Get both.

Really though. I have had both my whole life. My worse injuries have been on an atv. They hurt when they hit ya, a bike hardly ever rolls and hits ya. My daughter has been on an atv since she was 4, haven't been to the ER, yet

 

[mtnxr]

My kids rode dirtbikes and snowmobiles growing up. I think the real value as mentioned earlier is the respect you gain from the automatic fear that comes with riding a dirtbike. I told my kids that they were going to have fun but they would crash, it would hurt, and they would get back up and try it again. I also told them they would always wear their gear, all of it and the few times they didn't listen, they paid the price and learned the respect lesson for themselves. That respect transfers to many other things in life now. Anyhow...that got a little more philosophical than planned.

 

[Powderhound]

Dirt Bilkes. All of my kids have them and it has been a great Family sport. Simple fact when they wreck the roll away from the bike and or tip oner. If it was a qauad then I have a 300 pound maching pounding my little one in the ground. We went riding with some friends that had quads. I let my 10 year old try it. She rode it for less than a 1/4 mile and said NOPE !!! felt out of control and hated it. I grew up Farming and was around quads my whole life. I feel 10 times more safe on my Bike.