250 or 350 atv for 11 yr old?

[dr730]

Trying to decide if a 350 would be too much for my 11 yr old son. He has ridden my 350 rancher but not a whole lot. Thinking about getting him a yamaha 350 automatic bruin. Opinions are appreciated. Thanks.

[Mike D]

IMO a 250 is plenty for an 11 year old. My buddy has a Honda Recon that is a 250 and it will do about 40mph.

[DamonJ]

Depends on the riding ability of the 11yr old. My 8yr old rides my 500 all the time.

[sotx]

No offence but I would not put a child on an ATV. I have a good friend whos 11 year old daughter died on an ATV just while ridding around the house. One of my hunting buddies flipped over and broke his back. I fell off one and was lucky to just come away with a broken collar bone. They are way to dangerous in my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions

[DamonJ]

No offence but I would not put a child on an ATV. I have a good friend whos 11 year old daughter died on an ATV just while ridding around the house. One of my hunting buddies flipped over and broke his back. I fell off one and was lucky to just come away with a broken collar bone. They are way to dangerous in my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions

Accidents can happen walking down the street, and I sorry to hear about your friends daughter.

However, I raced motocross when I was 8-12 years old and I have ridden 4-wheelers since suzuki came out with them. It is all about teaching the proper way to ride.

[Cropduster]

I go along with SOTX on this one. I work for the National Forest Service each summer in Colorado and we have young people killed each year on those things. I would not let my child have one for anything. They are just to dangerous for a young person to be on. Just my $0.02

[Gerald S]

Maturity means alot. My oldest son got a 50cc when he was 4. My youngest who is now 4 hasn't driven it yet. My oldest, now 8 years old, drives the Ranger and the 500 around all the time. He can drive better than my 26 year old sister. I say get him the biggest he can handle that way you're not spending money on a bigger one 2 years from now.

[Tmag]

350 would last into adulthood if he takes good care of it. I have a 99 Honda 300 Four Trax that I bought new and it still runs great.

[Luck_of_the_Draw]

My 10 year old rides a Polaris 90. It fits him nicely. not to big he can control it. He feels comfortable on it.

[Boomerang]

I have seen a 7 year old handle a Yamaha 700 just fine. All about safety, anything can be too much if not handled properly.

[mathewsoutback]

get the 350 he will be wanting a bigger one after a couple months

[DaveC]

I know adults who are content with 250's.
Takes them to the stand and back.

[william]

I would say for that age a 90 would be better. Especially if they have little ridding experience. Both of my daughters started out ridding a Polaris 90 I was able to limit the throttle down to where it would not drive over my foot. I kept letting the drive and slowly adjust their throttle as they got better.
Now no parent would want to harm their child and to me by saying that it bad to let a child ride and ATV is just not me but everyone is different. My wife did not like the idea at first but she could see that it was a good thing later on, besides it a great way to spend time with your kids.

[Squealer]

My 8 year old has a polaris 90 that he can handle among the best but he also handles my 600 pretty well also. All in experience and training.

[glen]

I let my 8 year old drive me around on my 700 Polarias all the time. However I dont think I would feel comfortable letting him ride anything by himself. I have also let him drive my 3/4 ton Chevy around on lease roads at idle speed. My son rides good with me sitting behind him but I wonder what he would do alone.