governor on youth atv

[mrjigger]

I am thinking about getting a small atv for my boy. Maybe 50cc to 90cc. He is only three years old, but handles the power wheels electric atv's very well. Has been riding them since he was just a little over 1 year. The power wheels have a top speed of 5mph.

I have been told that the small gas powered atv's can be governed down to around 5mph. The salesman told me this.

I am a little skeptical. Don't want to buy something if it is more than my kid can handle.

For those of you with small kids atv's, what is the lowest speed you can govern it down to without it bogging down.

[Dave S]

mrjigger,

I have to apologize for nobody answering the first time you brought this up.

With the smaller 50cc machines, you should be able to limit them to a walking pace. This also brings up another point about some of the smaller machines. Some will have a tether mounted on the back of the ATV for parents to walk behind their kids in the event something goes awry and you can pull the cord to kill the machine.

depending on the size of your 3 y.o., a 50cc machine might fit. Kids just seem to be getting bigger these days.

Also if possible, go with a 4 stroke if you do decide to buy a gas operated ATV. 2 stroke can have a lot of get-up-and-go.

[Scott K]

Yes the 50 should work ut ok, you can get the limiter screwed down to no throttle if you want. They do have them with a tether as Dave said. #years old will be perfect for a 3yr old, it should fit him good for 3-4 years. I have sold many 50 cc to parents with 3-4 yr olds, they didnt have any issues!

[Dave]

I still have a 50cc ETON that the 12 year old zips around in the yard with, just to blow the cobwebs off

The only problem with governing the small machines down is, if they meet an slight incline at such a slow speed, the machine doesn't have enough torque to power up the incline and you have to give them a little push.

The ETON 50 I have is a two stroke and has quite a bit of snap for such a small machine.

[Ryan_V]

I have one of those chinese 110 cc machines for my daughter. I didn't want one that big right away, but didn't want one that she would outgrow in a year or two also. it is a wonderful little machine that will fit her for many years. I have it governed down all the way and that is about 12-13 mph, when I pace her with my machine!! Very ease driving too. I'm very happy with my decision to get this machine. My daughter got it when she was 7 and it will last!!

[chasineyes]

I too bought my daughter a 110 2 years ago it's still running strong. Just beware of some of the hardware. They have a tendency of loosing up. I was very ticked this past weekend to see another 7 or 8 year old riding a 500 sportsmen around by herself in the meadow. Don't know if she could even reach the brakes if needed. These are the idiots that are going to wreck it for all of us who teach, train, and monitor our children. Sorry to sidetrack a little!!!!!

[Ryan_V]

chasineyes, what loosened up on yours? I've done one oil change and given it the once over quick, but haven't found anything loose as of yet... just wondering what you had come loose.

[mrjigger]

For All, How old are your kids that are riding the 110cc?

My biggest concern is that his hands wont be big enough yet to reach the brakes.

He is only 3 years old, but like I said, he has been riding the power wheels since he was a little over 1 year old. Never had an accident. However, with the power wheels he does not need to worry about breaking, the electic motor pretty much stops the machine instantly.

[Ryan_V]

mine is 7. where I got mine, the engines are all the same, but you can get bigger frame sizes. I got a bigger frame for my 7 year old. she's tall. I also didn't want something I was going to spend alot of money on for her to outgrow in a year or two and try and explain why dad can't afford another one. she doesn't have any problem reaching the brakes, I don't think there's much difference in brake handles between the different sizes. I've also seen people bend them in to get them to fit better. Mine likes using the foot brake a little better anyway, which works well!