New member asks is a ATC 110 too much for a 9 yr old ?

[Snake Plissken]

I'm looking to purchase my son something for riding, nothing radical. I looked into some Chinese ones, but despite the nice safety features they looked to be very poorly made. I just missed grabbing a very nice ATC 70, but there's no shortage of 110s on Craigslist, would that be a bit much for an inexperienced 9 year old ?

[Tri z250]

I think it should be fine as long as he has the right safety gear and you teach him through the steps

[bigmac]

I wouldn't think so as long as he know what he's doinb

[pipeline triker]

Yes and No, The 110 will be a little heavy for a 9 year old to control and slide around. if your son has some riding experience it will be OK if left in low range. I have a 77 atc 90 with 18inch lawnmower tires on the back and a little 20x 7 x8 on the front and it is really only a little bigger than my sons atc 70. They were not ment for kids that little really. My older son started riding his atc 70 when he was 3 and it was to big for him. He put his feet on the engine cases since he could not reach the pegs. He only rode in first gear for the first year and a half. My other son started riding his tri zinger when he was 2. Both have crashed but did not really get hurt. My younger son pushed the limits of what he could control and crashed hard and ran himself over after he landed. My older son is more cautious he has only slid into things because of ice. Remember having a 110 roll on your kid is alot heavier than a 70. But I fully understand where you are coming from. 90's and 110's are a lot easier to find than 70's, and at 9 he will be outgrowning a 70 soon. i would get a 90 or a 110 and set it up to his size, ( smaller tires, smaller bars,) he is your kid you know best if he could handle it. I know my 7 year old could ride a 90-110 but the bars are a little wide for him yet. The nice thing with a 90 or 110 is he would have a foot brake, that is one thing that is hard for kids to use on a atc 70 with only a hand brake. Good luck.

[barnett468]

Hello Snake;

I think part of it depends on how big he is as pipeline triker said. The low gear setting will limit his speed so he is less likely to get hurt, however, if necessary or desired, you can probably slow it down more until he gets used to it by reducing the engine rpm. This can likely be done by installing around a 3/16” - 1/4” id metal tube the right length [shim with washers if needed],on the throttle cable on the slide. This will prevent the slide from opening all the way thereby reducing horsepower and top speed.

You can even buy a short length of threaded plumbing or gas pipe from the hardware store and buy around 8 flat washers.

Loosen free play in cable adjusters if necessary. Remove cable from throttle if you do not have enough free play to install tube.

I would instruct him to never put his feet down while the bike is moving. It’s easy to run over one’s own foot.

[stillhunter]

I agree with everyone else. It depends a lot on his size and experience. My son (10) & my daughter (9) both ride my 250sx & have been for a few years. Now they are fighting about who gets the 250sx & who rides the 200s I just picked up. My daughter wants the sx,she likes the comfort. My son wants it because its a 250. However they have both been riding dirtbike's since the training wheels came off their bicycles. They wear their equipment and all has been fine. My son ran over his leg once when he put it down , but I think most of us have. Putting the foot down becomes kind of a habit after ripping the mx bikes, but you remember quick.

[trike savior]

started on my dads 110 at about 6 or 7 with close adult supervision, when we were in the woods setting up deer hunting stands. by 9 my dad and uncle were letting me cruise down the road on the way out while they followed in the truck. it was the greatest thing ever at that age, 4th gear wide open on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere. never rolled it at high speed but did a few times in the woods negotiating obstacles. never hurt me and was always able to roll it off me. However I was always one of the biggest kids in my class growing up.

nice thing about a 110 is you can limit the kids speed until he gets used to it. put the sub-trans in low and the top speed in 4th is only like 20mph. it will also force him to learn shifting because 1st low revs out real quick.

[hatc200x1]

A 110 will be perfect size for him. He will probably need a 185 or 200x when he is 12.

[webbch]

My 7 & 8 year old's both ride the 110, but I do leave it in low range. At this age, I put it in 3rd and and tell them to leave it (they're not great at shifting up/down yet, but they can handle the brake). The 8 YO can handle the 185s OK, and actually prefers it, but I think it's a bit big for him yet. My 4-1/2 YO can't quite reach the pedals on the 110 yet, so she rides with me on the 200s (and has been asking about a "baby 3-wheeler" for her (I'm thinking an ATC 70) :)

All of us just started riding trikes this year...Last time I rode was about 15 years ago, but that was dirt bikes.

[dougspcs]

The other thing I love about the 110 is the fact you can adjust the thumb throttle..

I put my 9 year old nephew on my 110 a couple years back for the 1st time and set it so he couldn't go more than 1/4 throttle while he got used to riding..

188500

[ATC90JAY]

I started riding when I was 5 my brother bought a brand new 1978 ATC 90...He taught me to respect the machine...Back then no one whore a helmet luckily I never hit my head..I was about 60 pounds...I did scrape my legs up on the tires a few times...LOL I rode That 90 from 5 to age 12...Thats why I got back into them!! The 110 should be fine just teach him how to ride and handle the trike and he should be fine...Lack of respect and learning to ride will get you hurt........

Ride Red!!!!!!!

[atcdude0]

Your right about the Chinese machines to be poorly built. Even the Polaris or can-am 90cc quads won't last 4 years. (from my experience) I started riding on an ATC 70. It was very light but had enough power to have fun on. After that I rode a 125m. It was heavier, but incredibly stable. One of my cousins rode it after riding his 110 and said it felt every bit as stable as the 125m. I would say that that would make it a safe beginners machine, because the weight isn't going to hurt if it never rolls which it shouldn't, and stability will make it less scary to ride as a beginner while still being decently quick and powerful.