I agree. I started riding 340's when I was around 12-13ish, 440's when I was 14. But I do not agree with children on anything bigger than a 370 or 440 fan. There's just too much power there. On the other hand, I do not want to see laws in place against it. There should just be better parental judgement on some peoples part. IMO

 

I came upon an accident a couple of years ago that still has me wondering about the mentality of some people. A grandfather had borrowed a sled for himself and had put his 10 year old on his Nytro. They had come upon a lady from a nearby kennel who was walking a large group of dogs (this is a multi use rr bed) the kid panicked and instead of hitting the brake he hit the throttle which launched the sled into a clump of trees. Fortunatly the kid flew clear of the sled and landed in the trail, his adult sized helmet flew off and rolled down the trail, his glasses were never found. His only injuries were some fcial scrapes. Gramps seemed more concerned about the sled than the kid. No way youngsters should be on large powerful sleds, things can happen much too fast.

 

Age Requirements for Operating a Snowmobile in Vermont

12 or older born after July, 1, 1983•The operator must take and pass an approved snowmobile safety course.
•The safety certificate must be carried when operating and presented on demand of an enforcement officer.

13 to 15† •The operator may operate on the SSTS and may cross a public road or highway.
•While traveling across or on a plowed public highway individual must be directly supervised by an adult, at least 18 years of age.

12 •The operator may operate on the SSTS and may cross a public road or highway.
•The operator must be under direct supervision of a person 18 years of age or older at all times.

8 to <12* Eight years of age, but not yet 12•The operator is exempt from taking a safety course.
•May operate a snowmobile on the VAST trail system without taking the safety course as long as they are under the direct supervision of a parent or legal guardian who accepts full liability for the child’s actions.
•The child is not allowed to operate a snowmobile on or across a plowed public right-of-way.

0 to <8 Children under the age of eight•May not operate a snowmobile on the VAST trail system at any time.
*8 – 11 year olds may attend a snowmobile safety course but will not be tested or receive certification unless they will be 12 years old on or before the last day of the snowmobile season (April 15).

† “Certified Operators” 16 years of age and older may operate without supervision.

 

Age Requirements for Operating a Snowmobile in Vermont

12 or older born after July, 1, 1983•The operator must take and pass an approved snowmobile safety course.
•The safety certificate must be carried when operating and presented on demand of an enforcement officer.

If born after 1983 do the need to carry the certificate for life?

 

No matter what the laws are, this will always be an issue for several reasons.

One of which, will affect me in the near future. I have a 7yr old, who has been riding his xc120 since he was 3yrs old, but he's quickly outgrowing it.

I"m not sure what to put him on in the future. I'd NEVER put him on a "big boy sled", like alf mentioned above, but I'm not sure what options I do have. I've searched for an older Polaris Indy Lite 340, or a Cat 370, but even those are relatively fast. I guess they are my only options, but it really seems like there would be a market for the 250cc-400cc sleds - beginners, kids, tour group sleds, etc.

I'm in no way defending the boneheads that allow those kids on those sleds - but its a topic of conversation that seems like it will come up more and more. 20 years ago, a 600cc sled wasn't nearly as powerful as today's 500cc. Its almost like there's no "entry level" anymore.

 

No matter what the laws are, this will always be an issue for several reasons.

One of which, will affect me in the near future. I have a 7yr old, who has been riding his xc120 since he was 3yrs old, but he's quickly outgrowing it.

I"m not sure what to put him on in the future. I'd NEVER put him on a "big boy sled", like alf mentioned above, but I'm not sure what options I do have. I've searched for an older Polaris Indy Lite 340, or a Cat 370, but even those are relatively fast. I guess they are my only options, but it really seems like there would be a market for the 250cc-400cc sleds - beginners, kids, tour group sleds, etc.

I'm in no way defending the boneheads that allow those kids on those sleds - but its a topic of conversation that seems like it will come up more and more. 20 years ago, a 600cc sled wasn't nearly as powerful as today's 500cc. Its almost like there's no "entry level" anymore.

I bought my boy a 89 yamaha bravo 250 and it is perfect.Still some speed in the sled,so I taped a small block of wood under the throttle.He loves it.

 

Can you put a govener on a sled?

 

I started at age 8 on a 250 Yamaha Bravo. Age 11 Polaris 340 Sport, age 15 440 Supersport. The problem is they don't make these types of sleds anymore. No reason an 8 year old should be riding a sled as big as mne.

 

Funny this is posted today because I'm taking my 10 year old son up to the NEK to ride his sled on the trail for the first time. He's been riding his 370 AC since he was 7 and is defiantly ready. We'll be riding quiet trails on Fri and sat morning. I plan to have the sleds on the trailer by 10am sat morning before the nut jobs hit the trails. FTR I agree its crazy to put a kid on a 600/800 rocket.

 

I cannot believe that I agree with every single post on this thread so far!! Kids on big boy toys scare me, but they do look cute,.just dont want to be in front, nor behind one. Once again, Its the parents to blame,. I dont think many 8 year olds have saved enough money from paper routes to buy a 12K sled. (spoiled brats)

 

I can get pissed just a quick at an 8 yr old on the wrong side of the trail as anyone else not under control.

I know a 9 yr old that rides 100+ miles a day on a zr440 in Woodford that holds a line better than most. Some of these motocross kids can ride so there are always exceptions to the rule.

On the other side my 7 yr old son is not ready to give up the 120 yet, so the only way he is going to see any VAST trails is on the back on my XP.

I have to agree though, I am suprised VAST allows this.

 

lucky s have a brand new yamaha bravo 2010 250

 

i guess it might piss people off if i told you about my son at 6 years old doing jumps on my polaris xlt 600 and trail riding at 8, well he has grown to respect his equipment,enviroment and the people enjoying the outdoors.now at 17 , 6'7"and 260 lbs.
collage's recruting him for football , i'am proud . he did well as a young kid on a sled, you should not judge all kids because of thier age or size! there again, maybe you might be jealous?
~sea:thumbsup:

p.s. he started riding a 250 yzf at 11

 

i guess it might piss people off if i told you about my son at 6 years old doing jumps on my polaris xlt 600 and trail riding at 8, well he has grown to respect his equipment,enviroment and the people enjoying the outdoors.now at 17 , 6'7"and 260 lbs.
collage's recruting him for football , i'am proud . he did well as a young kid on a sled, you should not judge all kids because of thier age or size! there again, maybe you might be jealous?
~sea:thumbsup:

p.s. he started riding a 250 yzf at 11

there are exceptions to every rule but in the case of the accident that I came upon the kid had no experience, was on a 150 hp sled and was wearing adult safety gear, Moronic.

BTW good luck with your son's football future and congratulations for bringing him up with hands on support, not all get that.

 

My kids all started at 7 years old on the trails- they were fine. They started with the Yamaha Inviter and then the Ovation. Look for one of those sleds. It also helps to not have parents guiding them to be reckless in the trails. Doing a lot of road riding teaches them rules of the roads/trails alot better than in the trails!!!

 

If Premier ever gets of the ground with their sleds they may have a good chance of selling some. I always see little kids on big sleds, scary, look at the guy that gave his kid a uzi to shoot. That worked well to.

 

Well, I will chime in here as I am a mother of a 13yr old & 11yr old girls. When we got into the sport we decided that we loved it and wanted to make it a family thing. So, my oldest daughter was 9 at the time when we started searching for a sled. We had a very hard time trying to find a "kids" sled or entry level, whatever you want to call it. So, we decided on a 500ss which she rides to this day. I admit I was very worried initially, but we taught her to respect the machine and be very aware of her surroundings. We always tuck her in the middle of the group and constantly remind her to stay right, be careful in corners, blind hills etc. We also had her take the Safety Course when she was 11. She now is a very good rider. Our friends boy has been on a Yamaha Nytro since he was nine. Another very good, cautious rider.

With all that being said, every kid is different and is at the parents discretion whether they think their child is ready or not. Personally, I've seen adults on those trails that worry me alot more than some kids.

 

My first sled was an Arcitc Cat Puma 340, I was 12. My second sled is a 2000 z 440. I am now 15. My mom lets me rider her sled though, A 2006 Arcitc Cat Sabercat 500, and I dont go out of control anywhere, and I am always in control, and when i start getting otuof control I let right off the gas and get control.

 

I was brought up on sleds...Riding with my ol man on his sled...then he bought me my first sled which was a Exciter 440 at the age of 9, then after the motor blew up I got my dad's 83 Yami Vmax...I was 12...a few years later the Vmax was sold and I got his 87 ElTigre 6000...

 

I had kitty cat (6), bravo(10), enticer(12), exciter(14), SRV (17), now a thundercat and Firecat. 14 was pretty much the age of enlightenment for me, where I could ride well enough to not burn belts, get stuck, need help starting, etc. By then they all felt slow, but were still fast enough.
I have yet to have any accidents as an adult. knock

 

Some young kids (like me) can handle a full size high output sled at a younger age 11 12 13 ect. and some can't. All it takes is common sense to ride. (Which some kids lack). It shouldnt be to hard to figure out if your kid can handle a bigger sled.

I had an Enticer 250 at 7. Ovation 340 at 9. Jag 440 at 10 and my 99 xc at 11. I've been riding all my life and the xc was handed down to me. I was a little nervous about the power at first but i gave it some time and eased into it. Now im 15 and havent had any major accidents with it. (Just a few random things, nothin big)

 

Some young kids (like me) can handle a full size high output sled at a younger age 11 12 13 ect. and some can't. All it takes is common sense to ride. (Which some kids lack). It shouldnt be to hard to figure out if your kid can handle a bigger sled.

I had an Enticer 250 at 7. Ovation 340 at 9. Jag 440 at 10 and my 99 xc at 11. I've been riding all my life and the xc was handed down to me. I was a little nervous about the power at first but i gave it some time and eased into it. (now im 15)

any one over the age of 30-35 knows that as a kid, there just werent high powered sleds at all! We forget that the "average" sled was 30 HP, and was a pile of junk out the factory door. Look whats out there now for the lil tykes...150HP sleds!! Its crazy.

 

I got my first sled at 38, a Jag Deluxe nicknamed purple passion. :smoke:
I have ridden up on groups with young riders in the group and on several occasions I stopped next to the parent and complimented them on how well their kids were riding. It all has to do with their upbringing. Like damats said it's about teaching them to respect the machines and also leading by example.

 

Just got back 82 miles and the kid is a natural. He and I had a blast, couldn't be more proud of him. We did 50 yesterday and had the trails to ourselves. This morning he was dressed and ready with helmet in hand at 5:30..... LOL! Watched the sun come up on Standard, perfect weekend even if I was riding around 25-30 mph!

 

That's the way to do it, Good for you and the boy every little bit helps. And that 25-30mpr is great you can see everything out there. A+ in my book

 

My son is just about to turn 9. He started on a kitty kat and then rode our friends Bravo a few times. I was looking for a Bravo for him last year at Christmas and ended up finding a 97 Puma 340 for a steal. It's a good sled for him. He's good with it around our field, but I'm not ready to take him out on the real trails yet. I plan on getting him on some back trails this year but not the well used main/groomed trails until he proves himself ready.

The Puma is a great size for a kid that is just a little too big for a 120. It engages and accelerates slow. I wish it had a hydraulic brake and may try to install one for him. He's driven my MXZ in our field (me on the back) and can stop that one better than his own.

 

Dude........I know of the people you are talking about!!!...No joke but those kids have more seat time on those Doo's than you.....FYI......They CAN handle those sleds BIGTIME!!!!!!!!..They ride every weekend....matter of fact,yesterday we saw them!