The Youth ATV industry has grown by leaps and bounds since the first Youth ATV was pushed into the market. At that time, many people were thinking to themselves... 'Who'd want to buy an ATV for kids? Youths don't know safety guidelines and they don't have the money to buy the Youth ATV themselves and their parents are reluctant to spend that kind of money. There is no market for Youth ATV'. Well, the sentiments, back then, were pretty strong...but now, things have changed so much. Many serious ATV manufacturers have come up with smaller and more technologically advanced models as their Youth version. Sure, we've seen a lot of ATV manufacturers come and go, introducing one Youth ATV after another...only to hit the rocks on the shore. But the serious players are still in the game despite the strong competition. Ironically, it's because of the strength of the big boys that causes the smaller Youth ATV manufacturers to appear and disappear. Some within the same year, we've noted. The Youth ATV market has grown by leaps and bounds; now, the market is so diversified that the manufacturers of these Youth ATVs have so many different models that it's enough to confuse a parent. This is because in the beginning, Youth ATVs were made not only smaller but slower. This is to discourage youths from speeding on these machines. But then, they realize that there really isn't much difference in the 50cc and the 90cc machines - and besides because the Youth ATVs are smaller in size and lighter, the smaller engine will move quicker. Ironic. So, in the end, Youth ATV manufacturers decide that to drop the 50cc models and instead, design 90cc models in smaller makes. Some Youth ATVs are also designed so small that little hands and feet can control the machines properly. These are known as a popular variant of the Youth ATV...the micro mini ATVs. Parents and Youth ATV manufacturers have been consistently arm-wrestling over the years. Parents want safety, children want speed and style and manufacturers will agree with whoever wins the argument. Yes, it's thrilling to a youth that an ATV is as fast as the one daddy or mommy is riding on but it's quite impossible to convince parents that the micro mini ATVs or Youth ATVs should have as much power as the adult versions. The problem is that it's crazy to put that kind of speed in the hands of a youth or child. While Youth ATVs are popular among the teens and teenagers, we find more and more kids between the ages of 6 - 12 engaging in ATV related activities. Speed sells, they say...and they're right! kids, predominantly boys, tend to feel the urge and pull every time they see an advertisement on TV or on a billboard on the way to grandma's house that says.... "Get up to speed, kid!" What parents need to understand is that while the industry uses speed as a gimmick to encourage kids to persuade their parents to buy a Youth ATV for them, Youth ATVs are not actually as fast as the adult versions. On top of that, there are many sophisticated safety features that are there to keep the kids safe. |
