9 year old on an 800

[Caper11]

Things happen much slower on the 550 and will be a bit safer. If yah put him on a 800 and he gives himself a scare, or worse yet finds out trees are a lot more solid than he thought, just might turn him off to riding.

At the end of the day you know your boy and his abilities, if you ride a 800 switch sleds for a day and see how he handles it. It's not irresponsible or a bad decision if he's mature enough to handle it.


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[mb1]

2 things I think of right away. 1) the 800's are probably the least reliable displacement sleds around. The 600's are known to go much longer as a general rule.

2). As someone already mentioned, his skills will develop much more on a less powerful sled where he needs to finesse it a bit to get places. Not to mention even on a 600 his power to weight ratio will be better than most adults on an 800.


'12 T4
Husaberg 570FE

 

[retiredpop]

Just wondering opinions on and experiences with kids on 800 machines. My son currently rides a 550 polaris pretty well aswell as a kx 65 dirt bike so he seems to no how to handle the power. I would ideally like to find him a newer phazer 500 with 144 track or rmk or m6 with 144 track aswell. However they seem to be hard to find. So now I'm debating an 800 for him because they seem readily availible. I'm looking for one with the upriding position like a dirt bike. What do you guys think. Thanks

What size of track is on the 550? It must be pretty short if a nine year old can't take that sled just about anywhere. It's real simple to put on a longer track if that's the issue. Buy a pipe for some extra power. Aaen makes a decent one for the 550. Aaen Performance - Snowmobile : Polaris Power Pipes

 

[altaredneck]

It's got a 136 inch track by 1 3/4 lugs. After reading all this I'm leaning on waiting to find a phazer 500

 

[Absledder]

It's got a 136 inch track by 1 3/4 lugs. After reading all this I'm leaning on waiting to find a phazer 500

IMHO that's a solid choice. 80hp so it's still a step up, but it's not a gigantic step like the 800 would be. Someone mentioned earlier they're a dog in the powder but I know when I was a kid I would have had fun no matter how slow it was lol plus with a kid it'll do better than what I'm assuming was an adult that had that opinion.

 

[347strokin]

I'm still against the Phazer 4 stroke. They just don't work well in the powder. Not enough HP or track width. They're a mighty fine ice fishing or sled tower, that's about it. And as I mentioned earlier, they are very darty on the trails and high center of gravity which makes them tippy. One positive note is you can get them for next to nothing because not many people want them. lol

Any of the 600 mountain machines in an 08 and up chassis would be a much better choice IMHO and someting that you can ride if required.

 

[347strokin]

It's got a 136 inch track by 1 3/4 lugs. After reading all this I'm leaning on waiting to find a phazer 500

I noticed you have two 800 sleds in your signature. Have you had your boy on any of them in the past?

 

[pfi572]

Things happen much slower on the 550 and will be a bit safer. If yah put him on a 800 and he gives himself a scare, or worse yet finds out trees are a lot more solid than he thought, just might turn him off to riding.

At the end of the day you know your boy and his abilities, if you ride a 800 switch sleds for a day and see how he handles it. It's not irresponsible or a bad decision if he's mature enough to handle it.


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As caper said ? You know your young fella better than any open forum group giving advise .
Years ago seen the young Micku boys in Val. and they could ride better than most grown men and could hardly reach the running boards. Lol
Cheers

 

[meierjn]

I have a 10 year old that is going to start riding this year. He is going to start with one of his grandfathers sleds though. It is a Indy Lite GT that is only a 340. He may grow out of it faster but, I feel this is a good start good start for him. A smaller sled like this will assist in developing a child's skills and allow them to confidently move to a larger sled at a later time. Call me crazy but I feel that even a 600 is far too much for a kid of this age.

 

[Caper11]

Years ago seen the young Micku boys in Val. and they could ride better than most grown men and could hardly reach the running boards. Lol
Cheers

I remember seeing a family from mcbride and their little fellow was on a turbo phazer, when he stood up his butt barely cleared the seat but he handled that sled, it was neat to watch him ride.


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[TDR]

My 3 kids all love sledding. They started on a 340 (which my 12 yr old daughter still loves to ride), progressed to a 600 RMK (which my 10 year old son rides) and eventually to a 800 Pro (which my 14 year old rides). Watching my 14 yr old grow up in this sequence I would say a 600 will be plenty for your 9 yr old even if you think he can handle more. The 600 is a super reliable machine and as others posted his power to weight ratio will exceed most adults. At the end of the day only you know your sons abilities and maturity.

 

[ferniesnow]

As caper said ? You know your young fella better than any open forum group giving advise .
.................
Cheers

As I mentioned in my first post ^^^^^^^^^^. You are the one who knows the attitude and behaviour of your son. Some will handle the sled well, while others won't. That statement is even true with the Phaser. Good luck in your decision.

 

[altaredneck]

I have put him in my 800 round the house and not really worried about him but around the house is different than mountain riding. I do think I should wait for a lower powered machine for him. I was just not sure how good his trail rmk would do in the powder with the 136 by 1 3/4 track and no reverse. He likes powder so this is why I'm thinking of upgrading him to a mountain machine they seem more nimble. His trail machine is nice and stable but for him to play in powder the extra track may help him.

 

[Caper11]

I have put him in my 800 round the house and not really worried about him but around the house is different than mountain riding. I do think I should wait for a lower powered machine for him. I was just not sure how good his trail rmk would do in the powder with the 136 by 1 3/4 track and no reverse. He likes powder so this is why I'm thinking of upgrading him to a mountain machine they seem more nimble. His trail machine is nice and stable but for him to play in powder the extra track may help him.

Sounds like he's never been to the mtns??

If not Sounds Like you think he's ready.
Perfect time to teach him mtn safety and finesse his riding skills carving "etc". You don't really need to venture to far from the cabin to find a area for both of yah to enjoy. When he gets on your sled up there you'll be able to gauge your situation a lot better. That trail RMK may surprise you.

Wicked quality time spent together as well.
I'm going to introduce my 2yr old to riding on my sled with me this year. She loves going for rides on the quad. Lol


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[Barry Barton]

I would keep looking for a phaser like a mountain light if u can find one they are very reliable and easy to handle, I had my son on sleds when he was 5 and a 700 when he was 13 so I think a 800 is a little much for a 9 yr old but like the guy said earlier u no how he rides and I believe if u ride with him and lead by example he should be ok.

 

[wheels]

I have 2polaris 550s. Both have 144x2 inch tracks and work great. My kids are12 and 9. They have been in the mountains for 6 years. Started on a 340 Indy lite with a 136x 1inch and moved up to the 550s. Those sleds take the boys anywhere a kid needs to go at their age. I'd stick a 144 x2 on and go. I didn't change gearing or clutching and they just work.

 

[moyiesledhead]

As I mentioned in my first post ^^^^^^^^^^. You are the one who knows the attitude and behaviour of your son. Some will handle the sled well, while others won't. That statement is even true with the Phaser. Good luck in your decision.

That statement is true with adults too. I bet this kid is more responsible on a sled than a lot of so called grown ups. I know my son was at that age.....on a Polaris 650 RXL, which was about as much HP as you could get back then.

 

[drew562]

Depending on the kid but a 800 is a serious sled. As a sledder from birth my dad made sure we could ride the bag of of our current sled before upgrades even were considered. For full control of a sled the rider must be comfortable with bursts of full throttle. For a kid to try and learn technical stuff while idling around on a big sled itis hard. It will slow his learning down for sure. As far as a phaser I as most on here bought one for momma. She couldn't ride the stupid Thing. We rode 6 km and she made me get the truck. It's a stand up aggressive sled. Fun for me to rat bag. She hated it as do most of the women who's husbands by them one. Don't forget how many men get mamed in the old days on a srx440. Or eltigre 6000. Or a blizzard 9500. These sleds won't compare to a f600 of today. That said the law of 14 yrs old is stupid. If your kids a ripper turn him loose and good for him. Hell. My brother drove dad home from Winnipeg in the winter at 12yrs cause dad had been drinking. But that was the old days

 

[sledneck_03]

My sons going to be 2 in april. Should i get him the z120 this winter or should i get the 500 sno pro, you know screw his safety but at least "i" can ride the 500 around home over my pro.


#canadastrong

 

[TDR]

I don't think the poster was implying that he was not considering safety. As most people have stated above, every kid is different. My 14 yr old was much different than my 10 yr old. He could have handled an 800 at 10 and probably better than some adults but I would never put my 10 yr old on a 800. He is no where as skilled or mature. Not a one size fits all.