My son is 8years old & I want to pick up a sled for him for next year. How long can he ride the mini sleds? I've been told to buy an older 340, put in something to stop the throttle, & let him grow into it.

Any thoughts?

i would do the 340 or even a 440 he will grow into it :D my kid is 4 going on 5 hes on a 120

My 7 year old got bored with his Mini-Z (14 mph), but he's used to MX race bikes that do 45+ mph.

I think an 8 year-old would have fun for awhile, but may outgrow a 120 sooner than you'd like.

Too bad there are not some modern mid-sized sleds available now.

When my son was 7or8 we got him an old citation one lunger with elec. start. if you can find one of these there good. What i liked most was that they are quite tippy. this helps in developing riding skills. 1987 0r 88 cant remember.

my son started out on a 1974 yamaha gp246 when he was about 7 years old, i never blocked the throttle. i see that the problem with people they put their children on a sled that is way beyond the capability of the child and next thing you know bang crash.

my son is 16 now and has ridden his 2000 mxz 440f for two seasons and i can see it is time for something else.

My kids started on the Yamaha 340 Enticer. I did block the throttle at first until they got used to it. They were 8 and 10 at the time. I've upgraded my daughter for her third season on the trails, but my son (now 12) will put in a season or two on the trails on the Enticer before he gets upgraded.

That Enticer is a really good learning sled; I rode it once last winter, gave me a whole new appreciation for my daughter's riding skills! :0:

ARE BOY TURNS 9 MARCH 31ST AND I'AM HOPING THIS SUMMER TO FIND A GOOD DEAL ON A 340.I HAVE SOME FRIENDS WITH 89 YAMAHA OVATIONS AND THAT SEEMS TO BE A REAL GOOD STARTER SLED.ELECTRIC START WOULD BE NICE ALSO.DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THE SMALL STUFF 120'S THESE KIDS KNOW A DAYS WOULD GROW OUT OF A 120 BY THE TIME THEY ARE 18 MONTHS! :p YOU CAN PUT A THROTTLE GUARD ON ANYTHING.AND I'AM NOT SURE WHO BROUGHT THIS UP BUT TO GET A TIPPY SLED FOR A YOUNGSTER IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA SO HE CAN LEARN HOW TO LEAN AND REALLY LEARN TO RIDE WITH PROPER TECHNIQUES.SLALOM COURSES ON THE FRONT YARD IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA!!!JUST MY .02 SWRules SWRules ANYTHING WILL MAKE THE KID HAPPY THOUGH!!

I was about 8 when dad brought home a beautiful 77 Ski-Doo 340 Olyimpic!!!!!!!! Oh man did I run that thing. I fell off so much hitting the dirt piles left in the fields from sugar beats. Had it till I was twelve. Alot of my friends learned on that thing. I could always start it myself also. You may want to find a 80's sled with some suspension so he can go on rides with you in greater comfort. We bought a sweet 94 cat 340 Puma Dlx for 1000 at the auction Jan 4 and in feb we saw one go for like 850. It is extremely fun even for us big boys. We put heavy torsion springs on ours as older guys will be riding it when they come out to the house to bomb the fields but it's so lght it's a blast with it's ski skins and 4" carbiddes. An awesome deal i think.

puma 340 dlx, for my girls, they can start them by them selves, just offed one at the bigging of season and one of them uses moms old
jag 440. ready to move up again...I have a 95 puma delux (electirc start) with aprox 2500 miles, 48 studs so the have some control and
6 inch carbides, well maintained $1200.00

I'm hopeing to get a miniz for my daughter :sarcasm:

My boy is 11 and he is on my old sled 93 500 Classic and seem to get along ok.He can started fine since this Classic didn't come with the elec. start.

I personally had same problem this year. purchased 120 for 6 & 8 yr. old kids can buy or sell used 1 not lose a lot of $ . 12yr. old got cert. and a 380 :D ... small ones crashed many times!!!!! :doh: the oldest had none!!!

I learnt on a 78 Elan 250 when I was 10. It really teaches you how to throw around a sled. I then moved up to an 86 INdy Trail and could out ride some of my dad's friends on 580's with that 488.

Im 16 and when i was 15 my dad got me a 76 artic cat jag 270 she ran a wopping 40 mph on a good day but I didnt care.. I rode that thing so much that the suspension blew out(the whole 2 inches that it had) Then the next year i got a 98 Formula z 670 what a difference :devil: Having suspension was great and be able to go 110 blew my mind but what i would say is that earlier this year I got nailed by a 12 year old and his dads brand new mxz 500 DONT GIVE LITTLE KIDS BIG HORSE POWER SLEDS I would recommend a 340 or a 440 with a governor just my 2 cents

I've got the perfect snowmobile for your son. Im selling an '87 polaris indy 340. I've never had any problems with this snowmobile. It is also a bit tippy so he will learn to take corners. Its great. I can show you some pictures if youre interested. Get back to me.

When my son was 7, he started off on a '69 Olympic 12/3 that he and I had restored together throughout the previous summer and fall. I let him take the first ride...he drove about 25 feet and plowed it into our well cover. :doh: My buddies were down to witness the inaugual ride. They nearly soiled themselves when the old timer took big air. :D No damage...those old sleds are TOUGH!! :)

He drove pretty slow after that for a few months. Once we got the '72 T'nT, he got braver and started to drive faster. He's now 16 and on a 2000 MXZx 440, which he Chernobyl'ed in December. He paid for the repairs and now has a greater respect for the power.

Try to find an older single or small twin. A Bravo, Citation, or small Indy would be perfect.

My daughter (15) put a lot of miles on our 95 Indy 340 this winter and handles it real well. My son who just turned 8 was itching to ride it so I rode with in the back yard (open 3 acres) and he did well so he has "soloed" now and handle it fine so far. I think his experience on his Yamaha PW80 helped a lot as he understood how to (or not to!) handle the throttle. Depends a lot on the child in my opinion.

Good luck!

I had a 76 Jag 3000 that I started on. It wouldn't do near what sleds now can, but it was also tipsy as hell and slow. Being on an old sled teaches you really how to ride and how to handle the sled without relying so much on the suspension to help for control. I'm glad I started on an old one because once I finally got on a newer one I could outride all my friends.

put him into a 340, 370 maybe even a 440. i remember those days. seem like it was just yesturday. i guess its only been 14 yrs ago. i could ride aroung in a field for hrs.

I would have to say the best transition sleds are the Yamaha Bravo 250 or the Ski Doo Citiation. Of course, it all depends on the size of your 8 old too. My son is small and will probably ride his Z120 until he's nine. But he has fellow 1st graders that would never fit on a 120.

Find a Bravo or Ovation or Citation. Like they said, will teach them balance and control.

I started on an Olympic 399 at around 9.

Ok here's one not mentioned. I bought two Yamaha Sno Scoots for my 6 & 8 year olds. They love them. Their light, manuverable, can go about 35 mph and run all day without using much gas. This worked out great, my 8 year old daughter weighed 68 lbs when she started riding their scoots ( after they shared a kitty cat ) no problem handling it. It's been two years now and we are just starting to plan the transition to a 340 / 440. It will either be next year or the year after. She still only weighs 72 lbs. Good luck lots of choices out there.

Get him some 340 Ski-Doo!!

I started my boys out on a 73 399 Ski-doo with a throttle limiter. They were 4 and 5 years old. They rode by putting their knees on the seat.. I have home movies of them and it will be great for them to watch when they get older. They also started riding a motorcycle at that age (Yamaha PW-50)
Pic of bike:
http://groups.msn.com/Evelsstuff/bikes.msn...hoto&PhotoID=56 (http://groups.msn.com/Evelsstuff/bikes.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=56)

After a few years on the 399, I picked up a basket case 1975 300 Olympic for 200bucks. It came with all new parts just needed to be put together.. The 2 year difference in sleds was a lot..The motor was now moved forward and the gas tank was between your legs instead of the motor like the old 399. I added ski spreader's which helps but is still not as stable as a newer sled. One plus on both of these sleds is "bogey wheels" as they could ride in low snow conditions. They started grass Drag racing at ages 9 and 10. Heres a pic:
http://groups.msn.com/Evelsstuff/oldyeller...hoto&PhotoID=53 (http://groups.msn.com/Evelsstuff/oldyeller.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=53)

The old 300 took many seconds but no first prize as we ran against 340's,377's and 380's. All this time they NEVER rode unsupervised and never really went on a BIG trail ride until they were 11 and 12 when they would go with me one at a time on my wife's 700 SD. I have drilled them with safety (both are NYS certified as lone operators both on sleds and boats) and taught them proper hand signals, trail manors, etc,etc.
Last year we went temporarely insane and bought them each a 2002 MXZ 500fan for Christmas.
2 seasons and 2000 miles later and the only accident so far was my youngest hit the back of my wife's sled while up in Quebec last year on a real icy section when he could not stop (no studs)
I think the younger you start them the better.. as long as they really want to ride.. I saved old yeller for my 8 year old daughter but she shows no desire to ride it so we have it up for sale.. If she decides that she wants to ride in a few years she can start on one of the 500 fans.

I say get him something late 80's-early 90's in 340 size and use a throttle limiter..

Cheers,