re: My 13 1/2 year old son wants a 450 four-wheeler…

Depends on the type of kid he is. At 13 I broke my color bone on a 110 3-wheeler. At 14 I broke my back on a 200 4-Wheeler. I had a 80 dirt bike that never hurt me bad. I pushed them all to the limits because I was a bit of a reckless boy that liked extreme things. If my dad had gotten me anything more powerful to learn on I would be dead or paralyzed.

Now if your son is not a daredevil and is cautious with power equipment then you may be okay with a 450. If it were me, I would get him something small to learn his limits on. A Honda Recon or an old Honda 300 would be great.

Today 450's are considered mid level power and all you really need to do anything in the realm of hunting, trail riding, and chores. If you want to go up to really aggressive 27"+ tires and do the mud riding thing then you need 500+ level power with other mods.