Off Roading 50cc kid quads whats good

[one8upcb]

I purchased a 50cc yamaha raptor for my 3 year old to start riding and now after only one year he is ready for something bigger. The raptor comes with throttle governer and a engine kill switch built in the rear. The only thing i dont like about the 4wheeler was the price of 2300 bucks. If i knew my son was going to grow out of it that quick i would of purchased a 90cc or a cheap extreme model. There was a guy down the road from me with a no name brand that seems to be holding up and hes had it for about 3 years. so you make a long story short i would probably by a cheapo or get one bigger.

 

[Dieselnutz]

At this point with his balance he cannot ride a bike. He can touch and balance a Yamaha or Suzuki sitting still but he cannot ride a bicycle yet. My plan is to get by for a year or so until he gets a Honda CRF50. I am a bike guy and have only had pit bike 3 or 4 wheelers. I still have my 97 KTM 360 MXC and a YZ 490! But for the next year I plan on chasing behind him on my ATC 70 (3 wheeler). I e-mailed the wife a picture of him sitting on a four wheeler and it was :-{}

 

[pwerwagn]

...

Ha Ha Ha! I have a YZ490 too! I hate it. Its fast, but thats about it. Its for sale if you know anyone that wants it. We have been contemplating keeping the motor because it is in a fourwheeler frame right now (banshee-250R killer :-laf ) but probably gonna sell it. I also have a 1980 can-AM 400 for sale. Oh, back to the topic. I was checkin around and I found two e-ton 50's on the net (cycletrader I think) for 700 a piece. that aint bad, and considering he will outgrow it soon and get a bike, that may be the way to go. One of my good friends owns a bike shop (adventure motosports) and he told me that he has never had an E-ton fail, only one has came in the shop with problems and they sunk it in the river . hope this helps the decision. Oh, BTW, the polaris minis are the same as an E-ton I believe. at least they used to be.

 

[DPelletier]

I can't offer any advice on an E-Ton, but I went through a similar discussion with a friend who wanted to buy his kid a motorcycle. I advised him, based on the kids size and experience to look at a Yamaha PW80. These bikes retail for about $1,800. 00 Canadian. Anyway, he calls me from one of the bike shops and claims they have brand new PW80's for $1,199. 00. I told him that that wasn't possible. Turns out it was a "Yamoto PY80" which was some sort of Chinese knock-off. No copyright laws in China, so the bike was a cheap copy of the Yamaha. Against my advice, he bought the thing and we had trouble with it the first weekend. The oil injection wasn't working properly (extra cheap cable pce) and the bike overheated and wouldn't run. After realizing it was running on straight gas all morning, its a wonder it didn't blow up! Looking at the bike carefully, I can see that it just doesn't have the quality of the Yamaha. On the other hand, my brother did take my advice and bought his daughter a used 1996 PW80 Yamaha and paid $800. 00. I'd take my brother's used bike over my buddy's new Chinese bike in a heartbeat.

FWIW



Dave

 

[BigPapa]

I've got to go with pwerwagn, but for a different reason. Safety. I've been the parts manager at a large shop in Nashville for almost 20 years, and in my opinion, a mini bike is MUCH safer than an ATV for kids. Think about it, if they crash the bike they fall over, pretty much like a bicycle wreck. On an ATV they hit a bump or a ditch, the ATV starts bouncing, kid falls off and the ATV either runs over them or bounces on top of them. The ATV won't "fall over", it just keeps going. My son is 4 and he's getting a JR50 for Christmas. He'll start of with a set of the new Wheels4Tots training wheels. They're great.



As far as quality of the Eton, Polaris, Bombardier, etc. ATV's go, they're all basically the same. My store sales all three I just mentioned. Most parts interchange. I've not seen many problems with any of them unless they're crashed. That said, I'd still buy one of the Big FOUR (sorry NoCalH. O. PO! Can't put a Polaris in there!). Yes, they're more money, but as mentioned the kid's outgrow them so fast, unless it comes from a BIG family that's been passed down through 3 or 4 kids, used ones are the way to go. Plan ahead, don't be in a hurry. The deals are out there. Be patient.



Just my opinons,

Scott

 

[Dual EE]

First ATV

quad that ill keep for 3 years then sell? my son is 7 now



thanks bill

Bill,

You have been given a lot of advise on what quad to buy for you kid, but what I think most may not have considered is your childs age.

If your kid is seven now, anything smaller then a 90 is going to be like riding a toy in a year.

My nephew was 8 when we took him riding (first time) with us to the beach. He rode the Honda 90 I spoke of earlier. He rode it with no problems. He is now 11 and is riding my sons 400ex and my 86 TRX 250R. He has only ridden a handful of times and has the ability to ride the bigger ATV. The clutch is taking some time, but he is getting better.



Buy a used Honda 90. In 3 years it will be worth exactly what you paid for it.

Your kid will then be ready for a used Honda 300ex or a 400ex.

 

[Dieselnutz]

Bill, I think the Honda 90 would be perfect for a 7 year olds first ATV. Or a Honda 70 bike. My kid will just be 4 so I'm in a different boat.



Big Papa, I want to know more about the "wheels4tots training wheels". Which shop do you work in Nashville? The MID-TN TDR group is getting together in Woodbury at the Mooretown pull next saturday. You need to come.

 

[Big E]

I agree with going with a Honda 90. I just got my 7 yo one. He moved up from an Xtreme 90 that my 6 yo is riding now. The Xtreme runs good, but the fit and finish and quality are just not there. It also is noisy, vibrates a lot, and smokes like a chimney. The Xtreme uses the same engine/transmission and frame that almost all the Tawainese quads use. That includes the Polaris and Arctic Cat mini's. I wouldn't touch one of the Chinese quads with a 10 foot pole. From what I've heard you need to also invest in a welder and a lot of loctite if you get one.

 

[BigPapa]

Dieselnutz,



I won't be able to make Woodbury, have to work on Saturdays. I've only been able to make one event. I went to our store in Dickson the Saturday we had the meet at Piston Slapper's. It was good. I got to meet everybody, eat some good fish and watch AndyMan while they were drilling into the manifold on his new '03.



Anyway, I work at America's on Nolensville Road. Come by and see me if you need parts. We stock the training wheels. Go here for more info:



http://www.wheels4tots.com/



These are the originals. They mount to the foot peg stays in about 5 minutes and when you take them off nothings bent or scratched up. The cheaper knock offs clamp to the frame with u-bolts. I've even heard of kids jumping their bikes with these on.



Scott