I just upgraded the sons dirtbike so now the daughter needs a new quad. She has a little 125 Chinese that has served her well. But she's outgrown it. She's about to turn 8 but shes big for her age. So far all of our riding has been around the farm but I'd like to get them to where they can trail ride at some offroad parks with us. I noticed the Phoenix 200 and thought that'd fit her perfectly. But all the reviews I could find pretty much said they were junk. Has anything changed with em? So now I'm thinking 250ex. Online specs put the seat height the same. Think the 250 will be too big for her? Is there another model I'm missing out there?

 

The small displacement ATV are all subcontracted over to a Asian manufacturers such as Kymco on most all brands now a days.
I think the only ones made by the accual manufacturer is the Suzuki 250 Ozark and Honda 250 Recon and maybe the 250x.

Example, I know the 300 Yamaha Grizzly is made by Kymco but the 350 Yamaha Grizzly is built by Yamaha.

I guess Honda calls the 250ex a 250x now according to this link http://www.powersportsnetwork.com/en...2=521604&go=Go odd thing is the 250 Recon cost less then the 250x and they share the same motor and drivetrain.
With the Recon you get two racks ,two headlights and the E.S thumb shift, I would think it should cost more.

 

I wouldn't hesitate getting a Kymco, Made in Taiwan, not red China, quality is very good. Or the Kymco made Arctic Cat 150 or even the AC 300. Unfortunately have to go to 400 to get 4WD. Probably a 150 would be a safer step up, 300 or 400 would be way to fast.

 

I think an ES Honda Recon would be better. Easier to shift than a foot shift Recon or 250x. I had a foot shift Recon once and it took quite a bit of effort to shift. The Phoenix just doesn't have any power. I can't imagine anyone wanting to buy one of those unless they just want to putt around slowly. The Kawasaki Brute Force 300 would be good too. Its fully auto with separate high and low range with more power than the Recon for about the same price. With either the Recon or Brute Force 300 they're big enough that she would never outgrow either of them and both have enough power to be sporty for an adult as well. Both are quite a step up from the quad she is riding now. You would have to determine if she's ready for that much more power.

 

Axle geeks is one site that can help you compare specs from different machines whether small,mid size,big bore,year model,price range,etc. Best ATV Comparison - Prices, Specs, Features

 

Maturity wise I'm not sure she's ready for a lot more power and speed. Physical size wise she needs something bigger. I considered with a manual shifter like a 250ex backing off the throttle cable so she can't go full bore for awhile.

 

Most ATV have a speed limiter adjustment and if not you can buy them.

 

Great, thanks

 

Rick, just out of curiosity, what are the riding areas like where you intend to ride? Are you looking at a sport machine or something more set up for trail riding? More utility styled? I just sold my son's TRX 250 Honda a couple months ago. I can highly recommend them. They have enough power to keep a kid happy as they grow. They can shift manually, and use a clutch if that is what you want to do, OR they can be an auto clutch as well. In short, she won't be stalling the machine if she is in the wrong gear etc. At 8 years old however I'd still stick with a fully automatic. She will definately have enough to keep her busy just riding it, and adding the complexity of shifting gears, using a clutch etc is really a lot to put on a kid. My son was in the same boat. At 10 he was too big to even sit on his Yamaha 90 without banging his knees on the handlebars. As soon as he passed his riders class and got his permit, we went down and bought the Honda. Can-Am has a youth machine. Honda used to have a small utility machine too that uses the same running gear as the ex. BUT, it will have a slightly larger frame set up so it feels larger than the EX. N matter what you go with, you are going to get looks and stares because she isn't exactly following the CPSC guidelines. I'll leave that decision up to you. Ditto for safety gear. I am a big proponent of wearing helmets, long pants and leather shoes that go over the ankle. If you can swing it, I'd look at a chest protector and maybe a neck brace too. That helmet adds a lot of weight to skinny necks and can cause injury as a result. So at a minimum I'd recommend a neck roll. (OK Call me old fashioned). Just be sure you are riding with the kids so you can keep their enthusiasm and speed in check. ATV's require parental supervision... they are not babysitters. But I am sure you already know that. Good luck with the search... Quality used machines are out there My son's Honda had maybe 50 hours on it tops. I mean it was showroom clean and we had never cleaned it up. It looked like new. Sold it for $1500. So they are out there. Lastly, I am not a big fan of Chinese machines. Nor am I a big fan of Korean manufacturing either. I'd stay with those brands that parts are readily available for and that you can get fixed in a reasonable amount of time. Plan on buying to her size now, and upgrading as she grows. One good thing about kids quads, if you buy used, you can usually get near what you paid for it.

 

Yamaha has the Grizzly 125. No longer available as a new machine but here's a good example of a nice used one http://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcd/5712636021.html. It should be a good fit and being fully automatic, will be easy for a young rider to get used to. Its bigger than the smaller 90cc quads but a little smaller than the 250cc class machines.