Ya the 250ex should do him good. My first quad was a 250ex and i rode it at the dunes. Since he is about 100 lbs he should have a great time on it that i did. I recently moved up to a 450r only because i got bored with my 250. Im also 135 and 15, so 250ex should be a blast for him.

 

Okay I'll chime in here too. The 250 4 stroke bikes are very good and virtually maintenance free. But, don't forget the Yamaha Blaster. I've had a couple of them, plopped my boys on them when they were 8 or so. The Blaster can grow with the kid, if you don't mind a little wrenchin'. Once they got to where they wanted more power (we ride the Idaho dunes big HP is needed) I piped and ported one of them. Then put a bigger carb on. Darn near keeps up with our Z400 in a short race. With just these mods a 250 4 stroke couldn't dream of keeping up with this Blaster.

Now, rather than get a bigger wheeler for my youngest (age 11 now), I'm doing a whole makeover on the Blaster. Longer swingarm, wider a arms, more engine work. Now it'll be fast and keep him good for a couple more years.

Well, one thing I set out to say is, the Blaster stock is 325 pounds, and that's with steel wheels and a heavy pipe. You end up at about 310 with aluminum wheels and a decent aftermarket pipe. To me that's a very good safety feature, comparing to the 4 strokers that run more like 380 or so.

I could have easily upgraded to a Z400 or 400EX, I did get a Z for my older (14) son, but I feel better with an 85 pound kid on the lightest bike I can get him on. For what it's worth, my boys have ridden out of the cradle and are very good too.

SR

 

We just bought our oldest a used 250ex (2001) and he is just starting to ride through the dunes. He only weighs in about 75lbs. The bike is completely stock, in fact, when we went out for New Years, my hubby rode it all through the dunes (225 lbs) and got almost everywhere. Although, the "Big Guy-Little Bike" looked funny...lololol He probably took a few years of life off of it...lol

I think you'll be very pleased with the 250ex in the dunes....we are!

 

i have to agree with shadyrascal. the blaster would be the better bet. i rode an 89 blaster for about a year then i moded it. i piped, ported and polised, raised the compresion 220 psi, put a bigger carb on, and pulled the oil ingection off it. its been on those mod's for a bout 6 years, and it is still on the origanal piston. so the engine will hold together pretty well if your worried about having to work on it alot cause its a 2 stroke.

 

Doesn't sound like he wants a Blaster........................


We bought a 250ex for my wife, that was quickly comandered by my 80ish lb 11 y/o daughter.
Stock, with paddles, she zips around almost everywhere.
She has a blast on the 250...
As Red400EXRod said, I'm gonna pipe/jet/filter it.
Also, consider widening it out a little bit. I'm gonna go 1-1/2" front, and 2" in the rear.

As good a rider as my daughter is and is getting better, I won't even consider putting her on a 400 or bigger for a while. Anybody can ride a quad under "normal" conditions.
Putting a young, lightweight, physically weak (compared to teenagers and adults), on a quad that big and powerful is, and has been, a disaster. They "generally" just cannot handle them if they get into trouble.

 

my boy is 12 and 75# the 250ex is great for him, he rips pretty good on it. I would like to get him a used 400ex to start learning the clutch on, but in reality the 250ex is plenty for him, and a very reliable bike. If you get a new 250ex it comes with a sport clutch.

 

Bigwaynester.... yes, got the sport clutch, good training for the next step up. Overall, seems like the 250 should work out ok. Probably gonna go with a 6 paddle, Skat-trak Extreme 21x12x8 tire. Dealer through in some ITP Sand Stars on the ITP cast wheel..... too much paddle and way too much weight I thought. Next trip out is Jan. 28

Still gotta run some break in hours between now and then. I'll post an update on how the bike did after that weekend.

Thanks to all that posted their answers... much appreciated!!

 

spsocal...

let us know when you put those paddles on. We're torn between going to something like the Maxxis Razors or keeping knobbys on it or going with paddles. My husband runs ProWedges on my 400ex and he's thinking of trying those on the 250ex to see how that works too.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

Afamilyoffour....

I will let you know. For years now, I have trusted Joe at Fullerton Sand Tire. He has never given me bad advice. I have purchased many many tires from them and upgraded, and changed many - always good advice, anyway, he is the one that told me to ditch the Sand Stars and use the 6 paddle, 21x12x8 skat, he says that is the setup he's used on the 250EX for years. I will post a follow up on how they worked.

 

My 80 lb. daugther can climb anything on hers. It's completely stock. The tallest hill around here is 100ft or so. It's a fantastic maintenance free bike. The blaster is a great bike too. I personally didn't want to be having to kick it over for her all the time until she got used to it. Her bike runs the sand shark paddles great.