...and not letting a barefoot 4 year old do circus tricks on his quad.

 

That would be my 4yr/old left to his own devices.

Joel

 

Very glad to see you folks are being safe and in agreement on staying safe. There is another section in this forum that covers safety issues. It is horrifying to see the terrible accidents that could be avoided with just 1 oz of common sense.

Welcome to the forum OneTenCC. The reason Chinese quads are dirt cheap is very simple. They use inferior metals, plastics, rubber, and other raw materials. The level of labor skill and quality control is substandard. The dealer network for support and parts is nearly non-existent. These all weigh heavily into the cost of the product. Big brands buy parts from China, they assemble them there as well. The difference is the points above, better quality parts, better labor skills, better quality control.

If the chinese quads did the same thing, you know what, you would have a true Honda, Kawa, clone.

The saying "pay me now or pay me later" is never more true here. As long as you get a deal now, you are getting your discount up front and will pay over time in much higher repairs, failures, cheap parts, etc.

The ONLY reason any of us considers or bought a cheap chinese ATV is because it was CHEAP. And that is a perfectly sound reason if your toy budget does not permit one to buy a clean used or new name brand.

Often times, the saying goes "pay me now or pay me MORE later" also applies if you buy a chinese quad and are not prepared to wrench it along. Only one or two trips to the shop can easily bridge the difference in purchase price of a chinese quad or a good deal on a used name brand quad.

I do not mean nor want to sound like preaching about this but after two years of being in the thick of chinese quad ownership and hearing stories from many others in the same boat, most would agree with these statements.

Would I have done anything differently? No, I had a limited budget, needed to buy two quads, and the ONLY option was to purchase two chinese quads. My son and I have had many wonderful times on them so I am trilled to have purchased them. I am totally untrilled with the amount of wrenching and breakdowns I have dealt with. Was there anything else to do to minimize this: NO - the things are inherently substandard in materials and build quality. Just in with open eyes that you will be paying as you go along, one way or another. But at the same time you can also derive many fun times riding quads.

Have fun!

 

Been there done that.

As I've mentioned be before on here my last Chinese ATV has given us the least hassles for the amount of use etc. I think one of the reasons is I did the pdi on it when I got it out of the box. The first two I picked up assmembled by some kid!!!

However they have improved over time and some brands a bit better then others.

Also it depends on useage. If your going to give say a 90 or 110cc to a bunch of 14 year olds that are let say "experienced" jumpers they are going to beat the hell out if in no time! Heck they would probably do a number on a a Honda or Suzuki 90 too for that matter ... just it would take a longer before it fell apart!


I'd say the 150 chinese quad I have has about 1500-2000 miles on it now. Going by how many miles we put on my 4x4 speedo this summer. Other than the the cheap plastic that has changed color it still looks ok. My nieghbor bought a Can-am 4x4 with 4000 mile on it and it looks like its been flipped, rolled, and put away wet many times!! AS there isn't anything plastic that is not cracked or broke or metal that is not bent or scratched. Now is Can-am a crappy quad?? Heck no it was just beat on is all, or like I told him... "well used".

If I had a kid who was into racing and jumping I'd look into one of these 150cc Pitster Pro atvs!
I think the parts & engine come from China but they are higher quality and may be assembled in the USA. Now they are a smaller atv but as for jumping and ripping around a track they look like they would stand up better than any little Honda or Suzuki 90 and they cost about the same money.

 

Sounds like you have totally gotten lots of bang for the buck on the 150. crazy - 2k miles in two years, that's like nearly 100 miles a month on average. That thing has paid for itself for sure.

My comments on durability, reliability and such are in context to similar riding conditions, not including "abusive" riding. Being ridden in typical terrain offered the same treatment, we both know the name brand is going to hold up better. In very light riding, careful storage, and zero abuse, I would agree both may look in similar condition but not be the same thing underneath.

I will admit that I did not follow sage wisdom here and upon arrival strip it down as much as possible and locktite it all up. That mistake alone caused much headaches in terms of parts falling off, getting loose, making noise, unnecessary rubbing, etc. I just ended up buying some locktite and watched for the latest loose nut or bolt then fixed them up one by one. After some time it did solve many issues.

Also, I can truthfully say that as much damage and wear and tear was self-inflicted. Rolling a quad can do wonderful things to handlebars, levers and such.

Still, having a great time and no regrets!

 

Mine too... Well, that and trying to jump my crew cab dually from front to back.

 

The milage is a guess as I put on 500 miles on my 4x4 in 1 year and don't ride it much. 90% of the time the 150 followed me around when I drove it. Now the main quad rider (12 year old) in the house rides the damn things (250 & 150) a lot more than I do. It's when ever he gets a chance basically. In the summer checking mole traps in the fields a few times a day it doesn't take long put miles on. But really these are easy miles not abusive ones rolling end over end down hills or something lol! We live in the country so its basically walk out the door and drive. He was driving around in the snow today for an hr. and -23c outside!!!


Heck the darn 110 when the kids were younger they had that thing going non stop it seemed all summer holidays the 1st year. I was filling that thing up constantly tell I said "ok this is getting out of hand here"! 3 boys then they asked their "friends" to come over and drive the hell out of it ... you get the picture. I also have a BAJA 50cc motor bike that they put miles on. It though is sick, and needs rings. It has a poor air box/air filter set up and they sucked mud into the engine too many times.

 

I guess I would have called about that first one for sure.....it said runs great, wonder what needed fixing.

Thats your problem, why do you care if the name brand wheeler is 3 or 4 years old.....shoot for 10+ years old for the good deals. I cant speak of the others but the LT80 has been the same from 1987 to 2003.....then minor changes till they stopped making them in 2005 I think. I bought a 1988 Suzuki LT80 with a fresh top end and new tires for $750. Despite being over 20 years old its rock solid with no signification suspension wear.....its tighter then every Chinese quad Ive owned out of the box.......but its got over 20 years of use. There are lots of older quads for great prices. With the LT80 a fresh top end basically makes it "like new" in my eyes. Weve been riding that quad almost daily for 6 months upwards of 5 hours on some days.......trails, ice, snow, mud, yard......100+ degrees to -5 degrees.......not a single problem. He was out riding today.....(I put some grip warmers on it, great stuff for those cooold days). Ive owned probably a half dozen Chinese wheelers and Ive never gone longer then about 2 months without turning a wrench on something......and they didnt get rode as hard. There is a reason they hold their value better.....cause they last.

New ***** wheeler < Old name brand wheeler


Thats what Im talking about.....I bet that old ATV would serve him well for a long time and do it better then China wheeler.

Dont get me wrong....Im not saying Chinese ATVs are bad. You just have to know their limits.

They are great for beginners in a yard, but the minute your son really starts working a Chinese ATV.....its parts failure time. Running around the yard, great. Alot of people only occasionally use an ATV.....that makes the price of a China wheeler make since.

Use it hard or often.......and they go from being a good deal to a waste of money.

 

That's sort of my plan for the atv for my older son. Something more reliable with good support. It will last and he can grow into it as he gets better. Since neither of the boys knows that I'm doing this, I have time to shop around. The first link is an LT80 in a cycle shop an hour north of here. I'd wait on that one. The other will come down in price if no one buys it. I can wait people out...

The Meerkat was a good deal for my 4 year old. He'll outgrow it in two years or less and I can move him up too. If he hates it, which is possible with him, I'll shine it up and sell it for about what I paid for it. If he beats it to death, I've spent more on bar tabs in one night.

 

Brand name quads sure as heck don't hold their "new price" value thats for sure!

Used price value they do hold and if you can find a decent one for sure. I checked the specs on those Suzuki LT80's and they are pretty nice. I don't like 2 stokers but oh well. I didn't check but do they have reverse? Little guys like that feature. For a beginner quad for around the yard priced right I'd have to agree those things look real good. I like that they have a CVT trans too.

For an older boy maybe one could find say a used Suzuki 160, I don't remember what year they made them. My in-law has an older one in his shop his boys had and they took that thing into the mountain trails.

I like them old Suzuki's the made the first production quad I believe.