We are in the market for quads for our 7 and 9 year old sons. They currently have a generic brand 50cc quad and they are in need of a bigger quad. We do alot of trail riding and the ones they have absolutely will not pull them up the hills that we have on our property. Age requrements say they should be on a 50 but if they won't do the job what size should we get? They both have been riding on our bigger quads (250) and handle them well. (shifting, steering etc) but we know they are too big and not safe for them to ride. What quads are out there that will provide them with the ability to ride the same trails as we do?

Please help

 

Depends on their ability level and size. A 90 for the 7yr old should be good, may be good for the 9 yr old as well. The 9yr old is at an age of transition. We have a kid in our camp that is 10, but has been riding a Blaster for 2 yrs, and can outride many adults. We also have an 8yr old that has a 90 he will be able to use for a couple more years. It really depends on what they fit on and what they can handle, and usually the parents know what is best for their kid.

 

My 7 year old rides a breeze 125 nearly the same size as a 90. The only difficulty he has is the brake handle is a bit big for him found a possible solution for that in another post. were going to be rebuilding the breeze this spring going to try and bore it and build a little more power from it.

 

I would consider a Quadrunner 160. I got one of these when I was 12 and it took me many many places with out any problems. Its a good 4 stroke bike with reverse, decent power and speed for kids.

 

I should qualify my recomendation my 7 year old is as tall as some 9 year olds and is heavier and stronger than all his classmates. He is athletic and has good coordination for his age. The brake handle are still too large for him because they are the same reach as a lot of adult quads. This quad can go about 37 mph on flat ground. it has climbed hills I did not think it could with my daughter on it. It is a automatic with reverse.

 

I just upgraded my 8 year old daughter from a 50 to the LT 80. Her ability to go up hills was not very good on the 50. The 80 is a powerhorse. It has two throttle limiters (one at the exhaust and one in the carb) and a throttle limiter screw. I've only taken off the exhaust limiter and have the throttle screw pretty much down all the way (so it's limited) and the thing can still haul around her 200# grandpa! She has no problems going up any hill. She's a big girl for her age (4'6" and about 90#), but as an 8 year old lacks the maturity for a bigger bike. The LT80 is great in that it is still small for her to handle (i.e. if she dumps it she can lift it off her) yet still gives her the power she wants while giving me peace of mind that she can't go too fast. I know that in two years I'll be buying another qaud for her, but the 80 is a nice transition from the 50 to a 125. I've seen parents try to push their kids on quads that are too big - under the theory that the kids will grow into the bike - and the kid is miserable trying to handle something that is too big.

 

I started both of my sons off on 80's. We have a Badger and an lt80. I really liked the Badger for starting a kid off. Thing is as reliable as they get, many ways to slow it done until they are ready, has enough stuff to go where it is pointed, and harder to flip than my SP500HO. (Been there, tried it) The lt is not quite as beginer friendly if you ask me. It rolls when you let off the gas, which is not a bad problem unless your yard is like mine. (probably 150' drop from one side of my yard to the other) It is a great little quad, and since my kids have been riding for awhile now, I'll probably keep it and sell the Badger, then get either a 300ex or blaster for my 10 yr old to ride. In my opion, there are not many GOOD quads that fall inbetween these. He is fairly tall for his age. (almost 5' @95lbs) While my 7 yr old is slightly short for his age, but he fits the LT just right. (about 4'-0") Both of these quads do a great job on the hills and hollers we have around here. And while being alittle more pricy than some imports, seem to hold their value alot better.

 

I didn't really see as any different between the 80 or 90 to the breeze. Breeze only weighs a few pounds more and sitting next to a honda 90 they are just about the same size. The breeze had reverse though and slightly bigger tires and it seems to have a little more ground clearance. I wouldn't just stick my kids on a full size machine.

 

Don't be fooled by the scary, angry face of TKBOB2000, his advice is sound. To me, the Suzuki LT160 is an excellent 'transition' quad. it's a wee bit small for an adult and a wee bit big for 7 y/o. my 8 y/o is riding the lt160. he started on Yam PW50 bike at 4-5 y/o, then LT50 quad, then 2 different 80cc quads. He always rides my 450cc Kodiak (fully automatic) and LOVES reverse. the 160 also is 4-stroke, 5-spd. with reverse. he can be on this one for the next 5 years. he's quite small for 8.

the Breeze is great too, I thought about that one. Being fully automatic, I've heard complaints about top speed. gears/shifting are nice to learn too. later they can get spoiled and lazy like me with auto.

also added some Carlisle Stryker tires, 22x11-8. they're a little wide, but the aggresive tread sure goes some places i thought would get him stuck.