I am a true newbie to the world of atv's. I have spent many hours pouring over this great forum soaking in vast knowledge like a sponge.

I am in the market for atv's for myself (40 yrs old) and my son. I am one of those guys who needs to know everything before making the jump.

My son: 9 (almost 10). Very low risk tolerance. Wants to be cool, but scared to death. average height but skinny as a nail, weighing in at 60 lbs.

We live at the periphery of Las Vegas and plan on cruising aroud the desert mostly. But we may end up using in on trails or dunes as well, though not routinely. There is no way he will ever want to race. I am a busy doctor and have no time for doing my own mechanical stuff, so i need realiability and low maintenance.

Questions for you experts:

1. After much research, I am leaning toward the Eton 90R for him. This is mainly because we have local dealers for servicing. I have access to a Yamaha dealership and can get a Raptor 80 at cost, but not impressed with what i have read. Is the Eton 90 too big for him?

2. Has anyone purchased the 4 stroke Eton yet? None are available around here in Vegas.

3. The local eton dealers do not deal. Any experience with AnythingATV.com? i found them on google.

Thanks guys in advance.

 

Eaton is a very good brand. Kymco atv's are good also. Check out kymco they ae a little cheaper than eaton but both ae great.

 

If I were you, I would buy 2 of the same brands. Honda 300 or 400 for you, and Honda 90 for your son. Any off brand quad is still going to be alot of work for you, changing oil, general maintenance, and the odd repair. See if there is a big 4 dealer in your area and buy it there. You are right about the Raptor 80, but the Suzuki 80 or Honda 90 should be great for him.

 

Kymco and eaton are not cheap generic atv's. They are very good kids atv's. Just as good as the name brands.

 

Your son's size, weight and personality sound the same as mine. I've been riding since 74' and my son has been riding for 2+ years now in the California Deserts. I'm going to give the following advice based on this. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Get all the safety gear, head to toe, don't go broke doing it. Its not if he'll crash, but when(this is where you come in). You can minimize crashes with good equipment and teaching good skills.

Get a quad with a foot brake that controls the rear axle. Your son can fully control rear brakes with the strength of his right foot better than his hand grip on a brake lever. All big boy quads have right foot brakes, start him off learning the same equipment. You'd be amazed how many lil' quads don't have a foot brake.

Throttle limiter that you can adjust, either on the handle bar or in the throttle slide. This is a must, because a kid who can't demonsrate terrain reading skills, good reaction time and evasive manuvers at any speed is a recipe for crashes and ER visits.

Teach braking without having to look at the brake pedal. Teach scan the trail ahead, kids tend to tunnel vision and not read terrain and crash into stuff like...the back of Dad's quad. Teach him to find out when the quad rides him instead of him riding the quad.

My two cents...Have fun!

 

Don't expect any stock 90 to fair well in sand. Semi autos hold an advantage there in stock form but the 2-strokes rule the dunes. There are a WHOLE lot more performance parts available for the 2-stroke "off-name" quads. And you can make them fly.

 

bajas dont eat your wallet and are great for a kid. a 90cc would be best. i am 12 and got the 250cc(i know...your not supposed to have above a 90 'till your 16)but it is great

 

Thanks for all of the advice guys. I have decided to go with either Honda 90 or the Eton 4 stroke 90. The Honda is not that much more expensive. any advice about on line Eton dealerships? Are there Honda dealers who will ship out of state?

YP

 

yhp, I like your narrowed down list [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

If it were me, I'd go with the Honda TRX90. Read up on the 06', they claim they re-worked the front brake lever for the typical rider, this is good. The Honda has a right foot brake. The Honda has a throttle limiter. The Honda also has the auto clutch with four speed tranny, this is good. If you're not going to save $500+ on the Eaton with 'apples to apples' features, then go with the Honda. Since you need a quad too, get yourself a Honda at the same time as your son and work that sales manager over till he gives a good package deal! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

My two cents, have fun!

 

I'd go Honda. A cvt and 90cc 4-stroke do not belong together imo.