Sorry for the long post but the more I read the more confused I get. I'm looking for a quad for my son. He is 8 years old and although the "rules" say he shouldn't be on anything bigger than a 70cc, he has already ridden an older model Polaris 80 and I want to get him an 80cc or 90cc quad. He is 48" tall and only weighs about 50 pounds. The riding we do is primarily open trail riding, with the usual whoops and some trails are extremely rocky. Water is present only after it rains and usually is not deeper than the just above the floor boards.

Right now I have a line on a 2003 Polaris Predator 90 and an 2005 Eton Viper 90R. Both are automatic and priced around $1200. The owners claim they have very few hours on them (ridden around their property but the kids lost interest).

Forum discussions that I have read point out issues with the Polaris having a mid stem bolt for the steering (but I'm not sure if this is a major concern or not) and that it has single front A-arms. There also seem to be issues with the Polaris stalling when shifting from neutral into gear or when decelerating quickly. On the other hand, there have been comments about the Eton not being able to reach it's top speed without modifying the pipe, air filter, and carb jets and that it has issues starting.

Would love to hear from people who have both models to get some feedback. Alos, would it be prudent to consider a 4-stroke? Are 2-strokes in danger of being banned as some hype would lead you to believe?[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

We have a 04 eton viper 90 and it has been a very reliable atv.I strongly disagree that it needs modifications to reach its top speed or that they have starting issues...However ours is a non reverse model and I understand the reverse adds more electrical switches and wiring to create potential problems....The Polaris is also a good machine with a little better front suspension than the Viper and a little more width for stability..It seems to have more than its fair share of electrical gremlins however but not enough to prevent me from buying one...As long as the water is kept below or level with the running boards it won't be a problem as long as you ride slowly and don't drown the bike with waves.(look in my pictures for a view of where the water will get in).The vipers rear disc will be an advantage here as the water won't affect it like it will a drum brake...As for 4 stroke vs 2 stroke thats been covered here pretty well in other posts.I would prefer the 2 stroke for there superior power and simplicity and can't see them being banned but I guess that would depend where you live and ride....

 

You also need to concider stator burn out if you are running in water, point is kids out grow the machines quickly, either quad will work just fine get the one that fits him the best, sometimes you can have to much info[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Yuor son is the same size as mine basically. He fits the E-ton line perfect now, I think the Polaris are a touch bigger but will also fit him well. While dual a-arms are ideal, singles are fine for most until they outgrow the quad.

 

My son is 6yrs old and around the same height and weight as yours. He has been riding since he was 2 on a suzuki lt50. At 5 I started looking at some other brands and thought about the etons. We have some riding friends that have 3 for their kids. Their bikes seem to have many break downs. I am not trying to bash the brand, it just appears they have many mechanical failures. Every time we are out, they are down. I had great success with the lt50 suzuki and decided to just purchase the lt80 even though they say for riders 12 and up. I have also just purchased an Extreme 125cc quad for my other son who is 9. It is set up wonderfully for the same price I spent on the Suzuki. It came setup to hit the track. As far as reliability goes on this one, we will have to see. I was a little skeptical since the company hasn't been around that long. I felt comfortable with the Suzuki purchase, since I could find parts locally and if needed take it in for repairs.

When I was looking for some quads I watched at local riding ares what some other kids were riding, the age of the machine, and the condition it was in. I talked to other fathers and asked about the reliabilty of the bikes. You might consider this as well. Good luck in your selection, it can be a real mind bender...

 

Thanks for the reply. I've been questioning the reliability of the Eton and think I might just hold off until next year and try to pick up a Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, or the like. I'm hoping that with a few mods down the road my son will be able to enjoy a 90cc for a few years and then I can pass it on to my daughter. Kind of worried the Polaris and Eton won't last 8 or 9 years

 

I just went through the same process for my son's first ATV. While my wife and I ride and like Polaris, we ended up going with a Suzuki LT-A50 as his first machine. Granted you're looking at something larger, but I think your decision is based more on brand than on which specific model in the lineup.

You can argue features all day. What decided it for us was the fact that these little quads seem to see their fair share of abuse [grin] and thus reliability and repairability become important. There's a school of thought which holds that the major name brands are stronger / more reliable / better built / etc., too, which I tend to believe but cannot cite hard data.

The Suzuki got the nod from us for the following types of reasons:

1) Very well known brand with decades of history in the USA;

2) They've been making a youth quad longer than just about anyone (at least back to the mid-80's) so they have lots of experience in this specific product area;

3) Authorized dealers are common and easy to find;

4) Therefore parts are much easier to get;

5) And so are people not only trained to work on them, but also who have actually SEEN and WORKED ON one before yours rolls into the shop;

6) Suzuki has a good reputation, hopefully rendering #4 and #5 above less important;

7) Owners Manuals and Service Manuals are easy to find and buy (and very well written) so you can do your own work if you wish;

...and so on. Finally, the name brands hold their value better than the no-names so when the kids outgrow the machine you'll be able to recover more of your investment.

Just a few things to consider - hope it helps!

 

Save yourself some serious headaches and buy only from the big four -- Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki or Suzuki. Look at it this way...it will last forever and when your child outgrows the bike you can sell it for a whole lot more than you could from another "brand."

My son has a TRX90...my oldest rode it until he was 12-13 years old. My youngest started riding the quad when he was 6 and now at 7 completely handles the bike. It's a great little quad that can be adjusted up or down for rider experience. Give it a serious look.

 

Listen to E70...right on the money.

 

Unless they've changed, the Yamaha's front end is a bad joke. And an LT80's suspension travel is pretty much non-existant (don't know about the newer 4-strkoe model). The Honda is a decent machine, but so is the Polaris. Stock for stock, I like the performance and suspension of the newer Polarises. Not sure about a 2003. Seems like there was an update in 2004 or 2005. I like Eton too, but I think the Unison is generally cheaper and it's an equivalent machine. I also think the cvt transmissions are much easier for the beginners.