Hey guys, great site. I am looking for a atv for my 9 year old daughter. She weighs 50lbs. We need something that can handle some pretty good terrain. I know no chinese crap. I've been done that rode before. Any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks, Adam

 

The only child size atv I have any experiance with is my sons 2007 Kawasaki KFX 90, it has been the single most trouble free atv I have had the pleasure of owning... Oil changes, lube, brake pads the only things I have had to do to it, It fires right up every single time and runs like a champ and my kids right the HELL out of this thing.

The downside is, no reverse, actually no gears at all, its always in drive, no nutral, it just takes off about 1/4 throtle.

They run about 15mph tops from the factory but have a clutch shim in the belt houseing that can be removed once the rider is more experianced, once I removed that, it would run about 32mph tops.

Depending on your depth of your wallet, for her size a 50cc might be the way to go, I went with the 90cc because I cant afford to upgrade quads that often... hell the oldest boy is already outgrowing the 90....


Any of the other brand name bikes will be great to im sure, I just personally dont have any experiance with them to add any valuble input. Hope this helps

 

Oh by the way, welcome to the forums

 

Are you looking to buy used or new?

I think a 50cc is the way to go if you can afford to upgrade her later on... a 50lb kid on a 90cc doesn't sound good to me! haha.

If you do decide to get a 90cc with a limiter, the Honda TRX90 is one of the best. From what I've read you can used ones in good condition, and they hold their value quite well also.

 

Anyone else notice there are no new minis in most dealers showrooms?

The new child toy safety law limits the amount of lead that a toy marketed at children under 12 can contain. Apparently the government thinks atv's contain too much lead for our children to ride.

I know I like to suck on a good battery terminal every now and again.

 

I know that Polaris make a decent kids quad....but not price wise. Saw on another post that it was about 3k show room new. I'm going to look into a used name brand bike for my god son when hes old enough, should be able to get one pretty cheap. But for his first bike as long as it's safe im not going to cry if its not a popo.

and ... Welcome the the best forum on the www.

 

She's small for a 9 year old. At the same time, one reason to limit younger kids to 50cc is that they have limited motor skills (the kids, that is). A 9 year old will have the coordination needed for a slightly faster bike.

I'd look around for a used Suzuki LT80 (also a Kawi KFX80 - same bike). In size and weight, it's one of the smallest in that 90cc class but it has plenty of power. The LT80 is as reliable as they come. Ours would go anywhere our large quads would go until it reached it's limits on ground clearence. We bought ours used and sold it several years later for a few hundred dollars less than we paid for it, so basically the bike cost about $400 plus maintenance for four years of use.

You can limit throttle settings on the LT80, new ones even come with a restrictor (that most remove right away) so it's an excellent bike to take a kid from unexperienced to the point where they outgrow it by size.

 

OK, a lot of the big name brands, like Polaris, have their smaller ATV’s made over seas, they just have good quality control. I always bought name brand stuff and never intended to consider otherwise but changed my mind when I looked at the kid ATV’s made by Boreem Motor Sports (BMS) located out of California. I bought a BMS 70 two years ago for my 6 year old daughter and 4 year old son. The size fit well and the fit and finish was comparable to the big brand ATV’s. I was surprised and impressed. What really caught my eye was the two speed auto transmission the little quad came with. It shifts up and down like a car trans and has worked flawlessly. The engine is made by Honda I believe. Because it has two gears it will out run and out pull its competitors that have only a single range CVT. It is well made, the hand controls are made to fit kid hands and the suspension actually works. We trail ride often and have put a lot of hours on the 70 with no problems at all. It cost me $800 out the door brand new. When you consider a comparable name brand will be $2,400, it has been completely worth it. My daughter is 8 yrs old now and I just upsized to a BMS 110 for her. My son will fit the 70 for at least two more years. In my opinion a 50 is OK around camp but lacks the power to trail ride. Here is the link if you want to look at this ATV ATV 70cc Premium - BMS MotorSports

 

adammsmith, I would definitely get the Arctic Cat DVX 50. We had an '06 for my daughter and it was an amazing bike. And right now, they are selling them cheap here in Ontario, probably because of all the (mainland) Chinese competition. The 50 we bought had lots of torque and could easily carry an adult, yet the variator restrictor in the clutch housing kept the speed down to 9 mph. Then, when your daughter gets more experience, you can take out the restrictor (easily) and it will go 14 mph.

The one mod I would do right away, however, is to get better tires. The little 16" turf tires have very little traction on anuything wet or muddy. And don't stick with 16" - there is plenty of clearance for something bigger. (We put 20" on the front and 22" mudlites on the rear, but you may not want to go that big just yet, until your daughter gets more experience.)

I would also HIGHLY recommend an all-day training course for your daughter (which we had our daughter take). Arctic Cat will even give her one for fre if you buy one of their ATVs (but only if you are in the U.S.).

Good luck!

 

OK, settle in and get comfortable. this is going to take a few minutes....
First, I am not going to tell you to buy this or that. I think there are a lot of good machines out there and chossing one over the other is decision you are going to have to make on your own. rather, I want to concentrate on the child, her riding experience, and where she will be riding.

First, let's look at your daughter.
1) Make sure he has the physical size and strength to fully operate all controls. Brakes, throttle, steering for starters.
2) Make sure she has the proper frame of mind and discipline to understand and follow your instructions.
3) Make sure your training includes some situational stress factors like side hills, dealing with intersections on the trail, dealing with traffic coming the other way, letting others pass her on the trail, how to cross small obstacles, what to do if she gets lost, riding rules about riding alone, no double up, wearing the proper safety equipment etc.

If she can operate the machine, and you feel her maturity is such that she is going to obey your rules, then and only then you can proceed with your next steps.

Second, let's look at the machine.
The machine choice is going to be predicated on a couple issues. One, fitment, the other the riding environment. The child must be able to stand on teh pegs with legs slightly bent so they become part of the suspension system. She must be capable of reaching all of the controls comfortably etc. She must be capable of operating them without any problems. You would be surprised how many kids cannot operate a hand brake.
Now let's look at where she will spend the majority of her riding time. If it is on a track, whether it is in competition or not, you may tend to lean towards a sport model styling, and if you ride mostly off road on trails etc, then you may want something that looks more like mom and dad's utility machine. Not many of them, but they are out there. The good nes is that usually, if both exist, the only difference is in teh plastic, and all the mechanicals are the same underneath. I am a great proponent of non shifting full automatic for beginners, it is just one less thing they have to worry about when they are learning how to ride. However most kids can pick it up in a day or two. As long as they have an auto clutch, shifting gears adds to the adventure without becoming a huge burdon. Just make sure they learn to shut the motor off before they get off. (very important) A log of kids have grabbed the throttle when getting off and get run over.
What ever you buy, make sure it can be throttled down so they can get the feel for it. I think it is also a good idea to install wheel spacers to make them wider and harder to flip over. And please remember, Speed is UN-important at this age. If they balk, let them walk. they can have fun on a slow machine just as much as a fast one. It sure beats watching. This is wher parentling comes in

Speaking of parents, here is the most important thing...
First and foremost, YOU are the parent, so Act like it. YOU make the decisions based on what you are comfortable with not the child. If YOU think they are not physically or mentally prepared, save your money. ATV's are NOT the way to make points with junior. They are NOT toys, they can and haev killed kids much better at this than yours. Your kid is NOT a world champion, chances are they will never be, and it should be your hope that they never want to be. Period! They are not babysitters, and by law, YOU must be present and in sight of the child when they ride. If you can'[t make that commitment, get them a fishing pole.

Machine size... Again it depends on where you ride. They may need larger engines if they are riding sand, or hills. YOU decide, not the kid down the street.
If everything is still a go, then congratulations, you are now ready to choose. Just make sure you get all teh equipment you can and they use it religiously. Helmet, neck brace, goggles, gloves, long sleeve shirt, long leg pants and NO Tennis shoes. Get them somethign that goes over the ankle. Good luck