i am 13 years old and have been ridding most my life. I am just under 5 ft. I a am looking at an ltz250/400, 250/400ex, And a raptor 250/350. I will ride only trails. I have heard bad things about the raptor 350. I will buy used.

 

I'm not really a sports quad kind of guy but I haven't heard anything bad about any of the mentioned models except they have bad ground clearance and aren't good in the mud.

If it were me I'd go with one of the 350s or 400s just to have a quad that will still have plenty of power for when you get older. The 250s aren't bad but I'd still go with the more powerful machines.

 

The 350 seems to have little issues by these owner reports. Vehicle Reviews for 2006 Yamaha Raptor 350

 

One of my friends had a Raptor 350. As far as I know there weren't any problems but he wanted more power. He traded it in for a Raptor 700 and now he's happy. Another guy I know has a LTZ 400 and he's happy with that too. I don't know anyone who rides a Honda so I can't comment on them. I think the Raptor 350 or one of the 250s would be more age appropriate for you.

 

I would have no problem owning any of them. Raptor 350 is as solid as any of them. It's essentially a Warrior with different plastics and they were some of the toughest machines' i've ever seen.

I would still probably prefer a 400ex or LTZ over one of them. The suspension seems to be a bit better and more comfortable IMO but, i wouldn't turn down a good deal.

 

I'd stay away from the Honda and Suzuki 250's. Not that they're bad machines, just not big on a shaft drive sport model.

 

That is a good point. They are also much less powerful. The other machines are much more aftermarket friendly when you start chasing the upgrade bug.

 

any of the 400s would be ok and so would the raptor. im 14 but im 6 foot 210 lbs and ride a 350 warrior fine.

 

For your size and wanting a reliable quad i would go with a raptor 250. I just got rid of it 4 months ago and we bought it new in 08 and never had a single problem at all. They're bullet proof and I wouldn't have got rid of it if I wasn't 6'1 because i was a little crammed but it has plenty of power... Enough to pull wheelies and you can pick a nice used one up for somewhere between 2 and 3

 

I'm 15 and I have a 2005 yamaha raptor 350 but I'm also 5 foot 8. For your size I would get the yamaha 250 , they're a little smaller and have a powerful kick to it.