I'm looking for a decent ATV. Hopefully under 1,200$. I was looking at the chinese brands of course.

The TaoTao Rhino 250 looks good, but i'm concerned with acceleration. I need to drive the ATV on municipal roads, where the speed limit is 30-40mph. Will that ATV handle that?

What would you recommend?

Would i be able to upgrade the ATV for acceleration?

 

Welcome to the forum. You might want to peruse the Chinese brands forums. I don't really have anything against them, but if you shop around, you might find a used name brand model. Here's my 2002 Arctic Cat 400 that I paid $1,400 for. It's been trouble free. No slouch, I can run it 50 mph all day, tops out just under 60. They are out there.

 

I would look for used name brand models too. Some people have horror stories about all the things they had wrong with their Chinese ATVs. If you do buy Chinese tighten up every nut and bolt on it before it starts to fall apart. A few people have got lucky with Chinese quads but they seem to be a minority.

 

If you read the forums you will find numerous posts from people trying to get parts for their no name Chinese machines. Listen to the good people on here and stay away from china products unless you prefer repairing them rather than riding them. The list is long with people sorry they made that investment. Only on occasion will you find a person that lucks out....so are you willing to be that 1 in 500 odds? There are good brand name atv's out there but it takes some serious looking and you might even have to drive aways. You will also need to be ready with cash as the good ones go quick !!

 

I would personally forget thinking about a Chinese quad. Unless you really like wrenching more than riding.

I'd look for a used Honda Recon 250. Pretty bulletproof and will get up to the speeds you're talking about. I've seen plenty of them here in New England that looked like new for the kind of money you're spending.

 

The Taotao Rhino is a good basic quad with a bullet proof engine but I wouldn't ride any solid rear axle quad on pavement.

 

I 2nd that. The Chinese quads might be cheaper initially but they will nickel and dime you to death because the cheap parts wear out so fast.

 

I find lots of used ATVs on Craiglist in my area. I think the Japanese brands should be toward the top of the list, maybe even a 450 size. You would need "street" tires instead of high flotation, low pressure tires for the hard surfaces. And be mindful that an ATV is no motorcycle. Their handling is tippy at best.

ATVs are heavily used "light" duty machines. You will need to inspect any $1200 ATV carefully as they are likely to have a lot of needs. But good deals do exist. Good luck.

David

 

Get A name brand. You might have to pay a little more money but it is well worth it. They will be a lot more reliable and most likely faster for when you drive on the road