I will be purchasing a couple of ATVs for Christmas this year and would appreciate any guideance on the topic. I am 6'3 about 230 lbs and have riden motorcycles before and have liscence. My son is 13, about 5'8, and a skinny 120 or so, if that much. He has not ridden before. We intend to ride on dirt with hills and bumps. Any advice on the proper or good ATVs would be great. Thanks.

 

wow, there's a lot to choose from!
What's your price range?
IMO, I'd test drive a lot of machines.(please take what I say only as
personal options, for I've only been experienced with honda's most of my life, we should get some yamaha,suzuki,polaris freaks in here too for more advice.)
I guess my first question would be if you're looking for something like a 4x4 that has hi/low range or something more sporty? Like, something being in
the middle, (eg, being good for woods, trails, hills, being sporty, etc)
Let me know and I'll give you whatever advice I can give.

 

no paticular price range. where we would ride is dirt hills and flatland. would like an automatic for the son so he can just ride to start with. think a predator 90 is too small for his size? that kawasaki v700 with auto tranny looks kind of nice for me?

 

At 13 I think your right, the Predator 90 will be too small. The 300ex I believe is an auto clutch - manual shift. That would get him used to shifting without having to worry about a clutch. If that's just too small for him, have him try a 400ex or a Z400 - both good machines.

 

The Kawi V force I think would be good for you. most of the "bigger" guys say they feel more at home on one of them. as far as you son you can either get the 300 ex or you can get a fully auto and get a scrambler or trailblazer from polaris

 

no 300ex is manual clutch manula shifting i think it's the 250 tha'ts auto clutch manual shift

 

yeah, the 90's are extremely tiny, the 5 and 6 year olds race those at tracks, if you got hit by one you probably wouldn't notice :-)
It does take a bit to get used to the manual shifting, but it is so
easy to grow into. If you yourself are used to riding motorcycles,
then you may want to get something a bit bigger like something in
the class of a yfz or raptor or something in their size ranges. they have
the speed and power you want, plus they have reverse. Do you have
a local dealer that you can test drive these quads?

Also, for your son's size, the size of a 250EX is about right. I grew up
on a 250X, and the size of it was perfect and still is for me (I'm now 6' 2",
155lbs and my step dad is about your size and it's still a perfect size
for him.) Machines this size are usually extremely predictable when it
comes to cornering(can turn on a dime) and speed.

 

For a good bike for your son, check out a Kawasaki Bayou 250. I've got a '93 Bayou 220 that I've had no trouble with. As for yourself , I would go for anything 400cc and up.

 

any thoughts on 2X4 or 4X4

 

For you or your son? By your name, I would like to think you like to get dirty! I would go with a 4x4 if that is the kind of riding you like to do. My brother in law is selling his 400ex and getting a Sportman 600 v2. It's as fast as a 400ex, just doesn't accelerate as quickly, which can be changed with a little cluthing action. The V-Force is a fast quad for an automatic. From what I've learned, it's fun to ride and will wheelie with the best of them. If you like the shifting, I would consider a Predator, YFZ or the new Honda 450 when they come out. But again, the Predator has been out for it's second year and the quirks are taken care of. The YFZ and Honda are new this year. My buddy is around 260-280 and is very confortable on my Predator. Advice: Get out to your local dealers and test ride. If they wanna sell you a quad, they will let you jump on anything you ask for. Good luck and happy trails!