Looking at buying either a 2000 Honda EX 90 or Suzuki Quad sport 80 for a 10 year old. Live in San Diego so will be riding in the desert. Any opinions on these quads or tips for young riders?
Thanks,
Paul

 

I can't comment on the Suzuki, but I looked at the Yamaha Badger and Eton 90 before finally deciding on a Fourtrax 90 for my 10 yr old son this Christmas, and I'm very impressed with this little machine--the fit and finish are excellent. My son didn't have much of a problem getting the hang of it either due to the auto-clutch 4-speed transmission, and it wasn't long before he thought he was riding like a pro. What sold me on it though, besides the quality, it that when compared to the Yamaha it had 10 more cc's and an extra gear, and the fact that the Eton (and Suzuki 80) are belt drives. In my opinion, I think your son would prefer a machine he can shift himself, and would soon get tired of the somewhat slow response of the belt-drive models.

The only downside of the Honda 90 is that it lacks an electric starter--it has a recoil starter instead--and the fact it's the highest-priced small quad on the market. On the other hand though, the Honda has an excellent re-sale value...where I'm at they last about 2 hours when advertised in the newspaper.

 

here's a post I did back in August...Well, this is the end for me on this topic but I hope it will continue for those parents who are shopping
in the future. After much consideration and on site fitting, I finally purchased an Impuls90 for my son.
We're quite happy with the quad.

It is identical to the lt80 accept for wider a-arms and rear axle, but smaller overall to the trx90. Price
won over both machines which helped ease the decision process.

The cvt tranny is very easy for the youngsters and has plenty of horses to run it on hillclimbs. My
sons only complaint is that the throttle is pretty tight making it tough on extended rides. I also
softened the suspension for a plush ride. The tires are the same as the lt80, nicely aggressive.

Overall, I would recomend this quad for any child. It is very stable under most conditions, has great
power, oil injection, easy handling, room for mods and makes for a huge smile!


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Steve Small, '00 400ex
'00 Trail Boss for the wife.
Impuls90 for the boys.
<a href="mailto:extreme400ex@home.com">EXtreme E-mail</a>

 

klop,
I, Too, have expounded on this subject many times but no one seems to ever do a searchof the subject. That being said I would certainly suggest you investigate the new E-ton (formally the Impulse). The Western distributor for the company lives near me in Cottonwood Az & ridesat our local cycle park. I had an opportunity to ride the 90cc (a 50cc is also available) on our intermediate mx track & I was amazed at the performance of this little scoot. It gets off the line quite rapidly & gets thru the turns so wellyou forget it is just a 90cc cvt tranny. In my opinion it leaves the others in it's class in the dust. You can see the full line & the specs at: e-tonamerica.com


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THE AZ HARD PACKER, calmiller@kachina.net

save the public land FOR you, not FROM you..join the Blue Ribbon Coalition online @ www.sharetrails.org

 

I guess I should have given the Impulse 90 a little more credit than I did, cause it's a nice machine at an excellent price--don't overlook it just because it doesn't have a name like Yamaha, Honda, etc. Also, since you're in CA, dont' worry about the Green/Red sticker crap--the 90cc two-stroke is exempt. Lastly, probably the best thing to do before buying is to check out each machine individually, and pick the one that not only fits your son the best, but the one you feel is best for the money. BTW, the Impulse 90 also has a good re-sale value...heck, just about any mini quad sells like hotcakes!

 

Klop, I also was in your situation last year and left commnent's on this board as well. You noted you live in San Diego. Wil you/are you going to take the ATV to Glamis (Dunes)? If so and it's fairly often, I would recommend either the LT-80 or the Impulse. Either will out preform the TRX90 on the Dunes. If, more often than not your going to ride dirt/trail then I would recomend the TRX90. The TRX has the best suspension and best reliability of the group. The Impulse though is the best price in the group @ a suggested retail of $1,999.00 (Aprox. $400.00 less than the LT-80 and 900.00 less than the TRX). The one thing that swayed me from the Impulse was the lack of past history as a result of it being brand new on the ATV market. Also, don't let resale sway your decision if you believe that all of your ATV choices are quality built products. Anyway this is just another opion to throw into your hat... Good luck on your decision.

Rude Dog

[This message has been edited by Rudedog (edited 01-27-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Rudedog (edited 01-27-2000).]

 

I chose to skip the small stuff for my 7 year old. Bought her a Kawasaki Bayou 220. I would call it a small full-size. She handles it just fine. However, she is a very coordinated and fairly agressive kid. In addition, I had been down the path of small machines for kids w/ snowmobiles....bought a Kitty Kat a few years ago and she was bored with it in a year. Also, the Bayou will carry an adult with no problem......so if Mom or a friend want to go for a ride.........