Hammeru, good to see you are out there having fun with your son.. that is what it is all about. I don't know what your son is riding, or how old he is, but suggest you get him into a riding course as soon as you can. Also, if you need to, you might consider widening the wheelbase a little. There are simple bolt on kits that use bolt extenders, all the way up to lengthened axles and A-arms... They really make it a lot more stable.

He will eventually learn what his limits are.. and you can't make them 100 percent safe, but I figure a couple hundred bucks for the extender bolts is cheap insurance. Do a yahoo search to find them...

 

Thanks DB, thats sounds like good advice. I had thought about it myself, we rode for another 1.5 hrs with no more incidents. I still might get the wheel extenders. My kid uses two arm crutchs to walk,
I have to help him on his quad and off of it, no big deal. He is 15 yrs old. He loves ride'n the thing, I got him a rfx150cc redcat, its a knockoff. I didn't know how he would like the sport, so I minimized my investment. His quad is auto with reverse, I have the thing set low on power for now while he learns. This is getting him away from that damm Xbox and outside, thank god.

 

i had an 88 warrior for yrs. had alot of fun on it and all in all, i really liked it...until i rode something else! compared to most bikes they do not handle as well. good trail bike and very tough/verstile, but they are still front end weight biased. yamaha recognized this. the 87-89 warriors were a little different than the 90 and up models. in 1990, yamaha moved the engine back a little (to improve handling) , removed the backup recoil starter (dont know why they felt the need to do this), and they moved the lights up from their original location by the front bumper. other than this just little nick nack crap and colors and tires changed over the years.

 

Hammeru, that is so cool... Your son is very lucky to have parents that are willing to let go and let him have a ball. Sounds like he has had a rough time of it.. and you will find that ATV's will give him a sense of control that he can't get anywhere else. I share a bond with your son... I am lucky, I only have to use a cane, a result of a botched knee reconstruction surgery... so I can relate.. at least a little. Your choice of machine was a wise one... as long as he is not limited by it's capabilities, he should enjoy many hours of fun... Hope you both have many hours of quality time out on the trail, and maybe, we will bump into you some day ...
God Bless and good luck...

Dragginbutt

 

Hammeru, what do you think of the RFX 150? I have been thinking of getting one for my 14 year old daughter and wonder how they are. I bought a 96 Warrior this past OCT and love it.

 

Judging by the advertizement from Raceway on this forum, they look like a decent machine. Parts availability and repairs are the only issues that have been a problem with the knockoffs... and even that is becoming less of an issue than in the past. If you are mechanically inclined, and can make generic parts that you can't find to fit, you should be ok.

 

Hey Rhaskins, we beat the he!! out of the thing this past weekend, my 19 year old daughter(5'1", 110 lbs) rode it and after about 1/2 hr she says "hey dad, turn the power up on this thing". Of course I did and it ran great, obvisouly it could not keep up to the warrior or my brother in laws 125 suzuki(spelling?) motor cycle. This field (73 acres)was all mud and water, all three of us were covered with mud. I have no problems with this rfx150. When he outgrows it I'll sell it and get him a used warrior or something similar. The power is different since it's an auto, my brother in law is a big dude, 6'2" and 240 lbs, he was impressed for what it is, he got it up to about 25mph at the governed speed I have it set on. I also took it out and did a bunch of donuts and other crazy stuff, its easy to control with the auto. I'm going to let all the power out and see what it does next time out. My son is handicapped, he can kick my a$$ on xbox, but the rfx150 will take a little time for him to learn well. I understand they will make a 250cc model. I think this month its available, I would wait for that since she is already 14.
I love my warrior, even if its old...like me...lol.......... good luck.

 

About the Warriors handling issue: that's where mine shines. It's stock minus tires, so it's definitely not faster than a Raptor, 450R, or Predator, yet I can beat them all around a local "track" (just a field with a long straight, two 90* turns, woops, ditch jumps, etc) except for one of the Raptors. It's not at all stock, though. All the others were. I can also easily beat 125cc dirt bikes. I'm not trying to correct anyone, but in my experience, the Warrior's low center of gravity verses the others helps out in the handling. Yes, they are as heavy or heavier than most sport quads of bigger size, but it can keep up with them all. Also, I didn't choose a 400EX for lack of reverse because I'm always trailing. I do love riding my uncle's though. Goodluck with any decisions.

PS- Mine is also an '01 and yes, the year will make quite a difference.

 

here's my experience with the warrior. i bought one new in 88 it was a good ride in stock form. but i turned into a desert racer. with a higher compression piston. extened a-arms, works shocks, desert seat, different tires and rims and a supertrapp exhaust. that warrior was awsome and kept up with many of the 2 strokes and all of the 4 strokes at the time. fast foward to 2005. i just got back into the sport again and yes i bought another warrior. a 92 this time with an fmf exhaust. twist throttle, skid plates and after market tires and rims. i took it to pismo dunes a couple of times. the dunes were horrible. they were torn up with lots of ruts. anyway the stock shocks did not perform, as i expected. i am a 250lb rider and the shocks just don't adjust to my weight and riding style. so i ordered some works shocks again and a steering stabilizer. i know that will do the trick. the warrior is a bullet proof ride and lots of fun for any class of rider. get one and you will be happy.