Last year I bought my wife a little Dinli 90cc T-Rex quad for her to use as a pit bike to get around at the races (motorcycle roadracing). We just moved to a new place with 5 acres, and I've been riding the wheels off that thing just playing around in the new big backyard. It is just way too much fun. I'm going to kill it if I keep riding it hard - I can tell it is definitely not made for somebody my size (6-2, 220). So now I want to buy a new performance oriented quad - something with a real suspension, but I'm really not sure what to buy.

Here's the thing - that little Dinli is an automatic and way easy to ride. I think I have so much fun on it because you don't have to think or do anything but ride. I've been on street / roadrace / dirt bikes just for fun for the last 10 years, so I know how to shift and use a clutch, but I've never had this much fun playing around in the dirt before. Is there such thing as a performance-oriented automatic / CVT quad?

From what I've seen here and a few other places, I think the Suzuki Z400 / Kawi 400 would be a good choice for me. They sound like great all-around mid-size machines. I just don't think I would be happy with one of the utility-oriented automatics. But I don't want to buy something, and find out that I enjoyed riding that cheap little automatic even better. Kind of the way I probably had more fun on an old XR100 than I have on any of the newer, bigger dirt bikes I've owned.

So if you have any suggestions, let 'em fly. I should probably just get over it, and get shifting. But I have sooooo much fun on that little automatic[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

At the top of the automatic food chain would be the Kawi 700 V-twin - used to be called the V-force. It's a big sport bike with a automatic CVT tranny.

Polaris makes mostly automatics and they offer a few sport bikes. They have a new Phoenix 200 that is auto.

Getting even smaller, you have the Suzuki 250Z. Not fully automatic but has an auto clutch.

Sounds like it's time to do some serious window shopping at various dealerships. The Dinli 90 is a kids quad, almost anything out there will be an improvement for someone your size.

Jaybee

 

Z400 is the best all-around machine out there. You have way more, direct control of the power on a manual clutch bike!

 

I'm with reconranger. I think manual is better.

My issue with autos is you can set them for performance or for play but you really can't have it both ways. If you're happy with the power of the t-rex (which I can't imagine in stock form), maybe look at a Polaris Trailblazer 250? Or Scrambler 500 for more power? The Kawi would be good too.


Lot's of no-names sell autos in the 150-250 size too ($cheap), but I wouldn't recommend them unless you have a local dealer or can mechanic a little.

 

I have a BF 750 and I'm almost positive that you'll like it for a utility atv. Yea its alot bigger than sport atv's but it has the CVT tranny and it has independent suspension all the way around. I've ridden on sport atvs also and I do like them too but the Brute has it all. It has 4WD and it is an automatic. If you modify it right it will take some sport atvs. Not that it doesnt have enough ***** just stock. I've been using a clutch every since I was 8 years old and this is the first automatic I've ever had and I don't think I'll ever buy anything with a clutch again. The automatic tranny on this thing is unreal. Just do some shoppin and riding. Theirs an atv for everybody.

 

KFX-700 gets my vote. Its big, fast, sport oriented and an auto.

 

He has been having fun on a little 90, and you guys want to move him to a 500+ lb. monster, and that just because it is an automatic???

It is a huge mistake to limit your choices, just because you don't want to shift! All the finest machines out there, have manual hand clutches.

 

Reconranger,



If you read the second paragraph in the original post, that started this thread. ICE1 ask if there were any sport oriented autos. I simply pointed him in the direction he ask.

 

LOL reconranger. FINEST is a relative term. This might be fine for the big wide open, superhighway type trails in Baja. But some trails in MI, you have to squeeze between trees spaced 4 ft constantly, twisting, slowly crawling at 3-5mph, the clutch gets very old, very quickly. Case in point is the Ambrose trail or parts of the Meadows trails. I had to laugh when my wife an I ran upon a group of riders, one guy riding a YFZ on such a trail. LOL, he was crying about slipping the clutch in first gear for the last hour and ahalf. So, noooo the finest machines do not have clutches for such trails.
JMO
BryceGTX

 

GTX-I see your bikes are 2wd, so I presume we aren't talking 4X4's here. I would agree that trail riding a YFZ isn't a great idea. But, you really need to ride a 300EX, the most nimble trail bike of all time! (What the XR250 was to dirt bikes, the 300EX is to ATV's.) You can put it in 1st gear, and idle through even the roughest stuff, no fancy clutch work required. With 22" tires, it even has descent ground clearance. Sure, you might hang it up once in a while on a big rock, but it is a simple matter to pull a light little sport bike off a rock (vs some clunker 600+ lb. utility).