I see all these Chinese maid ATV's that are relatively inexpensive. What's the story on those, I have a dirtbike and would like to buy an ATV for my kids, they won't be riding it much and they are 13 and 14 year old girls. Are these things a waste of money? Any advice would be great. thanks

Bill

 

If you have a local dealer or can wrench a little, I think they're worth considering. I wouldn't expect those machines to take a lot of abuse.

 

Welcome to the forum jordanwdma, Like RL says, good for the money but not going to take a beating like say a honda will. And I also agree that you better be able to turn a wrench or it will most likely be a disappointment. There is a reason they are much more inexpensive. Go to kids quads and other atvs and do a search. Pages and pages of reading.

 

well you can get one of them for much cheaper than a new quad but a used honda or yamaha are going to be about the same price and you will probably still get better quality

 

You mentioned that they might not be ridden very much. Does that mean that you will get rid of them in 4 or 5 years? If so, a generic brand X will have basically no value whereas a name brand machine will still be worth some money.

The other negative toward those brand x's is parts availability. Can you get parts?

 

OK, let's think this through. Say you buy a Polaris for $2300 plus tax, brings you to about $2500 (my dealer charges msrp plus fees). You keep the quad 5 years, you'd be lucky to get $1800 for it. Cost = $700.

I paid $1180. Would you at least agree that I can get $500 for anything that runs? Cost = $680. So worst case scenario, you won't lose more money on a el cheapo IF you get a good deal. And they are out there.

Parts. Replacement parts are usuaually available on most common models. Hop-ups aren't available for all models (mostly just the Polaris clones-which are the ones I recommend). I can buy engine and suspension parts out the wazoo, but can't find a headlight bulb replacement. So yes and no, I guess. The important thing for me is that I can keep it running.

 

Good thinking Raptorlegs. But let me add more thoughts on cost that affects my bias.

Several threads have discussed these generics and the general conclusion is that you need to be a good wrencher to keep them running and maintained. The following comment is based on opinion since I have never owned a generic ATV but have read about them on these forums. If you put a value on your time such as $20 to $50 per hour and add that value to the cost one spends keeping a generic running for the kids, then the cost of ownership makes them much more expensive than a name brand ATV.

A second thought I had after your reply that makes me favor name brands --> I would rather be spending my time riding with my grandkids than being the maintenance man doing repairs while they try to ride.

 

For the initial set-up I had to air up the tires, tighten the handle bars, check for loose bolts, adjust the shocks, put acid in battery and charge, put oil/gas in and align the front end. Took about an hour and a half. After that, the only thing I've had to do is replace the original battery. The bulb went out because my daughter bumped the back of my EX.

I just tell people they better be able to wrench if they mail order because if something does go wrong there is no dealership to take it to. But doing things youeself is a whole lot cheaper than paying a tech, regardless of brand. And all machines require some form of maintenance.

 

My son has a Eton Viper 70 and we think its great so far

 

ok don't belive all the hype. parts for these are all over the net and ebay. go to redcatmotors.com or kazuma's web site and check the dealer locator and in most cases theres a dealer near you that can sell you parts and or fix them most of these dealer only charge 35 a hour or so and most can be fixed in a hour. lock tight all screws bolts grease it up good oil chain change oil all the regular stuff and you should have a good unit.