I don't have much personal experience with the new crop of Taiwanese/Chinese machines, except that I sit in camp trying to help my friends repair them while my kids are out riding their Hondas!

If the kids need a smaller machine, I recommend the Suzuki LT80 (hate cleaning the air filter on these!). If they can ride something larger, a Honda 90. That's my list.....only two kids machines I would ever own.

 

Not feeling the love for the Chinese machines, I take it ahahah I agree on the Honda, Suzuki thing, but dont really want to spend a ton of money on something they will use for riding around the backyard and occasional trips to my dads house for some minor trail riding. The falcon 110 looks like a decent machine, just dont know anything about it, looks like something they can ride now, with the limiter set properly and then ride in the future as they get bigger. Havnt seen a whole lot of good feedback on the NON name brands, just not sure if its because I may be the only NON die hard trail rider in the whole forum ahahahahahaah (for now) or if they are just that bad.

 

Which is made in Taiwan. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

Chays33, I think your 10 year old will get bored quickly with most of the models you listed. I would lean towards dirt bikes for trail riding for performance reasons. If you are stuck on atvs, then you should consider the GPX or Unison 90. They are fairly inexpensive and at least they can easily be modded to run. Lot's of aftermarket parts.

 

I will check on those models, thanks Yes my 10 yr old is a lot like me, HAS A NEED FOR SPEED. He would LOVE a dirtbike over an ATV Im just not sure we can convince his mom that he wont kill himself...again, a lot like me ahahaha and that scares me on the dirtbike ahaha that is definitely his preference though. thanks again for the advice on the other models

 

I would put him on a dirt bike and cover him with all the protective gear you can. This will probubly start a fire storm in here but Im convinced that dirt bikes are much safer than quads. Its the perception of safety that gets most into trouble on a quad. A dirt bike appears dangerous, while the quad appears safe. People will try things on a quad that they wouldnt even think of trying on a dirt bike.

 

I think you are more likely to wreck on a bike, but less likely to get a severe injury because bikes weigh less and don't roll like atvs. I'd probably agree with you mwq.

 

WOW I must be one of those people you are talking about. I would have never guessed that a dirtbike would be safer than atv. seems like 4 wheels vs 2 wheels would be more stable hmmm more likely to wreck but not as likely to get hurt....... ahhahah my 10 yr old has the mentality of " if you arent bleeding, you arent having fun" ahahah thats why the dirtbike scares me.........dont think he would come near building ramps to jump with the 4 wheeler.......but he sure WOULD love the dirtbike hmmmmm dirtbike or 4 wheeler? ahaha now im back to square one, which one to get I had almost given up on the dirtbike idea completely

 

Yep, I agree with MWQ on this also. chays33, the thing to think about is that your kid will almost certainly wreck on a dirtbike, but is MUCH less likely to get hurt. Once he learns how to ride it, he would probably be better off on a bike if he is going to be jumping and such. The downfall is not having 4 season rideability though(depends on where you live too.)

 

so, is the main downfall with the 4wheeler the roll-over? I know that this past winter my youngest son and I were on my dad's 200 after an ice storm and we caught a hole in the ground as we were turning...flipped over in an instant........luckily it threw us off far enough that when it rolled over we were out of the way, no one got hurt, scared the crap out of me though.......... did I mention how much fun we had though? ahahahah good times Not sure my youngest one would care much for the dirtbike though...... I cant really think of any other way, they could get hurt on the 4 wheeler other than a roll-over. guess i need to weigh the pros and cons on each...................you guys are great, thx for all the help glad I found this site

 

Yes, and if you are on a hill or going at even a moderate speed they can keep rolling. Not good if you are in the path. You "lay over" a bike. You "flip a quad". There's a reason for that terminology.

ATV's are better suited for soft or loose surfaces (mud or sand or gravel) or for carrying loads such as rifles and ice chests. Your intended use should decide which is best.