Just looking for some advice as to what a few good beginner bikes are for the wife, 15yr old daughter and 11yr old daughter and son. They have no riding experience and I would like to possible buy a bike for the wife that the kids could ride also and once their skill level increases maybe add a pipe and a few other mods. Havent been in the ATV scene for some time so not sure what to look at. We would be doing some desert riding here at the house and some duning and mountain trails occasionally Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

250 EX would probably be good for all three of them. It might be a bit big for the 11 year old but if she is normal height or tall it won't be a problem.

 

A 250 would be good, check out the Kymco and Arctic Cat (almost the same thing). There are other good ones out there too but these are the ones I am familar with. I know several people who have bought them for there kids and LOVE them. GOod luck.

 

This is prolly the only time I would recommed a yamaha wolverine 450cc ...cause it is pretty mild for a 450 and it has an auto trans...very user freindly

(this quad will not pull a wheelie)

 

Honda 250EX.......superb little machine! Handles great. Absolutely bulletproof. Autoclutch ("sportclutch"), so beginners can learn to shift. Certainly will fit an average 15 year old, and the 11 year olds should grow into it quickly. Get a new one if you can. New ones have some small improvements over the older ones.

It was originally based on the Honda Recon utility, so it has fairly good ground clearance, and shaft drive. It will do anything any 2wd utility will, and better, because it is way lighter. My boys are 13 and 12, and they ride theirs along with me on nasty high altitude technical stuff where I ride the Rancher (4wd), and they have a great time.

Most quads come with cheapie stock tires (that won't last long in the desert!), so you will want to replace the balooney stock tires right off. I highly suggest ITP's new TracStrar radials, on some wider ITP T-9 rims. (Widens the quad and makes it more stable.)

 

The Wolverine squeege suggested is a poor choice (he's an eastern mud hole rider). It's big, and it's heavy (to heavy for kids).....and not a machine adapted to the desert at all. And in the dunes, you want to stay light so you float along on top of the sand.

In the desert you will rarely need 4wd. I only really need my for riding snow (it's tons of fun though!), and that is only at high altitude. Easy to avoid if you need to.

 

Yeah, we "eastern mudhole riders" have things like 'obstacles' we have to be concerned with unlike on the sand dunes - treeroots, rocks, slick hills, mountains, mud holes, snow, etc. These are things that necessitate the use of a utility ATV.

 

In the desert, you certainly can go deliberately looking for "terrifying terrain" where you need a 4wd, but that stuff is easily avoided for those who aren't interested......and I don't think that's what a bunch of beginners will be looking for. For general desert riding though, a big heavy ute is an absolute libaility, not an advantage........

By the way, the little EX does well in the dunes. I run very light 6-paddle Skat-Trak Edge tires. Actually, this is one place where the balooney stock tires do OK, when aired down.

 

I don't dispute some of what you're saying. If I lived in or near the desert, I would own a sport quad. I don't, however, and I'm happy riding a utility quad suited for the terrain in which I live.

On another note, riding a utility quad on the sand dunes is not necessarily a liability. It might be, though, if you're trying to get 40 feet of air underneath you or you're trying to race people. I was in no way advocating that the initiator of this post should buy a ute since he lives in the desert. I was only commenting on the "eastern mud hole" quote.

 

i have a 250 recon (my first quad) its an awsome machine i would recomend it to any new rider it is the one we let other newbies ride also...