hi , i was wondering what atv should i buy for my son , hes 5'8-6'0. and is about 180-200lbs. i was thinking maybe a 400ex but im not too sure. any ideas?

 

400EX is a great choice, as well as maybe a Yamaha Warrior.
Or if you wanna spend the money, buy him a Raptor and make him the envy of all his friends!
But rationally, for a first quad you can't go wrong with a Warrior or 400EX. Don't get him a 300EX or any other smaller quad, because at his size he will outgrow their power in a week.

 

but dont you think a raptor might be a little big for him?

 

it depends on his expirience, i would suggest a 400ex by far because they can be slow if ridden slow but if somone wants to go fast it will do it. what im trying to say is that the rider learns and progresses at the pace he wants to and the 400 will allow him to do this and gain expirience

 

well im pretty sure im going to go with the 400ex , but he will probably keep it a long time , so i dont know , it might be totaly overpowered by biggerfaster quads in about 3-4 years but i dont know.I mean , when he gets a little older he'll probably want something with some ***** (not to say the 400ex doesnt ,but it just dont compare to the other port atv's). but im afraid that if i get him something bigger than he will wreck it and screw himself up. oh-well , i think ill just get him a 400 ex and if he doesnt want it in a couple of years he can sell it and by then he should have a job and all.

 

well if you have the money you can make that 400 keep up with anything but if he dosent like that because it isnt powerful enough or whatever the i would very highly recommend a 250R. they just cannot be beat

 

You don't mention his age. Age is very important because of maturity. I know some kids that are that big, but only 13. If he's mature enogh, I would strongly recommend the 400 ex. A great bike, plenty of enhancements and the motor can be hopped up when he's ready. I would NOT purchase the raptor for a first time rider. I just bought one, and it is wicked fast. He will definitaly hurt himself with the raptor. The ex handles corners better because it's lower to the ground and would be my pick for a learner that he will never outgrow.

 

If your buying new, a 400EX would probably be an alright choice. However, just because you have alot of power doesn't mean you have to use it all the time, and if your son realizes this, he would be fine on any quad. Another thing, I have been riding since I was 3, but for about 5 years I didn't have anything to ride, well I got an LT230 when I was 12 and was intimidated by it, but I slowly got better and better, now I'm riding an 85 ATC250R faster than anyone I know on a quad and even keeping up with some of the faster MX riders around my neighborhood. I think you should consider a TRX250R, they are fairly tame stock, and can be built to accomodate CR500 cylinders if needed later down the road, so you have basically a good beginner bike, good intermediate bike with mods, and a serious sand throwing monster for someone with experinece if highly modified. Hope this helps. Have your son test ride a frineds 400EX or something similar. Ask him what he liked and didn't like about it, and if he wants more power, go for the Raptor, or even better, Cannondale because it has more power and better handling than a Raptor. Not to mention it will be easily adaptable to any situation compared to a Raptor or 400EX. Change the tires, you have a MX,XC,TT, or sune machine, while the Raptor, 400EX, or warrior will need either supsension or motor mods, which are more expensive. I hope I helped.

 

Wow , thnx alot for your help.Yea hes 12(be 13 april 28) so i guess you could say 13. but i dont want something that will go fast cause we got a snowmobeiele(suck at spelling) and he runs it full throtle most of the time (feilds 75mph , "roods" 92mph) so do you think the 400 ex might feel a little underpowered to him?? oh , and using a clutch ist a problem because we got a dirtbike that will go about 60 and he doest have no problem riding it , as some little kids find it very hard to use one.he rode a 300ex at his cousins but said it sucked. and a used banshee is way cheeper.Oh , and one more question , do you think that he could grow into it? sure he might find a little intimidating , because he has mostly ridden slow 4x4 quads , but i believe that the top speed at what he's been on our snowmobeile will make him think it sucks. thnx for ur help.

 

What kind of riding is he going to be doing? a 400Ex is probably going to be underpowered if he's use to a snowmobile. If he'll be racing MX I would suggest getting a Cannibal or a modded TRX250R. If your just going to be hitting trails at a slow pace the 400Ex will do the job, but if your going to be hauling azz around trails or racing GNCC, he is probably going to want more than a 400EX has to offer, power wise, unless you go big bore with it. Let us know where he rides and then we can help you more.