I'm looking at the Chinese ATVs for my son who turns 12 soon. He is around 5'3" and I want an ATV that he can ride for a few years so I'm leaning toward a larger quad for him.

We have a shop with plenty of tools, welder, etc and mechanical ability to maintain and repair so all we need now is a suggestion on model and size.

We have two dealers within 45 miles - one TaoTao and one V-Bike. I prefer to deal with a dealer as I'm sure I'll need parts and service some day. So my choices are between those two. He won't be ramping it - just trail riding around on our property. It would be nice to be able to pull a small utility trailer so we are leaning toward a utility model than a sport. As long as it can have a hitch and a back rack that is all me real requirement is.

So which manufacturer and which model would you suggest? We plan to buy within the next week. I'll probably follow up in a couple of months with my own quad and I'd like to buy from the same dealer so keep that it mind.

Thanks a lot guys. This site is great!

 

A good quad for a 12 year old?

NOT a chinese one!

look for a used LT80 or something, FAR safer and more reliable than ANY new chinese quad. And parts are readily available at Suzuki dealers (chinese dealers are a joke).

 

TaoTao??? TaoTao!!! you want youre loved ones riding a potentially hazardous vehicle that sounds like its named after some sort of food you would find at a chinese restaurant that usually gives you serious bathroom complications afterwards???

come on dude...

 

I looked at an LT80 yesterday, just not going to happen at $2500.

My choices are among the two above really unless I can order a better
one. The quad will be well maintained so any safety issues will be minimal.

Thanks for the reply though.

 

Welcome to the forum eflyersteve !

From what I have heard the V-Bikes are made in the (Tao Tao Factory) Pronounced like "How - How" with a "T". The problem with buying a Chinese Quad for a 12 yr old is they could be too much rider for the thing...As much as I like the purpose Chinese quads provide...They will not stand up to the same amount of abuse as a Japanese quad will..No way no how....If your 12 yr old is not very aggressive a Chinese quad might be ok...If he is a bit aggressive your gonna get nothing but headaches with it..

As to which is better the Tao Tao or the V-bike? Id suggest seeing which one has better shocks...everything else is gonna be real close...Push up and down on the front and back of each quad...the one that acts the most like a pogo stick is the one to avoid...

 

Thanks a ton for the information. Believe me, I know the quality won't approach the Japanese quads, but we maintain our toys very well and my son won't drive aggressively - no jumps, just trail rides on smooth ground. As soon as I get one, we'll be riding them together on camping trips, etc. He'll pull a small utility trailer around the acerage - we cut and haul a lot of limbs from trees throughout the year. He might also pull a field mower on occasion. It's doubtful the thing will see much more than 25mph in it's life.

I'll go over it with a fine tooth comb though. I've been reading through about every thread here last night and learned a lot.

Regarding size - would it be acceptable to get him a 250t? I like the idea of water cooled, but perhaps that's just another thing to break (water pump, hoses, fan, etc)? Normally, a 250 for a 12 year old weighing in at 120 might be much, but I'm reading about pretty low top speeds here so I'm a bit less worried about it getting away from him. Would air cooled be better from a maintenance standpoint?

Should I look to order a better model from a different manufacturer?

Thanks a bunch guys. All your input is very valuable to me!

 

Your Welcome..I dont have any experience with the water cooled engines (from China) Overall the engine doesnt seem to be the problem with them anyway..If you were going to be ordering one and having it delivered Id suggest looking at Jetmoto's...but with the 2 other dealers near you Id suggest you buy from one of them...Much easier when you need a part...Besides checking the suspension on each...look at weld quality and paint quality too..also ask to see the parts they each have in stock.. A 250 might be a bit big for him in the beginning but they have throttle limiters and arent all that fast as youve read anyway...

 

Just my opinion, and it's not really worth a whole lot... at least that's what the wife tells me!!!
Anyway, my 12 y/o son has a 125 (Tao Tao) model with a 3 spd semi auto w/reverse and it has held up pretty well with him. No ramping or jumping, just riding over things and such on our property. Whatever you do, and again, this is jmho, but don't get a full auto. Not enough torque in the tranny to pull over obstacles such as logs. With a 3 speed semi auto, he'll have control over low end pulling and high end speed, dependent on what gear he's in.
Just be sure to go over the whole thing with a fine tooth comb and a lot of loctite prior to riding it. Adjust, loctite and let it sit for a day to allow the thread lock to cure. Hit every bolt you can with that stuff.

Good luck!

 

Have you even ever had a Chinese ATV? You must have dealt with all Chinese Dealers to be able to say this..... if you have, then you have the right to say this... I am a Chinese ATV dealer & have been for 6 years, I have 2 shops & we also sell Honda Marine, Mercury, Boats & RV's, so you just catogorized me as a Joke..... How you can say Chinese ATV Dealers are a joke is beyond me... YES there are bad ones, but I have a couple Name Brand ATV dealers I could say are quite the Joke too, but would never say all are... I waited 4 weeks to get a part for my Honda 450R.... & still waiting on a Polaris Part...been 3 weeks so far.

 

I would stay away from the Liquid Cooled engines... just adding a potential new problem... we never sell them, they are just not needed, air or oil cooled is fine for a 250cc machine.