He has a Polaris 425 EXP now, and rides very well, with the big dogs. I just got a DS-650 and he loves it, but I am not about to let him loose with one of his own, not till he's 14 anyway.
I think a 400 EX would be a great choice for him, trade in his EXP on it. Or a 125 TT Yamaha Dirtbike. Two problems with the dirtbike though,
his mom hates them, (but is okay with 4-wheelers),
And he is still rather small, 80 lbs,4'10" the right size dirtbike ( the little 4-stroke 125 TT Yamaha)he will outgrow quickly, but he can ride any size quad just fine, and a 400 EX could grow with him.

 

Suggestion? Why don't you start with a 300ex, and move up to the 400ex when he is older? I have a boy that rides a 300ex, but I wouldn't let him go on the 400ex for a few years yet. I understand that the age limits on the quads restrict the kids quite a bit, but a 400 is really too much quad for a young boy. Only my opinion.

 

Ordinarily what you are saying makes perfect sense. But this kid rides my DS-650 and H.O. Sportsman, as well as any of the rest of us. We ride hard and fast for a bunch of old f@rts. A 300 EX would just not hold any interest for him. He is used to big machines, and because he can't muscle them around, he has developed some pretty good driving skills. His EXP weighs over 650 lbs. and with the cam and carb, is as fast as my Sportsman H.O.
I know there are some young guys out there with 400EX's, and though there may not be any on this Forum, maybe their dads are. I rode a 400EX and thought it was a nice quad, the DS breathes fire and brimstone compared to a stock 400EX. I think he could handle a 400 EX just fine.
The real question is, Should he be on a Dirtbike? Given his obvious talent, should he have a shot at a real motocrosser? That, he would have to grow into. Starting with a 125 TT
Yamaha and then graduate to a 125 YZ or even a Honda (that's where we are right?) Since he has no dirtbike experience, just ATV's, and he is not physically large enough for a 125 YZ and won't be for a while, the 125 4-stroke "TT" model with the undersized wheels looks like a good place to start. But like buying a pair of shoes for your kid that he doesn't grow out of in a month, a 400 EX would fit him right away and last him a long time.

 

im 14 (loving ever minute of it) and have a 2000 400EX that i am payin my off to the bank of DAD, for for the 400EX just as fast as a 125 bike but with 4 wheels so there will be no worries.

 

hey,
I am 14 almost 15 and i think i can help you out some.

You son proably has some talent if he is as good as you say he is. If he has an interest in dirt bikes i sya go for it. With dirt bikes, you can go so much further then with quads. I say buy him a YZ80. A tt is not going to be much of a motocrosser.
But if you want him to go somewhere with dirt bikes be prepared to spend every weekend at the track. I wish my parents got me into riding when i was younger, but they werent into it. And now when i want to race quads they can't scarfice the time to take me to races every sunday.

If your son defienetly wants a qaud gof or a 400ex. You won't regret it, and your son won't kill himself if he has half a brain.

matt

 

I am 14, and have no problem what-so-ever handling a 400ex. I upgraded from a recon (much less than a expedition) and have had no problems. I say go for it. Remember, just because someone is young, it doesn't mean that they don't possess mentally ability to ride. I'm not even up to the min. age for my 400ex yet, and I will probably get a 440 kit within the next year.