Dont beleive anything bad you hear about the Breeze it is the best money you will ever spend on a kids quad.I have one for my son and he got it when he was 9 and it is still the right size.We had an Eton before this and it was JUNK every one of those I have worked on has been a pain in the ***.Just like all the Taiwanisee quads.If the Breeze was such a bad machine it wouldnt have been around for over 10 years.Dont let these guys tell you that it has no suspinsion kids on trails dont need it! Now granted if you are racing you do need it .From what you said about your girls do you think they will be racing?My son has rode his Breee through stuff that I have had to winch out the bigger sport bikes.The Breeze is user friendly and handles well.It is a little on the expensive side but after owning one I feel it is worth it.It is large enough for a small adult but small enough for kids.Now there are a few set backs with it 1. brakes wear out fast if it is mudded or rode in deep water.(he has had it in a 3ft deep hole and all I had to do was drain the airbox and crank it up.Now he tells everyone it floats)2. aftermarket parts are hard to find(I run a UNI filter for a Blaster on it.I am in the process of making a pipe for it) In short we LOVE the little thing and would recommend one to anyone.

 

Unless your seriously considering racing you might wanna give the Bombardier DS90 2-stroke or 4-stroke a hard look. Great machines right out of the box and priced reasonably. while your at it take a look at the DS650 for yourself![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I cant believe nobody has reccomended the Honda 90! As for reliability you cant beat it. The only major problem with the Honda is the stupid pull start. Your average 9 to 10 year old girl probably wont be able to start it. For ease of use I would look at some of the automatic twostrokes.

 

Thanks for all your replies. I am still reading them and doing the research. I will be buying at the end of this week. Please keep your comments coming, it is helping me, a first time buyer. I am reading and reviewing your comments 2 times a day.

Please, if you do make a comment, please continue to include why or why not. Thanks again for everyones input.

 

Rookiewheels - The first and most important thing to look at is what will make ATVing a SAFE and enjoyable thing for your girls. With that in mind, whatever you get for them to ride NOW, must fit them now. You can make a good case to get a larger ride that they "can grow into" - this will cost you less $$$ in the long run but if they get hurt, or dislike the sport by being intimidated by the ATV, then it's not really worth it. Most mini's keep their value pretty well, it's no big deal to use one for a few years and then trade up.

Take a good look at your kids size and their riding abilities. Also consider what kind of riding you will be doing. If your kids are on the small side, have little or no riding experience or do not easily adapt to things like riding an ATV, I'd stick with the 90cc and under range. My favorite is the Honda TRX90, as it is on the larger side of the mini's, auto-clutch 4 speed, hand and foot brakes and will last forever. Going against the Honda is the pull start - not really a problem but even I have to admit that I'd prefer an electric start on my son's TRX. The Suzuki/Kawasaki LT80 would be my next choice - Slightly smaller in size than the TRX but has electric start and automatic tranny. If you plan to make mods and race then the Suzuki is better. For riding on trails, the Honda has the edge. These are the only two mini's that I have lots of experience with. Beyond that, you need to look for a reliable ATV. Many are getting much better but read the posts here or read the mags reviews to help filter out the junk. Routine maintainence is a part of ATVing - breakdowns on the trail every time you ride is just no fun.

Now, if your girls have some experience and are comfortable with riding then I'd look at bikes up to 250cc's or so. Suzuki Ozark or Honda Recon are among the best. If they want sport bikes then get the Z250 or 250EX. The in-between size of the Yamaha Breeze 125 or Suzuki LT160 can work, but I feel that they will fit into the too big for kids / too small for adults to be as much overall fun in the long run. It seems to make more sense to jump from 90cc's to 250 or so.

I've seen a few recommendations on these forums to put kids on 400EX's or even Raptors and DS650's. I'm sorry, but with only a few exceptions kids cannot and should not be on that kind of machine. Put an 80 lb kid on a 250EX or Honda 300 and they'll have no problem keeping up with any adult on any full size machine. There is just no reason for a kid to be on anything larger than that unless they are already adult size or are semi-pro racers.

So my advice is this:

Go for a size that fits your kids now and in the immediate future.
Go for reliability.
If cost is an issue, consider getting a used bike. Often you can use a small ATV for a year or two and then sell it for almost the same as you purchased it for.

Jaybee

 

Rookie, as an older version of a newbie to the ATV world I know how crazy it can be trying to figure out which way to go as to which bike would be best for your kids. And as you have seen all of us here have our personal favorites which is fine. But when it comes down to it we as parents have to remember, What will our kids benefit the most from. My wife and I bought our boys, (Nathaniel 11yrs 130lbs & Ryan 8yrs 90lbs ) thier first quad 2 yrs ago. AlphaSport LG 90 and untill the thing self-destructed mechanically they were in love. Bike fitted both boys perfectly and even tho they are like day and night personality wise they adjusted to the machine equally. Shortly afterwards they discovered the world of Flat-Track racing and the rest is history. Of course Nathaniel discovered that dirt-bikes were more his thing and has since climbed aboard a Kaw KX 65. With minor, and I should add low dollar modifications,(and a ton of tech help from "TERexTommy"), Ryan is the points leader in the 85cc class of the Flatrack series he runs in On his DS90. My point is that it's not always the machine but the ability of machine and rider compatability that's most important. Take your girls to any and all ATV dealerships around you and let them test ride and decide for themselves. may take a while but in the end the girls and the bikes will choose each other![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
Good luck!

 

Are your kids that age NOW or were they that age 2 years ago when you bought the bikes?

 

That's their ages now! LOL! Guess I should have worded all that a little better! LOL! Am uploading a few pics to my profile and you can see what the DS looks like in comparison to the boys. One pic has his racing partner in it and she is pretty much the same size and age as your daughters and she is a very close second in the points standing behind Ryan riding same model bike.

 

I own a Polaris Sportsman 90. This is basically the same chassis as the Bombardier, Cat, Eton, etc. Do not buy one of these! Problems include: CDI failure, Front and rear plastic cracks at mounts, oil res. cap get hardened and falls out (on #5), carb. intake elbow gets hardened and does not seal, air filter a joke, elect. starter and battery worthless under 70 degrees, rear shock lost pressure, front bumper mount had defective weld, gas cap cracked, electric choke sucks, kick starter needs frequent lubrication, etc. Do your self a favor and buy a Honda, or a Kawi (Suzuki).

 

Chad,
Don't hold back, Tell us how you really feel!