Draginbutt, Good points on the suspension. I Actually don't mind the Yamaha suspension either. But Th original post stated that price was a factor. That would exclude all the "bog brands" right off. My decision to buy the eton was solely based on price and "bang for the buck". The raptor is $1000 more than I paid for my 70.

Joe - My son is 5 1/2. I got him a 70 because I thought the 50's were too small. the only issue I have right now is his thumb gets tired easy. I may look into getting a twist grip for him. I read somewhere that the thumb throttle is a bit stiffer on a oil injected machine. Other than that I am very happy with the eton so far.

 

Yes, you can remove the oil injection. The pump has a spring on it that puts tension on the thumb throttle. It definately helps. You'd just need to buy a new throttle cable and block off the pump and carb (and most likely go to a slightly larger main jet). I noticed if I rotated the throttle to where my kiddo could push slightly down instead of out, it helped too.

I also got rid of almost ALL the smoke after warm-up by going pre-mix. Well worth it imo.

 

I think I may have screwed up there..please accept my apoligies... Great to hear you are happy with your purchase.. You might look into one of the thumb throttle assists that are on the market. Basically an extended version for more leverage.

I just do not want people to judge the ruggedness as a detriment. It isn't a racer... but it is strong.

So tell me how big is he smiling?

 

I'll look into the throttle assist. know where I can find one? We've taken the quad out once and he had a blast. He has a CRF50 with training wheels but just didn't seem to be having much fun on it. The quad is a completely different beast. He can actually keep up now on the longer rides. And of course the first day we took it out he was able to find the biggest mud puddle within 20 miles and barrelled right through it. completely covering the entire bike in a 1" layer of mud. I had to laugh! looks like the Honda 50 is going to get sold (wife won't let me keep both!).

I thought about removing the oil injection but I don't want to do it just yet. I think I'l try the throttle assist first.

Thanks for the input guys.

 

Here is the throttle assist. I mounted it on my Yamoto 150, but had to do a lot of modification to make it fit nicely. Easy stuff like cutting some relief, and longer screws. My 8 year old loves it.

Throttle assist

I bought mine at my ATV store for $20.00.

 

3" of heater hose works great for me. Give it a try for 25c's.

 

The sore thumb syndrome is not limited to kids. Any new rider is going to experience this issue until their thumb gets used to the new motion. After a while, the body will adjust and the need will not be as great. The snowmobile guys have the same complaint.

Just about any major ATV accessories dealer will have them. Moose has some nice billet ones, anodised in several colors...