Without saying how old my son is, I would appreciate recommendations on the proper size ATV for my son. He is 48 inches tall. We went to "try on" a couple of ATV's today, and I was shocked at the size difference between the Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha. We actually have pretty much decided to get a RedCat due to the HUGE price difference, but cannot find anywhere besides online to purchase these. The Yamaha 50 and 80 cc are virtually the same size/height and these fit him good, but almost seemed like he would outgrow it within a year or so. He is ALL legs, and his legs were pretty bent on it. When I compared the Yamaha 50 and 80 dimensions to the 50 RedCat, the RedCat is alot smaller. The closest dimension wise to the Yamaha is a 150cc. Any advice would be great, we are driving ourselves crazy trying to make sure we get something he will not outgrow in a year.

 

How old is he? Any experience?

 

Give me an email and I will give you the name of a dealer that can help you, Donna

 

This guy is obviously attempting to circumvent criticism for putting way to young of a rider on a ATV.
Sadly, this parent is likely putting his child at risk for the parents amusement as putting the kid in harms way is doing nothing for the child.

The reasons for the parental disconnect between safety and the parents need to satisfy THEIR interest in seeing their kid on a ATV has been regurgitated in this forum many times. I wont go their becuase this poster already knows the arguments and knows he can t defend himself against them. Therego the I wont tell you his age subterfuge.

Sadly - you can find people in this country who think its ok to eat poop. So there is no doubt there are others willing to defend this posters right to decide whats best for his child even when in his own head - he doesnt want to subject himself to the peer pressure of doing so.

 

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Previous thread at: http://forums.atvconnection.com/mess...hreadid=324101

This histrocial thread is well worth reading....


Regarding size, the trail patrols in my area look for 2 different things. If the young rider's feet can't comfortably touch the running boards, they are too small for it. If the young rider's legs are in a horizontal position (while sitting on the seat), it would appear they are too big for its frame size. Although, this may be "ok" if the kid is very tall and all legs. But is the rider is 135ish lbs and their legs are in a horizonal postion, they appear too big for the mini. For example, my son on his Pred-90. To me, the upper leg bone should be in a 50 to 75 degree angle while sitting on the seat. Could also be 75 to 90 for a very skinny and "all legs" kid. I've seen pictures of young riders who had their legs in a 30 degree position and they had to use their tippy toes to touch the running boards. Without solid grip on the running boards, they are too small. And the trail patrols in my area blow gaskets every time they catch a kid like this too.

For more accurate body fitting, do ask each dealer what they recommend. After body fit, take "rider control & experience" into account. If all legs and zero riding experience, then a slightly smaller frame mini might be better. And do remember that its expected to "body fit" a mini (and even for motocross bikes) with a 3 year growth time. A little too big this year (re: throttle it down), perfect fit next year and a little too small the year after. Once the rider appears too big for its frame szie, sell the mini or pass down to their younger brother / sister. We're doing this approach in my family.

Hope some of this helps....

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My youngest son is a 53" tall, leggy eight year old. He's ridden an LT80 for two years now and fits it well. Unless he gets some kind of huge growing spurt, I expect he will remain on the LT80 for another year or so. After that, we'll move him up to the Honda 90. I think that the LT80 is about the smallest of the 90cc class machines.

Before we got the LT, we tried starting hiim out on the Honda. While he could drive it OK, I could tell that it was not the best fit for him and wouldn't be right until he grew some more. We bought the LT not only for it's smaller size but also for the ease of learning with the auto trans.

I personally don't like the concept of mini's in the 50cc class and the 90cc class being basically the same bike - just with a smaller engine and wheels (like the Yamaha Raptors 50 and 90). It's more than just about power - smaller kids need a smaller, lighter machine to learn basic handling skills. Besides, any 90 can be detuned to 50-like performance.

Get a quad that will fit your son now and for the next year or so. Kids grow quickly and it's a given that he'll outgrow whatever you get him but it's just not worth it to buy for his future growth. If you are buying new, you will definately get better pricing with the non-major brands of quads. However, it may be worth it to try to find a used quad - one that has already depreciated down from it's new price. We bought our LT for $1,400. I expect if we sell it in the next year or two that we'll get at least $1,200 for it, maybe more. Overall a pretty cheap investment to keep the right size quad under my son.

Jaybee