Picking this up from a friend for $1100, seems a good deal from what I've seen in So Cal. It's for a 5 year old, who isn't the most fearless of fellows. I figure the LT50 will be a great motivator for his overall development, and also a safe and comfortable ride for him. The quad is bone stock and in nearly perfect condition with all its speed restrictors in place. This site has been a great resource in my research! This article was also a good read for LT50 A info...Link

I'd love to hear any input on this choice, any major negatives I should be aware of?

 

My 6 year old (soon to be 7) has an 04' Kawasaki KFX 50 that he got when he was 4, which is the same quad as the LT50, it's just green and he loves it. Your little fearless one will be wanting the restrictors out in no time and he should love this quad. It's pretty well made, is reliable and can be hopped up when the time comes. Yes there are others out there that are faster and better suited for the race track, but all in all this is still a great little quad. When the time comes and you're looking for more power, this forum is the place to find the info on mods and lately there have even been performance parts, pipes, filters, etc. on ebay too. Just do a search for Suzuki LT 50 or Kawasaki KFX 50.

 

I'm still waffling a bit between the LT50 and the sub $1k knock-offs. The LT is a very well known, easily servicable, and bulletproof quad. Yet it doesn't have lights, electric start, or any gears or variable transmission, nor is it 4-stroke. Yet it seems for every person that raves about their knock-off brand that there is someone that talks about what a POS they are, or how difficult it is to get parts and after sales support. I'm just really confused as to what to do. My son would be in 7th heaven with a GREEN quad with lights and E start, but I'd be beating myself up big time if I bought new and then had the sorts of horror situations that I sometimes hear about with the non Honda/Suz/Yama/Kawis...

 

I understand your dilemma and I went throught he same thing. But after years of riding pretty much bulletproof Hondas and Yamahas I decided to spend a little more and go with another name brand quad. At this point I do not regret it as I have friends who have gone with the off brands and they have their horror stories about dealer/warranty support and parts availability. On the other hand though, I hear good stories about the off brands as well, but I don't think that is the norm. There are probably a few off brands that are good, but the market is being flooded with crappy ones at the same time and that gives them all a bad name. No matter which one you decide on, there will always be someone who will tell you why you shouldn't have or how bad their experience was.

 

What type of terrain do you plan to ride on? Is he large for his age? Are you mechanically inclined? Any local dealers and what brands? Honestly believe a few simple questions can at least help you narrow down your decision.

It's real easy for me to push a lesser known brand. I've been happy with mine. Paid $1180 new delivered to my door. But a lot of my satisfaction is directly related to the fact I don't mind getting my hands dirty. And I've improved my machine over stock. But I am so glad I read b4 purchasing because there is no way a lt50 could do what I need it to do, even with mods. And I was looking at them pretty hard.

Just depends on you and your child and your expectations.

 

After much waffling back and forth, I've decided to go with the '02 LT50 A. I'm buying it from a friend who bought it new so I know for a fact that it's never had a problem and been properly taken care of, I also know where to get parts if I need them. The other deciding factor is the CA green sticker/ red sticker issue, the quad has just been registered through '07 and has been issued a Green Sticker. I'm aware of the fact that my son will likely outgrow the thing in 1or 2 years max. But being one of the main Japanese brands that it'll only depreciate another $100-200, if that, over those 1-2 years so I figure it's a no-brainer for me. The bigger question will be what to replace it with at that point...