Kazuma Meerkat 50 vs. Yamoto 50
 

I am looking at getting my son a quad. I have narrowed it down to the Meerkat or the Yamoto. IS the Yamoto worth the extra $500? It looks awsome and I heard the performanc is better but for a first quad to learn on is it worth it. I alos read about the SUNL 50. I have to do some research on it. Any suggestions or experiences will be appreciated! Thanks all and have a Happy and Safe Holiday!

Kazuma Meerkat 50 vs. Yamoto 50
 

First off how old and how big is your son? He may or may not be too big for the 50. The meerkat has been a pretty good atv for smaller kids. They did have issues with the intake manifolds cracking but I think they have been fixed and I think most of them were the adults fault. Not sure if the Yamoto is worth the extra 500 but it does liik cool and it must handle better with the dual a arms upfront. If you buy one go to Raceway and talk to John. He will set you up. Very good company to deal with.

Kazuma Meerkat 50 vs. Yamoto 50
 

Thanks for the input. He is 4 and about 40 pounds. He is about 42" tall too. The fully automatic tranny on the yamoto is definitely appealing to as oppused to the semi automatic. But for the money, it sounds like Kazuma is the way to go. Does anybody know of a dealer is Southern California? Does anybody know if the Kazuma is green or red sticker legal in California? Thank you for your help.

Kazuma Meerkat 50 vs. Yamoto 50
 

I have a 4 yr.old & 7yr.old son and bought my 7 yr. old the Yamoto 70 for his b-day last July. I looked at the Yamoto 50 for my 4 yr.old, but they seemed too small for him and he is around 37 lbs., so I'm still in the air what to get him... But, if it helps with your son's "next" quad, we're happy with everything on the Yamoto 70 except it's power out of the hole... But - I'm currently looking to mod the motor to correct that, as my 7 yr. old still seems kinda small (around 52 lbs.) on the Honda or Polaris 90's...

Kazuma Meerkat 50 vs. Yamoto 50
 

I have a yamoto 50 that my 8 year old daughter rides. I felt it was worth the extra
money. Since it has an actual suspension and if you look at the machine dimensions.
It is one of the widest 50's out there. Most of the 50's seem to sit in the 25" width range.
According to yamoto there 50 is 60" L 35" W 35" H, seat height is 25". The extra width makes it more
stable. Though it does have the turning radius of a semi. I feel it is geared way to high. It will
go way to fast for a kid. It does not handle hills all that well because of the gearing.

Kazuma Meerkat 50 vs. Yamoto 50
 

I can not comment on the Yamoto, but I do have a Meerkat 50 for my 5 year old. The one thing that I would say, is the the 50 is more than enough bike for a kid to learn on. Don't let the semi-automatic sway your decision that much. Brandon has been riding his for over a year now, and we have let it in first the whole time. Yeah, we tried out second, as that is what was recommended (put it in second, and keep it there).. Well, we do quite a bit of trail riding through the woods and up some pretty good hills, so we leave it in first, and it has enough speed for all he really needs even just in first gear. We got him the bike when he was almost 5, and now he is almost 6 and still riding it. I will probably keep him on it, until he is almost 8. He rides it very well, and could handle a bigger bike, but why push him? The one thing that kids have to learn is how far they can push a bike. No matter how much you tell them not to do something, they will try it until it scares them to the point where they won't. All kids have to learn on their own, and I much rather he learn on a small bike.

Check out my gallery, if you question just what these little 50's can handle.
http://forums.atvconnection.com/i/Ga...493%20copy.jpg

Jon

Kazuma Meerkat 50 vs. Yamoto 50
 

Scramblator,

Did you take the restrictors out? Also did you get a clamp on filter. The stock airbox on these are crap. There should be a restrictor in the exhaust and the intake.

Kazuma Meerkat 50 vs. Yamoto 50
 

Sort of off topic, but I knocked/bent down those restricting steering "safety stops" they had welded on that prevented his quad from turning "too sharp" (as I agree w/ MoparRob, that the stock Yamoto's "have the turning radius of a semi"...), which I would suggest he do too... On even semi-tight trails, before I did this, I kept having to stop, walk back, and slide the rear end of my son's Yamoto around since the quad could not make 80% of the turns without bumping head-on into trees... ("safety stops"???)

Anyway... I'm not exactly what you would call a mechanic, but I took off that cardboard airbox cover (which I agree seems pretty lame...) that covered the foam "air filter" as it only had a few small holes in it to provide airflow, so am just running it without the cardboard cover (but left the foam air filter in-place) until I can find something better, as he doesn't really ride in many "dusty" conditions (yet...), and the cardboard cover seemed essentially useless, other than for restricting airflow... Would you suggest any specific air filter replacement? I've been looking but can't seem to find anything that will fit.

I will look into the exhaust & intake restrictors you mentioned, as I'm honestly not sure.

Kazuma Meerkat 50 vs. Yamoto 50
 

As far as I can tell there are no restrictors on the yamoto 50. At least the 2005 model that I got.
I checked the exhaust right after i bought and the tell tale washer is not in the pipe. I do not believe
the cdi is limited either. With my new air filter I had that thing revved up way high.

As for a air filter. I bought a K&N clamp on valve cover breather. The one with the metal shield
that protects half off the filter. I got the 1 3/8" ID version they also have a 1 1/2" ID
With a little effort it slipped on in place of the factory thing. I had to bend the ear on the frame
where the factory breather bolted on to make clearance. It is getting more air now. Since I had to pull the
slide on the carb and lower the needle. I had moved it to its leanest setting to get this thing to stop
smokeing. You can go to the K&N website and search there catalog. Pick you mail order parts house
of choice and give them the k&n number.

Kazuma Meerkat 50 vs. Yamoto 50
 

Thanks for the info. I searched for the 1 3/8" ID K&N clamp on valve cover breather with the metal shield that protects half off the filter you mentioned on K&N's website... Unfortunately, I'm no mechanic and had no idea what I was looking for, so had no luck... Can you send me a link or tell me a K&N part number(s)?

Also, you mentioned having to bend the ear on the frame where the factory breather bolted on in order to make clearance... Would getting the 1 1/2" ID version prevent having to do this?

Lastly, you mentioned having to "pull the slide on the carb" and lower the needle. I think you are saying that you had to "re-jet the carb" (a.k.a. "lower the needle"?), which from what I am learning here, seems to make sense... it's getting more air, so you had to re-jet the carb to even out the fuel:air ratio, correct? However, I'm not sure what you mean by "pull the slide on the carb"? I'm going to have all this done by the local quad/speed shop, so want to make sure I understand what I am going to have to ask them to do. Sorry not more mechanically versed... Thanks for any further details you can offer.