First just wanted to say thanks for having such a great forum for ATV's, Recently found it. Especially with my sons getting into the sport. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Looking for some suggestions for an ATV for my sons. Both are 6(twins), small in size. Have ridden KASEA 50 for sometime and started riding a YFM100(too old and beat up though). Looked into Polaris 90's, Raptor 80, LT80 and few imports. Any info on the new KAZUMA 90? Trying to stay with 4stroke as riding area is not too wide open and need more low end. Thanks

 

I have had good luck with Etons, just upgraded my 4 year old son to the Viper 70 and it will spin the tires with my 240 lbs on it.

 

.

Many people have great luck with the E-Ton brand.

Before running out and buying a mini based on body style and plastic color, may I suggest that you build a Features / Control checklist. Your list should focus on the best safety items and also future parts availability / affordability. Eventually, every mini will need brake pads, air filter and other general maintenance items. If water / mud is your rider's passion, do focus on a 4 stoke. The 4 strokes have a sealed tranny, are air flow cooled and have sealed electrical systems. Many of the 2 stokes on the marked today can't handle "long term" crud above their running boards. If you blow a stator from water / crud overload, the parts and install labor is very expensive.

For features, consider adding the following to your list:
- Disc brakes are better then drum brakes.
- Hydro control brakes is better then cable pull brakes.
- To me, Running boards are safer then pegs. If you really love a brand that only comes with foot pegs, install Nerf Bars (which has a material mesh to protect the feet).
- Daytime Running Lights is a great thing. Especially if riding in a dark bush area. Some brands have pre-wired DRLs (which only needs a bulb) and other brands of 3rd party light kits. Especially in the 90cc brands.
- "usable" suspension distance is great. A mini may have lots of suspension distance but do check its "usability" distance and behavior (for your rider's weight and riding style).
- Auto CVT or semi-automatic? At the beginning, I loved the idea of full AUTO CVT. Today, I like the idea of tranny with gears. The "bull low" on the semi automatic trannies is great for slow trails and first time learning.
- Reverse Gear might be on your "want" list as well. We only do bush / trail and backyard riding. Sure wish our mini had Reverse gear. Sure would reduce the number of times I have to get off my ATV and push our mini backwards.

For other safety increase considerations, surf: - Press Here -

If you are into trail riding that consists of mud / crud, then do look at a 4 stroke with sealed tranny. Many folks also like the new '06 Honda TRX-90. With electric start and running boards, it might fit your needs as well.

Hope this helps....

.

 

If you wanted a 2 stroke then the Desert Cat 90 is awsome. For 4 stroke go with Yamoto over Kazuma. Yamoto has more features and seems to hole up better. I have both and I like the Yamoto better. Go to Racewayatv.com and check out what they have. If you call them talk to John he will tell you anything and set you up.

 

I'd rec the Honda 4TRX 90's. They are much more expensive than the Chinese quads, as many will point out, but have you seen the resale value of the Japanese made Honda's? Around here in So Cal 4-5 year old TRX 90s are going for +/- $2k. I'll definitely go with a new Honda once my son outgrows his new KFX50.

 

Another feature to focus on is "brakes". Hand control or foot control??? Our '03 Pred-90 had factory hand control rear brakes. After many hours of design and trial / error, I finally got a successful foot brake installed. Even installed an electrical switch to connected it to our dual rear light. Both my kids are FOOT Brake drivers. Many kids are. On other forums, I even see posts asking how to install a foot brake on their specific factory hand level brake brand.

Not too sure if your riders are foot or hand brake drivers. Some kids can adapt to either. If you can, try them out on different minis that have both controls. In the end, ask what they are most comfortable with, then keep that item as "mandatory" on your checklist. To me, Hydro Disc brake that is foot controlled is the best safety feature. Still not too sure why factories don't make this control & better design mandatory.

Hope this helps as well...

.

 

.

Another safety control you might want to add to your Checklist is A-Arm design and making the front wider.

Many older minis have single A-Arm design. To me, they are built for "around the house" and minor trails. If your young riders do medium to extreme trails, do consider a mini with dual A-Arm design. With dual A-Arms, the steering doesn't "jerk" as much on the bigger bumps. The normal jerking is from the bump. With single A-Arms, the steering geometry and tire "lean" is dramatically changed. If bumps is common in your riding conditions, do investigate mini's with dual A-Arms. If I remember correctly, the '06 Dinlis have dual A-Arms.

For more safety, many people are widening the front of their minis. Making their fronts wider (via wheel spacers or wider A-Arms) reduces their risk of tipping. Tipping from donuts, improper leaning on the corners &/or when on sideways slopped ground. We installed 1.5" spacers on the front of our Pred-90 a while ago. Since installing them, my son hasn't tipped his Pred-90. If we had the spare dollars, I should have installed 3" A-Arms instead. Wider A-Arms also put less stress on the factory front bushings. Thus, it would make our Pred-90 6" wider instead of 3" wider. For our trails and my son's driving style, 6" wider would have been much better (re: much safter).

Regardless of what brand of mini you do end up buying, I highly recommend making it wider on the front. Especially if trail riding and the rider's skill isn't at professional racer level. Adding 1.5" wheel spacers, turning rims backwards (like the Lt-80 brand) and/or wider A-Arms are well worth it - regardless of what brand you do eventually buy. It was well worth it for us.

Hope this helps as well....


.

 

Let me say that out of all the mini atv's, even though it lacks some of the features of others, the Honda TRX90 is tough to beat. It's made in Japan, and has the tough, bullet-proof Honda 90 engine that's been around for a long time. I bought my 7 year old son a 06 TRX90 and he rides the living devil out of it. He has mastered the up-shift from 1st to 2nd gear but putts around in 2nd most of the time. With the throttle screw turned in....it has a top speed of about 15mph. Run that screw out and it will do close to 40 with me on it(190 lbs.)

There is no substitute for that Honda 90 engine. The Chinese "clones" can come up with a similar design but they don't have that Honda durability.

 

.

I would have to agree with drumman52. The Honda has a reputation of "near bullet proof" engines. Especially on the mud / crud trails. I read the '06 Honda now have electric start, running boards and some better features then its previous years. With electric start and included battery, one can even install DRLs (Daytime running lights) very easily on this brand. For the previous '06 Honda, a special upgrade stator must be installed - for DRLs.

.