Priced out some machines today during lunch. The Eton price drive out (without the A-Arms extenders) was $1950. The other Bike was the Honda TRX90. I liked the Honda...wish it had the reverse...but it was like $2650. I know I shouldn't be concerned with price....because safety comes first...but that number was high. I want to add some stuff to the bike..like the remote shut off and possible some other stuff....but if I'm gonna spend that kinda cash...Daddy wants a new bike. I let you know how round two goes (thats the one with the wife). T

 

hello i am new to the forum but i must let all of you know i own 2 atc200es big red trikes and a honda atc110 i also bought i mini quad frame and started building it up from scratch i have only spent maybe a few hundred and the results will boggle your mind

i purchased a tripped down 50cc chinese quad frame (rolling chasis) i ripped off the engine and put on a 110cc 4 speed semi auto honda replica engine changed the shocks and a few other things but basically thats it i ride my mini chinese quad everytime i go riding and i ride hard as hell i go riding with an 06 banshee 2 06 blaster's a 200es big red trike and a 400ex we ride woods mud pits sand pits up hill down hill we make our own trails straight threw the trees my mini quad tears threw all of it right next to everyone

as for taking a beating honestly they are full steel frames not the lightest things but they don't bent they don't crack they don't twist i threw my quad into an upside down spiral down the side of a hill it finally landed adter hitting about 5 times i loosened a bushing and bent the handlebar a tiny bit thats it nothing else i tightened the bushing and went back to riding

i then managed to hit a left over rail road track laying on the side of the tracks i hit it head on at about 30 mph i rpped my foot rest (solid nerf bar looking things) clear off the bike frame stayed 100% straight i bang wheelies threw 1'st 2nd and 3rd gear i can hit the front brakes and smoke the tires threw all 4 gears

basically these little quads are capable of anything that the big ones are anything they are well worth the money and also no need for a wrench because they are fully warranteed for longer than any name brand quad the kymco guy over hear gives like a 5 year warrante with his quads and they actually make a lot of parts for them that are really not expensive i am about to upgrade my mini quad with a big bore kit i am bringing to just under 150cc 4 speed semi auto and if i want i can add a clutch at any time for about $50 if you like i can send you pictures of my quad so you can see what one of these things could look like honestly they can be real sick i beet my friends 200 trike street racing in the trails i pass everyone i can handle better than just about all of them the straight aways the banshee gets me

the one thing bad is the height my quad sits low and i do occasionally get snagged on a cut stump but they have a widening kit and a kit to raise i am presently working on adding a 3" extended swing with a 2" higher shock and 2 inch wheel spacers in the rear as well as 2" extended swing arms with a 1" extended forward and 2" higher shock wich will give my little mini quad 4 inches more in length and width and a 2" lift after that there is no stopping this thing

just thought i would give you guys some insight from someone who has one that went crazy with it i did manage to wreck the rings after about 5 rides but they are $13 to replace and i can do the work but i also submerged this thing about 10 times crashed it about 3 and plain and simply beat the absolute hell out of it

 

I just cant see spending that much money on a beginner quad. I get the reliability aspect but most of these chinese atv's are as reliable as the rider or parent that takes care of them. I am on my 3rd one and the first 2 have been great so far. It has been a year now with minor to no problems. Yes later when they get older, bigger and more agressive I will buy them a name brand atv but for now you just cant beat the chinese atv for beginners. And who knows 3-5 yrs from now some of these chinese atv's may be in the main stream with the big names.

 

I've been thinking about this some. It is amazing what a persons brain is doing during a hour plus commute to work.

But what I keep getting stuck on is - you don't see very many chinese airplanes. One would think they would cost less.

And Tim - after 25 years of marriage I can honestly say that I have absolutely nothing whatsoever that will give you any edge on the round two phase of your project. All I can say is - Good luck.

 

Hopefully you won't see any Chinese commercial airplanes for a long time. I work for one of the biggest suppliers to Boeing and Airbus. Airplanes don't have any tolerance for bad parts, so the cheap aluminum they use would fatigue crack in a few months.

 

safety, safetly! I am a doc. las week a 12 year old rolled into the ER with 4 fractures of the thoracic spine. dont know the details of his crash. luckily, he will recover. UNHAPPY mom.

i have a 9 year old son, going on 10. scared of his own shadow. I will be getting him a honda 90.

YHP

 

What the heck does safety have to do with name brand or chinese brand atv's. The Chinese have all the same if not more safety features as the name brand. So I dont get that point! MOST people cant afford 2500 for thier childs first atv but if I were a DOCTOR then of course I would buy name brand.

 

OK - I'll spell it out.

THe Chinese Airplanes concept is provided as a excersice in quality and safety choices.
Quality is a value choice.
We adults don't subscribe to putting out butts at risk in low quality airplanes even if we can save money -
But we put our kids on atv's that are choosen for cost rather then value.

I've seen a broken handbrake lever from a chinese machine (can't use brand names becuase of issues here) that was one of the contributing factors in a serious youth hit tree accident near my home that is pending action. The handbrake lever appears to have just snapped where it pivots at the bolt. I also have a set of chinese brake pads that appear to be more like pressed cardboard then anthing else - another serious coudn't stop in time accident because they got wet. There is a throttle cable casing hanging in my own friends garage that is responsible for his 12 year old going full blast 30 yards into the garage door when it wore through in a bend and got stuck 3 months after purchased new - Another chinese machine. Note: In 3 years I have not seen or heard of a single injury accident from a mechanical failure on non-chinese youth quads. Not scientific but worth noting.

Being part of the youth ATV training I may be more exposed to these issues then someones recreational expereince.
My viewpoint may be different. I make no claim that my opinion based on this viewpoint is better or more accurate than anyone elses - only different.

I also do not suggest that all chinese quads are bad choices. I just have not seen much evidence to support that differently in a debate. In contrast - I have seen the chinese machines be more maintenance demanding and less "durable". When asked my opinion - You will get MY opinion.

I see that a 2005 Polaris 90 is around $2000. I beleive Polaris, ArcticCat and Bombers to be quality products. We had a Polaris 90 2 cycle and the only issues with it came from me riding it so much..lol

 

FYI -- My AlphaSport Cheap Chinese 50 quad is exactly the same as the Polaris model. Not all big 4 are top quality now. Its getting to be a small world.

 

ramteckrc you seem not to get it its not design duh they copy not to hard there but buying good quilty metals for the parts well thats a differnt story