I am looking into getting my kids a quad this summer and am having problems justifying the price difference. I ride a scrambler and was thinking of staying with polaris as there is a dealership just 4 miles away. I went there today to check out the pred90 and was shocked at the 2700 pricetag! He said that was out the door and the 50 was 2100 out the door. An autobody shop just 3 miles away sells a quad that looks great, has lots of features, full suspension system and other HP parts. This is going for around 800. I have 3 kids, 8, 5, and 3. Whatever I buy will get plenty of use but I think I might be better off getting 2 of the cheaper ones and still have money left over for gear(pads, helmets. ect...).

Is the pred or any other name brand really that much better? I could go through 3 of the jap brands and still have been cheaper than the 1 name brand. I believe the cheap one is a kazuma mini falcon 90.

As of now I see no real racing in the future so race performance is not an issue.

 

I think you would be OK with a Kazuma, especially if you have a place close by for parts support. There are a lot of fly by night operations importing the cheaper quads. You will have to really dig and search to get parts in the future if you get stuck with one of these.

 

jimk72, my sister and bro inlaw live in Carbon Hill. We try to come up once a year. We can go riding right from their back door. Sure is fun up there.
If your dealer can get you parts for the Kazuma you'll probly be ok, but in my opinion you'd be better off finding a used Honda. They are built better and last forever. The Preditor is a good quad but it doesn't like water, and kids can't avoid water. Plus you have to deal with the oil injection, which isn't to big of a deal but once you start removing this and adding that, you end up having alot tied up in it. There is a new Extreme coming out that looks good. Fourstroke!

 

For a first atv I could not justify spending over 2k for any quad. If you are going to race or do ALOT of trail riding then yes a name brand is best but not for a first quad. The Kazuma mini falcon is a good little atv. The 3yo will still have to drive the power wheels but the 5 and 8yo it would be good. The motor may be a little much for the 5yo but you can turn it down. The 90 has plenty of power.

Even though the dealer close sells them for 800 I would buy from Raceway. Raceway is 779 plus free shipping and you will have great support after the sale. You just never know how long that body shop will be selling them and how they get parts. They may not even want to have anything to do with you after the sale.

 

i vote for the kazuma , you can buy parts from several dealers,also kazuma usa will sell to you, also e-bay has parts for kazuma's, also would recommend buying from your local dealer, that way you know no parts are missing, no freight damage, also you can make sure it runs, that way you eliminate all the problems assoicate with having it shipped. buy local, also local dealers normally will support what they sell

bill

 

Thanks for all the great info! I was leaning to the kazuma and I have read soo many post from people just praising racewayatv. They seem to be one of the best and Im sure they garantee it if there was any damage during shipping. I will start saving up for this summer when I plan on getting it.

They all three ride modded powerwheels. I replaced the motors with matched modified 540s for the Emaxx Rc car. The batts don't last as long but they fly. The 3 year old has been riding since just after he turned 2. He just got on it one day and started going and by the time the first batt went dead he was doing great and never looked back. He now rides the modded ones that go around 10-12 mph. The 5 year old has been riding them since he was 3. So I may be buying 2 by the time the year is over and maybe a 50 next year. That is why I was concerned with the price tag of a single quad costing the same as buying them each thier own, and when you add the cost of helmets, boots, ect... I was looking at a small fortune for the whole deal. This way I can get 1 and gear and if they like it alot I can then get them both one and maybe a 50 next year. Thanks again for the info!

newnick: yea its been fun but lately too many kids have been riding into town and tearing stuff up. I got a ticket for giving my kids a ride around the block this past year so I don't ride localy anymore, $75 isn't much but my atv insurance went up from around $60 to $145 for a year for coverage.

 

If you want to get a Polaris, then look at AlphaSports.com That is the same exact quad as Polaris. I ahve a 50, and I go to teh Polaris dealer to get my air filters and parts.

 

If you like the Polaris, there are certainly a good number of clones available. Alpha Sports is even made by the same company. The thing I like about the clones is the aftermarket support. Not enough power? Every mod you can think of is available. Want a better suspension? Got you covered. The quad can grow with your child's experience.

Not knocking Kazuma, just think some other brands have more potential, with one exception. I would not want the Polaris or "clone" in wet or muddy conditions.

Good luck!

 

You beat me to the punch, but there are a lot of brands you'd have trouble visually telling the difference.

 

I say the name brand models are worth it, in the long run they don't cost any more. The fact that many naysayers leave out is resale value, you'll get all the upfront price difference back at resale time. The Chinese knock-offs depreciate as much or more percentage wise than the name brand quads for the simple reason that not only aren't they built to last the way the name brand stuff is, but that they're so cheap new that anyone buying would be a fool to buy used. New $800 or used $500?, I bet most buy the new for $800. Here in So Cal 10 year old TRX90s are worth as much now as they sold for new, as are well taken care off 5 year old models. Name brand kid quads do not depreciate 35-45% in 1-2 years, you'll more likely find depreciation on the name brand kid quads to be in the 15-20% range in the first 2 years and then a leveling off for 2-3years and then starting to appreciate by around year 6-7.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not badmouthing the Chinese stuff, much of the Japanese name quads are actually made in Taiwan, the TRX90 is the only truely Japanese made Kid's quad that I know of. I nearly went the Knock-off route myself, but in the end bought a new '06 Kawasaki KFX50 for only $1400 OTD. My son has been beating on it for over a month, in fact we just got back from a day at Ocotillo Wells. I have never turned a wrench on the quad, knock on wood, and it has been trouble free thus far. I'll wager that I'll be able to sell it for around $1200 when my son is ready to move up to a TRX90 some time in '07. I guess the bottom line IMO is that you really can't go wrong either way. No doubt the Jap brand stuff cost more going in, but you do in fact get a better assembled quad that will do better resale valuewise. On the other hand if it's primarily about entry costs and you don't mind wrenching plus have experience with small engines, and a welder, the Knock-offs are a reasonable alternative.