I am trying to decide which one of the minis is the best value for me. I am buying it for a 4 and a half year old girl who has been riding an Eton rascal since she was 2. Although Im buying it for my oldest daughter, I also have another 2 year old daughter that will ride it when shes older as well as a son who just turned one and will inherit it also. I guess im saying i intend on using it for several years to come. We usually ride semi-flat dirt roads. I dont intend on using it for any type of racing so im not interested in hop ups.

I have had good service from the Eton I currently have and like the looks of the vipers. I also like the headlight, taillight, parts avalibility, full floorboards, cvt for her now as she is so young, and $1900 price tag. Im concerned about the longevity of the 2 stroke and the fact that the cvt will limit the excitment factor as the kids get older and more advanced.

I dont have any experience with the Dinli but from what ive read they seem to be good minis. I like the looks (especially the rack on the back), headlight, taillight, speedo, full floorboards, and $1900 price. I have concerns about parts avalibility, reliability, and longevity of the 2 stroke. I feel the same about the cvt as on the eton +now -later.

And then theres the Honda. I like Hondas reputation alot. I like the 4 stroke, looks, parts and service avalibility, and the resaleability. I dont like the lack of features such as headlight, taillight, speedo, full floorboards, and $2600 sale price. I think that the 4 speed auto clutch will be a plus as they get older but not sure if they will be able to shift at 4.

Any advice?

 

wait till there old enuff to be able to fully apply the hand brakes is always a good thing to look for when buying a quad for a baby, and at 2-3-4 even 5 thats not likley try the oldest out on any of those i bet she cant even reach the levers while holding the bars , hmm that sounds unsafe to me..

you should read my other post its about people in iowa just like you
its called "if you can't your state will " and its about deciding whats right and wrong not just for you and your kids but for the future of atving everywhere


rich

 

Stock for stock (and given a child that actually fits), I'd rather have the Honda. The 2-strokes don't really wake up without a few basic mods and the semi-auto seems to have better low end grunt.

On the other hand, a very young child may have trouble switching gears and believe the Dinli/eton have hydraulic rear brakes which are easier on small hands. And you could add a low-end performance kit for what the Honda would cost you.

 

itch,
I appreciate your concern, but give me a little credit. I have already had her on 2 of the before mentioned minis and she can reach and apply the hand brakes just fine. As for your comments about the state deciding, in NC they already have. December 1st last year they adopted news laws regulating ages of atv riders. But as a responsible parent i feel im better suited to make the decision about whats right for my children then the state. I believe she is ready to move into the 90cc class. As i stated, she has been riding the rascal for over 2 years and is a very good rider. My other children will ride this new atv eventually, but not until there skills are up to par for it.

 

i understand , but as the father of 7 1/2 year old son who rides a 90cc there is no chance your 4 1/2 year old can safley reach or apply the hand brakes on any of the atv's you have listed for consideration my son is of average size and still is just now big enuff to saftly apply the hand brakes i'm not trying to be to critical but i seriously think your jumping the gun alittle . you must be somewhat unsure, and maybe thats why you posted this question here

 

My son has been riding his Viper 90 since he was 5 1/2.If their hands are big enough to reach the brake lever the hydraulic brake makes things much easier than a standard drum brake as it is much more powerful and requires less effort.On the front brakes I loosened the adjusters to let the lever come closer to the handlebars and made a small bracket to keep the lever about an inch and a half closer to the bars....Its a tough call on which atv to buy.As for longevity the two strokes are very easy to rebuild so I wouldn't worry about that...We've been very happy with our Viper so far.

 

They are your kids, raise them how you want. It's not the government's, mine, or anybody elses job! As to what you ask. I believe 2-strokes are very reliable (we have a Unison but we race it). If it was me with 3 kids to use it I would get the Honda. Will last forever, just keep up on maintenance. My son started riding an old Honda TRX 125 quad I had picked up cheap with auto clutch and manuall trans. Worked out good because for the longest time he couldn't, wouldn't, didn't know how to get it out of first. For the riding conditions here I think one of the most dangerous things is to have a hand or foot brake that works all brakes at the same time. I,ve seen alot of kids and adults flip over backwards when they don't make it up a hill and can't use only front brakes. Having said this I'm not sure how the Honda's brakes are set up. You say you ride on dirt roads so I will still say get the Honda, it looks better this year with new plastics also.

 

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I just purchased a 2006 HondaTRX90 for my nine year old and it is perfect for him. It took about one hour for him to be comfortable riding in 2nd gear. We have a flat open field with some trees I planted that he drives around. My daughter rides it also and she just turned 7. She is comfortable in 2nd gear(about 7-10 mph). The only problem with the 90 cc class is the weight issue. These atvs average 250 pounds and cornering is definitely harder for my daughter because she is very petite in size. If you are not trail riding and dodging around obstacles the 90cc is perfect.
I pondered for a month on deciding between the Eton 90 or the TRX90. The honda is the more stable of the two. It is very comfortable at peak 3rd gear(about 20mph). As far as braking goes, with the Honda gearing it decellarates?? very fast. At low to mid range speeds you don't need hardly any if not at all, the brakes. the atv does it itself. They should be taught to use the foot brake and not the hand brake(for the rear).
I personally went with the Honda beause of the 4 stroke and reliability and I am not dissapointed at all. The atv has enough starting power in 3rd gear and they can get used to the atv before learning to shift. I started in first, then went to 2nd and now my son is on third and just starting to learn to shift, all in two days. FYI, He is not a speed freak, he really respects the machine and its power. Also, the Honda has full running boards that connect from the front fender to the rear fender.(Better than the Eton)
The Honda is about $500 more and if it is going to be passed down you need not worry. I am not so sure on the Eton. All knocks on the Eton are about suspension and poor seat comfort and after driving my sons it means a LOT!!! to be comfortable and stable at the higher end of the speed cycle. The Eton is shorter, narrower and seat height is higher which makes it less stable at higher speeds.
I do think they are both great atvs. Don't buy the 2 stroke if you do not need it. Next year Eton is going all four stroke!!(According to the Eton dealer, due to the EPA)
Good Luck!!
Raz

 

I can't argue with the Honda's reliability(I've got an old 1977 XR 75 that still runs like a champ despite lots of abuse) but I just wanted to clarify after the above post that the E-ton is very stable as well.we raced ours and there were lots of other Vipers there and there were never any high sides or wipe outs due to the machines stability...Depending where you are riding the gears can be a good or bad thing.We have a little cousin who rides a 125cc Honda and rides around in 1st gear since he doesn't know how to shift.This is a great speed limiter but can get kind of hard on the engine after awhile once they start to ride fast. If you put it in a higher gear it can become a problem if you are in hilly terrain or stop and go over obstacles on the trails...We had 3 little riders aged 5 1/2 to 8 years old.We had the old 125 cc honda and the Viper and a Polaris Scrambler 90.All preferred the cvt machines but I'm sure this would change as they got older and could actually use the benefit of the Honda's gears...Depending on the child by the time they learn that they may be too big for the machine anyway..

 

Does anyone know the top speed on these machines?