In todays market in atvs there are alot of models,makes and brands when you see one brand for $1800 and another for $500 and they are both mini quad "you are getting what you pay for" I under stand first time quad for your 5 or 6 yr old but when you need parts and or service and when you cant get it how much money are you really saving I have found out that service is have the price.

 

A little more info may help the next person. What type and where did you buy it from?

 

There's alot of good introductory ATVs on the market and there are alot of bad ones out there. If you are somewhat mechanically inclined, you can save ALOT of money buying an off brand ATV. I have Sun L 70S 90s and 110s, and I like each and every one of them for there INTENDED purposes. These are CASUAL trail riding machines and NOT meant to be raced.I also have some Redcat models that I like.

IMO,its absolutely INSANE to go out and buy a TRX 90 for my 8 yr old and spend 2600 on it,just because it says HONDA on the side of it. Im not ready to tell any adult to buy a chinese brand ATV because we as adults are much harder on our quads than our young kids,but for the very young kids, there are some good starter ones out there.Make sure the dealer you buy from can get SUPPORT and PARTS if they are needed for future repairs/maintenance.

 

I agree...for the young or first time riders there are some off-brand ATV's that are fine. Going into the purchase you have to realize that these ATV's do need alot more attention than the brand names. So if you have no intention of working on them and just want to jump on it and ride it all the time, then you should look at the brand names. Also, alot has to do with how these off-brand ATV's are used. If you plan on racing them, rough trail riding, jumping, going through water, etc. then they will break and you will be disappointed. Also, these smaller ATV's are not meant to be driven by an adult. (How many of us take a quick spin on our kids ATV's because we can't resist)

I have a SunL SLA-110KLB which is a newer model and it's not perfect but my 10yr. son is having alot of fun on it. We ride mainly on an open hay field with some hills, bumps, etc. and it is holding up perfectly so far. I do take the time before he rides it each time to check the bike over. It takes me about an hour but I think it is cheap insurance for his safety. I also change the oil about every 12-15 hours of riding time...again cheap insurance a quart of oil and it allows me to check for any metal fragments, dirt etc. from the motor.

And yes, it is important to check out the dealer before you buy from them. Do not buy it over Ebay and if you do then do not expect after sale support.

I know that alot of people don't like SunL and I probably would have bought a different off-brand name if I knew about this forum before I purchased it. But so far I am satisfied with my SunL ATV. Hopefully all the bashing of SunL will help them to get their act together and offer the support and parts the SunL owner's deserve.

 

Well call me insane then because that's exactly what the heck I did. I spent the 2600 bucks for a Honda that the only thing I have had to do to it was adjust the drive chain and change the oil.
It's my money and if that makes me crazy then so be it.

How disappointing would it be to an 8 year old(my son's age) to go out and he wants to ride and the dang thing won't start or something falls off or breaks out on the trail?

Like I said....my money....I'll spend it for quality every time!

 

My garage has all kinds of colors in it. One of them is a JetMoto 150. After the initial loc-tite over the first few days I have had zero problems with it. It had a torn nerf net and 1 phone call to Raceway had me a new part in 3 days. My 11 year old daughter rides this one. She does not jump it but she rides it as fast as it will go trail riding. I knew her riding style before I bought it. When time to check the mail and I do not feel like walking the JetMoto is the bike I hop on to get it. It starts with a bump of the starter and does not have the cold blooded tendicies of the others.

Now my 9 year old son loves jumping, so when he was moving up from his Raptor 50 there was no way I was going to put him on the JetMoto. I went with the new Polaris 90 Predator and could not be happier. I have absolutely not had to touch that thing.

With that said my problem bike is my Yamaha 50 Raptor that my 7 year old daughter rides, which cost more than the JetMoto 150!

I believe the Chinese models have a place. You have to know how it will be ridden before making a decision to buy one. I personally would not buy one from anybody but Raceway. The JetMoto for me is a great transition bike for my daughter who is to big for the 90's but not quite ready for the bigger models yet.

 

Drumman,
you are correct, its YOUR $ so spend it how you want. I could have also afforded a new Honda for the kid, but at 8yrs old, my almost 2 yr old Sunl Ls are holding up just fine for their intended purposes with very little money put into them except for oil changes.When the kids get older andstart riding more aggressive, im sure my attitude may change.But you never know, the chinese products are also improving every year too.

 

Yeah! The chinese have really been polishing them turds the last few years! LOL

 

They may very well be "polishing them turds" but I also look at resale value when the time comes for him to graduate up to a larger machine. My son is tall for his age and surprisingly, he handles his 90 like it's a part of him. This is great considering he has Asperger's Disorder, a name for being high functioning autistic.

When we are out riding, he avoids any and all mud, unlike me or my girlfriend, and he is a fanatic about keeping it clean so when the time comes to sell it or trade it in, it will bring max value.

On another note, my neighbor bought his young son a Chinese made atv and had so many problems with it that he sold it and bought him a Honda 90.

Whatever you ride.......ride safe! Everyone have a great weekend and ride!

 

I have to admit that I too an insane. You see I purchased a Suzuki lta50 for my son who at the time was 2 years old. I spent 1900.00 on it and did so because I wanted a reliable machine that could be repaired locally by a dealer in case something would happen to it. I also looked at resale value, when I made my decision to purchase this quad. I had no trouble at all selling it and it went well above market value.

We just recently upgraded him to an LT80 this summer for his 6th birthday. I wasn't at all unhappy with spending the money on this quad.

I am not trying to stir anyone up, but I am not impressed with the quality of manufacturing coming out of China at all. Perhaps some of you have had good experience with them. In my circle of friends, the kids with the Chinese quads are sitting in a chair watching the other kids ride while dad makes the repairs. I did not want to see the disappointment in my son's face. To me it was worth the extra hours I had to spend working to come up with the additional 1500.00.