After reading some articles stating the differences between the semi automatic and fully automatic mini chineese atvs on the market,has me questioning a couple of things.One seller of the semis claims that the fully automatics are unable to pull out on sand or loose dirt,where the semi will. I dont know if I agree with that statement..Also a semi will use the engine to stay slow downhill,where a semi will roll free and pick up speed.I can agree with that statement, but I would never take a young child on a dangerous downhill grade (Daahhh!)...The semi will come to a stop much faster than a fully auto when shut down by remote control.Well maybe so,but if its on a flat area how much faster?? I think they are trying to hype up the semi.What about ease of operation?A young beginner wants to have fun and their focus should be on safety,not shifting gears.I beleive a mini is a learning quad that will be outgrown quickly,and is a tool to learn the basics of riding.What do you guys think?

 

I personally would prefer the semi auto but it depends on your terrain. The sunl 70 we had was fully and it was ok but there were times a lower gear would have come in handy.

The fully autos are probably cheaper to make. They are basically a one gear auto. The 70 we had was very close to the baby falcon 110 in second gear.

As you noted, the one gear autos are easier to use. Of course, if its a problem, you could just put a 3 speed in second (or first) and remove the shifter - this is often recommended with younger drivers anyway. Also, from some of the posts I've read, different brands (or even variations in one brand) may have different gear ratios, e.g., some may be set in a second type gear and some in third. I've read many post where people complain that their mini would not climb over a brick, etc. The 70 we had was much more useable than those.

Rodney

 

I see your point, the gearing is not as low, giving the semi a better low end ratio.Well that does make sense.It will probobly have a higher top end too.The way i,m looking at it is,my boy is very young.His driving skills will be limited to a flat area,where he can circle around with no rough terrain. My goal this year will be 1 to teach him safery and to have him be able to start and stop and be able to maneuver turns on his own.Possibly ride next to me on my atv.By the time he is ready to do hill climbs and tackle rough terrian he will have outgrown the mini.He is very tall for his age..He can then move up to the eton 50 2 stroke.He cant reach the floor boards just yet..

 

Umm, just how old is this young man?
From what I'm reading, he must be very young if you want to move him "UP" to a 50.

Anyways, I'd go for the CVT machines. 2 levers..1 throttle,,1 brake. ie: the have fun and focus thing.
Take him around and have him sit on them to see if he can reach the levers etc.
The smaller machines have limiters/remote shut-offs.
DRR/DRX makes the best 50cc machines.
If you want a very slow yet highly dependable machine, get a LT50. Prolly one of the best start-out machines out there.

In PA, you won't have to worry about him taking off in sand. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

My little buddy is 4.The eton 50 has a wide seat and his feet fall 4 or 5 inches short of the foot boards.Plus the eton sits higher off the ground and has a wider wheel base and he cant quite reach the brake levers IOW too big for him.He fits perfect on the mini.There is a guy in town selling minis for about $1000.00 or so.We stopped by and fitted him on them.He fits it perfect.They looked very sililar to a sunl ,might even be one.I wanted to make cash offer on one of his units,but he didnt want to even hear it.I guess I shouldn,t have told him I could have one delivered to my door for less than half price,but I couldnt resist.Sometimes salesmen **** me off.Anyhow even though my boy is young,I want to start him out this year.I had my daughter on a yamaha PW 50 with training wheels at 4 yrs old.We go up in a flat field,and I jog along side.Maybe I can drop a couple of poundsfrom all that jogging

 

I commend you on How you are going about all this. Some don't have the best interest at times. One guy went on and on about his 2 year old and dunes and a 90cc machine..
The low cost machines may be just right! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

i bought my son a mini 90, brand doesnt matter,fully auto just to get him started and he learned quite a bit and really liked it. but it was so small and wouldnt go in the sand at all. tires to small i guess. so i was lucky enough to up grade to a semi auto, once again brand doesnt matter, he had to do a little relearning but it does everything much better.

 

For a beginner just find one that is the best fit....That is the most important feature.....


Make sure he can control the quad physically and wears at least (helmet, chest protector and neck roll)..Of course I would prefer him to wear the whole outfit, but reality is that I know when kids are starting out that not everyone buys it all..


To get a taste for the sport I would recomend the Red Cat 50...You can probably find one delivered for less then $600.

Not the best quad on the market, but well worth the money....A couple of friends have them and they serve their purpose well with no complaints


Once your boy is ready to step up in size then the DRX50 is the choice w/o a doubt....

http://www.drrinc.com

Good luck....It is great to hear that you are going to make this sport available to your son!!

 

Good call on the DRX50...It gets better every year!!

 

As it turns out,the Wife and I both have quads,the daughter has one and now my middle child will have one too.As soon as the 1 yr old is ready he will ride as well.Of coarse that will be 3 yrs from now.I look foward to the day we can all just take off and go.