I see alot of different opinions about which chinese quads people prefer, but I don't see any discussion about what type of terrain these are used in. I'm still looking for the one that can climb medium sized grades unassisted and have the juice to power over obstacles without the need to use momentum or a push from behind. Most all of the little quads are automatic which seems to be the killer in these situations. It seems that a manual shift/auto clutch setup would help these quads tremendously! It would give the quad some power at takeoff for those like me who need to throttle way back while their little tyke learns how to operate at a lower controlled speed.

I've nearly gone blind from looking around locally and on-line for the last month trying to find a mini-quad that can fulfill all of these requirements.

I noticed the Kazuma Meercat 90 on the Racewayatv.com website has a 4-speed tranny. But I'm afraid that it will be too small for my son who is a "big" 5 year old and that he will outgrow it too fast.

Lets get some feedback going and discuss what your favorite machine is and what it'll do besides go around in circles in a flat open field.

Thanks!
Gordon

 

I got my son a RedCat 110cc.He is 9,weighs rite at 60lbs,so it pulls him pretty good.

I replaced the 14 tooth front sprocket with a 12 tooth,that gave it more bottom end.Its alot better for startin off on an incline and climbin hills.Went ridin this past week end for fisrt time together,and his did fine.Hills were'nt too steep though.

Its gearin is spaced out too far,between 1st &2nd aint too awfull bad,but 3rd is geared too high for the ridin I like.I think alot of the China ATVs this size are geared similar,but RedCat is the only one Im familiar with.Its got reverse,I rather it have that than 4 forward gears.That might be the trade off.

I have seen some 90s with a frame the size of my 110.The Kuzuma 90 it a small frame bike.

 

My son is 10 and 75lbs.he rides a jetmoto 125.This thing will go over any terrain.Its very large in size.Runs up around 40mph.

 

I am a firm believer in not buying a quad that your son will "grow" into. Especially a first time quad. I bought my son a Kazuma 50 a little over 2 years ago, he was 5 at the time. Now, he's 7, and is about do for a new quad, probably 90 or 110, but that 50 still pulls him around fine. The 4 speed tranny's are geared a bit high, and he really only rides in 1st or maybe 2nd, but first gear is plenty fast enough. I own 110 acres of hilly wooded and hilly fields and he does fine trail riding with me. In my opinion, these smaller quads have plenty of power for any trail riding, you've only got about 5" of ground clearance, so going over big obstacles isn't going to happen, but crossing 3-4" downed branches or through creeks is not a problem.

These quads aren't just for doing circles in the fields. But that is the best way to get your kid used to the quad.

http://forums.atvconnection.com/i/Ga...493%20copy.jpg

good luck

Jon

 

My son is 7 yrs old now weighs about 60lbs and I am ready to get him a 90cc or bigger. He has a 50cc Kuzuma and for $500 that I paid new, I think it was worth it. It was a little rough on the trails since it has no suspension, but other than that I never had a problem with it. 3 things that I like about that quad was being able to shift, headlight and electric start. I think deciding on a size of an ATV depends on the kids maturity level and size.

 

In my opinion you can't go wrong with a Honda TRX. The trx90 has a 4stroke engine, a 4 speed transmission with an automatic clutch. I bought my daughter a used 2004 for $1,000.00 and it runs like a brand new one and looks great too. My daughter is 9 (85 lbs.) and my son is 12(90 lbs.). We ride some pretty rough terrain -- steep hills, rocks(6" to 10" diameter), water and mud up to the fenders, creek crossings. The kids can go any where I go. NOTHING can stop this thing. I don't know much about the chinese or tiawan quads so I can't say anything negative about them, but I know that the trx 90 if very reliable and has a strong engine. It does have the basic recoil pull type starting with no electric start, but IMO electric start is just something else to tear up.

 

Jon, hope I didn't offend you in my original post. My intent wasn't to inferr that these quads weren't real quads. It's just that some of the areas where we will ride the quad are rough and uneven trails with some decent obstacles (downed trees, creek beds, decent sized rocks and the occasional hill) that will need the gearing to overcome from a standstill. I think that one with a manual shift would be bettter for limiting speed while maintaining useful off-idle torque. I'm not looking for the "fastest" quad, but rather one that will do good at crawling over, through and around these obstacles without having to give him full throttle. Am I making any sense?! I just want to cover all of the bases so there aren't any surprises with the decision that I make. I brought home a Lifan 70cc ATV last week that didn't have enough grunt to get the front tire over a street curb. I took that one back and don't want to make that same mistake again.

 

84motoxdad, I'm keeping an eye on the local classifieds for a possible used Japanese ATV as well. I'm not having much luck finding one for sale from a private party. The ones that I have found on the net have been at local dealers and they want as much for the used ones as what the new ones cost!

 

SilveradoSS,
Try craigslist . That's where I found mine. You can search classifieds in specific cities. I had to drive 4 hours to pick mine up, but It was worth it. I think I got a steal.

 

I think I saw an '03 trx90 on ebay this morning for around 900.00 current bid.
Good luck!