I want to get my son started in ATV's. I like the utility look over the sporty look.

1. Is the Sportsman 90 a good choice or is there something out there that you feel is a better machine for the money.

2. Do any of the small machines have 4x4 and reverse?

 

my nephew has a 90 sportsman that he and my son ride. they are both 8yrs.old and it seems to be a tough little machine. even us adults have ridden it with no problems. i beleive the new 90's are 4 stroke now! riding along side of my son we hit 34 mph. i saw a new one at a local dealer for 2399.00, a little pricey. of course they had a used one there also, pretty beat up with a broken h/lamp , a hole in the front bumper, bald tires, and faded plastic, and they still wanted 1300.00.

 

The Sportsman 90 is a nice machine. It does have reverse, and is good quality. The Eton is also very nice, and on par in quality with any of the Japanese brands. The Eton is also 4 stroke, has double a-arm front suspension, and a disc brake in the back. I believe the Sportsman has drum brakes (unless they changed it for 2007) The new Kawasaki is nice also, has a disc brake, but no reverse. The Suzuki 90 is almost the same as the Kawasaki, but has drum brakes (and no reverse) The Yamaha 80 is a nice reliable machine, and is a 3 speed transmission, but I did not like the way the front end is put together. Instead of a-arm suspension, it has a very odd swing arm in the front. The Honda 90 is also very high quality, and has a 3 speed transmission, but lists for $2700. I do not know if it has reverse. The 2007 Arctic Cat is very similar to the Kawasaki, with a disc brake, but no reverse. (Arctic Cat has a utility type model also) In my opinion, you would not go wrong with the Polaris, Eton, Kawasaki, or Arctic Cat. It just depends on which features you are most interested in. I do not know of any youth size quads which have 4X4 though. All four of these brands would run you around $1900-$2200 plus tax and junk fees with the proper negotiation.

 

the honda 90 is not a utility looking quad, it is very dependible, it does have front and rear brakes, but are not disc brakes, it has a 4 speed trans,and the new quad is electric srart, the down falls are without electric start the kids cannot ever start itand that can get to be a problem with dads, also no reverse that is a big problem ,having owned one for 4 years it is a hassle having to push it even out of the garage, but the upside is it always starts and never have a problem and my son really rides it hard, (he really abuses it) we have a creek behind our house and it might be knee deep, he will hit it wide open no prblems never has stalled, he will just drive it right into the garage until the next time he wants to ride, and away he goes, i know that is not the crrect way to do things ,but it will take it so why not. ...