My daughter is 8 years old -- she has ridden ATV's before but, is by no means an "experienced" rider. She is apx 4'5 and weighs 82lbs. I wanted to get her something larger so that she could ride it for a while...a friend has a mini and it is waaay too small for her. My DH wants to get a Honda 250 (recon?) but, I think that it will be waay too powerful for her and I am leaning towards maybe an off-brand 110 or 150. What would be the best size for her? Also....price is a factor and if we go smaller I definitely do not want to spend the money on one of the big 3. In that case would it be best to go with a Chinese ATV like a Roketa, RedCat, Tank or Jetmoto? Or would a Taiwanese ATV like Dinli, Jackel, Unison or E-Ton be better?? Help -- I need info ASAP!!! Thanks everyone...!

 

at her size I started riding a 250 some, but I mainly rode my little 80 for a couple of more years. If she is mature for her age then I would get a 250 honda or yamaha.

I dont have much experience with the off-brands but what I hear on here. Most of it is junk and just cheap knock offs, however there does seem to be some good ones out there that actually have some support after the sale, like Jetmoto and Raceway. The other ones I would stay clear of unless you like to work on them yourself and can make some parts if you cant find someone to sell the parts if the break.

Plus if you get a off-brand one the resale is next to nothing, whereas I have been offered 800 for my 87 yamaha 80cc badger before and turned it down.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: ctateusa1

at her size I started riding a 250 some, but I mainly rode my little 80 for a couple of more years. If she is mature for her age then I would get a 250 honda or yamaha.


Thanks for the reply..! She is very mature for her age and is careful as well -- you really think a 250 would work for her and not be too unsafe? My DH likes it b/c he knows he can take it hunting..!!! LOL

 

Personally, I don't think a Recon is a good choice for an 8y/o. She may have a hard time reaching all of the controls, and it is probably a bit to much power to start off. Look for a used 80/90 class name brand is your best bet for cost and quality. I picked up a Honda 90 for $800.00 in decent shape. You can find the venerable LT80 for similar price as well. Newer offerings from Polaris, Eton, Kasea all tend to be good buys as well if they have been taken care of. Tell your husband to buy his own, that way they can ride together which is much safer for your daughter anyway.

 

i'd buy the honda trx 250 if you can afford it, because they're on the smaller size for a 250 and have great resale valve if you decide to ever sell it. i'd stay away from any chinese atv's, unless you're looking for a cheap POS that maybe or maybe not run, and they have no resale valve what so ever thats why these are considered disposable quads, that includes but not limited to kazuma, jetmoto, sunl, roketa.. and so force. if you can't afford new, name brand, i've been seeing quite a few used ones on the market right now, you might wan to consider this option, if you don't want a used atv and don't want want to spent the money on a new name brand then my next choice would be the taiwanese atv's , their more money then the chinese but a little less than name brand, but are 100% built better than the chinese atv's. i been their-- done that with chinese atv's and never again will i ever buy another one.

 

I got my son a Polaris Outlaw 90 for his first quad. He is 10 years old and never rode anything before it. It has tons of power and is very stable and safe. It is a great machine for youngsters to learn on. I put a muffler on it and it impresses me how fast it is, even with my big butt on it! You can read all about the chinese stuff on the forum, it comes down to no resale value and constant repair. You get what you pay for.
Good Luck
Ed Katt

 

I also bought my 10 year old daughters a Polaris Outlaw 90. The outlaw seems to be bigger overall than a lot of the other 90s out there and it has good power for such a small quad. They are very comfortable on it and I think it will suit them for the next two years until we move them up to something bigger. This is their first quad and they are doing great as far as handling and throttle control. We started off slow in the back yard and just kept letting them try a little bit more at a time. I thought about going with a 250 as well, but I'm glad I stuck with the 90. I think I read that it tops out at 25 mph which is plenty fast for kids this age.

 

better check your state laws too if you plan on riding on any public trails
In iowa you can't legally ride anything bigger than a 90 till your older than 12, which actually just changed from no one under 12 on 4 wheel atv's on public trails(which we have alot of)but you could be any age on a 2 wheeler
my son started riding his e-ton 90 2 years ago at 7 and it still has plenty of zip for him, it even rips me around pretty well

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Thanks everyone for ALL of your great advice!!!!! I admit I was looking at the 90's as well....but, I did happen to find an E-TON Yukon CXL-150 for a reasonable price. It doesn't appear to be too large for her. Does anyone know anything about these? Would this be a good quad for her?

 

I just went through the decision process recently for my 12year old 5ft 90lb son. The primary considerations were something that would be safe (i.e - not too big and powerful) yet something he could ease into and grow with for a few years.

We've rented ATVs on vacations so he had basic riding skills. A Jetmoto 150 is what we purchased for him and it was the best decision. A few key points which made this work for us.

It has a fully automatic transmission. There is a tendency to go with manuals as that is what is best long term but that would have been a horrible choice for a you rider. It is amazing how smoothly you can bring the power on with the auto and this allows the child to focus on other things like pointing the thing in the right direction and thinking about braking and proper learning, etc.

Frame size - You need to make sure how the rider fits the frame. I would caution you about getting a quad too large as they are heavier and thus more difficult to weight shift properly and if they tip over on a young rider, a smaller quad will cause less damage. I found the Jetmoto 150 frame to be more adult sized and works for him. Anything larger would have been a mistake. Proper sizing is much more critical when doing steep up/down/traversing as this is when you must weight shift the most and little arms just don't allow sufficient movement, making it unsafe.

Engine size - The 150 has surprising amount of power and torque when coupled with the auto, a perfect match. Limiting the power is done via a screw setting on the throttle. It works well on an automatic as it provides good torque at low speed yet limits top end speed.

For a child your size, I would steer clear of anything like a 200/250, even the 150 my sone has would be too much for your kid. I'd get a used 90 or so Japanese, ride it for a year or two then get her something larger IF she even is still interested. Either way you can unload the quad for what you paid for it and use it for a larger quad or the next sport that interests her.

Lastly, remember, safety has got to be the most important factor. You must keep your child safe and minimize risks of this dangerous sport. Do not allow her to ride a quad that has more power than she needs or is larger than she can handle safely. Remember, these things are very heavy, a 250 probably weighs around 300 pounds. Even if it layed on her little 80 pound body, it would cause bruises, maybe even some fracturing. You do not even want to think what it can do if she is going along at twenty and it flips over on her. My son and I have ridden only several months but we have seen three ambulances hauling people to the hospital and another young boy who fell off his motorcycle and bruise his ribs and leg enough but just short of a ride to the hospital. This is DANGEROUS, please be safe.

Good luck and welcome aboard.