what to buy?
#11
Thanks for all the replies, I found a 2004 kazuma falcon 110 midsize frame that will fit him perfectly. (was'nt my first choice but for $150 I could'nt pass it up) Had to drop another $100 in it to repair some damaged parts but now it runs, drives and looks like new. Now I can't wait till Christmas morning gets here. My wife is killing me, making me wait to give it to him! OH! This one does'nt have a remote kill on it, which I doubt I'll need it for him but how well do they work? (range/distance)
The remote kills that I had on my 110cc China wheelers worked damn well. I would say easily a couple hundred feet line of site. Im not sure how everyone works but if you killed the ATV with mine you HAD to restart it with the remote aswell.....not a big deal if you remember that, Ive forgotten a few times and even went as far as pulling the plug and scratching my head wondering why I had no spark. Mine killed the CDI box but not the starter, so it would turn over just not spark if you tried starting at the bars. Once you started with the remote then all was well again.
If hes good on his bike you wont likely need that remote kill. My son started riding at 6.....never needed it. I just adjusted the throttle down for a few hours to let him get the feel of it. He took to it really well, most kids do.
The thing to remember (and Im sure you know this) is have realistic expectations. I got great service out of my China wheelers but they stayed in the yard and mostly flat ground. None of mine had enough low end grunt to actually be useful on real trails. Elevation changes in the yard where no problem........even up a pretty good hill.......but that was on hard ground and with some momentum. They got used in a few mud holes for fun (sliding around and such) but this was all on flat ground and really tame mud......and while they did well they were owned with ease by a 21 year old Suzuki LT80 (my son upgraded to a 1988 LT80).
Listen for stuff rattling use, keep the machine well lubed and change the oil often.....it will be a great machine. Damn good price as well.
I got lucky and my motorcycle mechanic doesnt mind working on mine and doesnt actually look down on the China wheelers. Hes been a great help in the few problems I have encountered.
#13
I'm not to worried about paying a motorcycle mech. I'm a deisel mech./truckdriver and if I can't fix it on my own or with the aid of a service manual it's time for the scrap heap.
#14
Around here your options are slim.....every brick and mortar store wants $75 an hour to turn a wrench and they seem to pick and choose what they work on. I found a honest mechanic to work at $35 an hour and he will work on what ever I bring him......and is damn good at adapting other parts to work when possible.
#15
If you don't have a kill switch, and are thinking about rigging one up, consider this. Put your money in a Chatterbox set up that will let you talk to him as he rides. It will be much more reassuring to hear a friendly voice telling him to slow down, lean more to the left etc. I can't stress it enough that having you able to talk to him will pay dividends down the road.





