Actually, the 2 stroke moped motors like in the older polaris, eton, a million Chinese clones, etc aren't great setups for mud and they tend to be way more maintenance than a trx90. Those little Hondas will go decades on minimal maintenance. You can hand them down from the kids to the grandkids with little more than preventative maintenance.

 

So is the TRX90 shaft driven? I consider a chain to be the Achilles heal on these little ATV's.

 

Even if the chain drive is not ideal....for the price range your looking in..beggars can't be choosers !! The older Suzuki and Honda models can't be beat for durability and you can still get parts more than I can say for the cheap junk on the market. Just look at all the postings on these forums and see who has the most problems with their machines and those are the ones to stay away from....quite simple really....

 

Chain is the Achilles heal? I don't see that as an issue, why are you against chain drive? None of the kids minis have stellar ground clearance, but a good skid goes a long way towards reliability. Better yet, which youth machines utilize a shaft drive, I don't doubt there are some out there, but I can't think of any. For what it is worth, I haven't had to replace the drive chain and sprockets on our trx90 in the 10 years we have owned it.

 

"which youth machines utilize a shaft drive" Yamaha 80s, but try getting tyres for them.

Most kids quads are not driven through deep mud, the electrics won't stand getting wet on many of them, nor are they used all day long like farm quads, so chain drive is OK.

Of the cheap Chinese makers, I quite like Buyang, E22 Honda clone engines, strongly built and the smaller ones don't have gears to go wrong.

 

I guess I was thinking more along the Japanese lines...in my experience they are vey dependable...and inexpensive to refresh...

 

A used Kymco 90, Arctic Cat 90 or Kawasaki 90. The Kymco usually can be found cheaper. All three are made by Kymco. My grandson has an 04 Kymco that he is the fifth child to own. Been very reliable. I paid a whole $300.00.

 

Exactly, Made in Taiwan (not the China with nukes aimed at us) High quality, much easier to get parts. I like the idea of passing it down to grand kids vs laying in the weeds broke.

 

I have no issues with the imports. Our 110 was a basket case when i bought it. Someone modified to for snow use. After bringing it back to stock all i have replaced in 4 years is bushings and steering joints. Starts up every time with no issues. Just bought the tao tao 125 and after assembling and swapping out the oil. It fired up on the second try. Needs some fine tuning but good to go..
Need to remember all imports are grouped into one unlike name brand machines. Also imports outsell name brand bay no less than 4 to 1. So is you take those points of course it looks like they break down more. when in reality they brake down just as much as name brand.
If you can find name brand used for a good price then jump on it. But if you have limited funds and want to get your kid out riding then grab a import. Im my area i can buy 2 imports for the price people want for their name brand. until my little one stops growing then ill stick with the imports

 

I have purchased a Panther 110 for my granddaughter and a Kymco 90 for my grandson. Both units were used with the Kymco being older and ridden a lot more. Except for very minor items both have been pretty reliable. Here is my take, Panther 110 is a single speed clutched atv. Has plenty of power and will haul butt top end if not restricted good at the throttle. Parts vibrate loose a lot. Had to replace starter, starter switch and battery, expected and no big deal. Parts are cheap for the Panther and not to terribly hard to find. Ride (like in suspension and tires) sucks. The Kymco is faster accelerating because of the CVT transmission, rides way better and replaced nothing but maintenance items. If you are not decent at turning a wrench here and there your most likely better off with a name brand machine. Both machines have been a lot of fun for my grandchildren. Use pure gas if possible, do not let the gas sit too long (like several months) and top off the battery before starting if they have sat for a month or two. Keep the proper air pressure in the tire (3-4 lbs.) especially in a Chinese version as they ride rough enough as is. Change the oil in any Chinese unit before start up and soon there after. Then you can run an annual oil change or so on them. Keep the chain properly adjusted and oiled!! That is most of the highlights I can think of.