My daughter is 12 and hit a big growth spurt this year and is now way too big for her Polaris 90. What would be a good next quad for her? I know the Polaris Phoenix would be a good next step but I would prefer a 4X4.

For consideration know that she(and our family) are very passive riders. We don't go fast at all and my daughter often has to be encouraged to push the throttle when needed to get up an obstacle. Having a 4x4 would let her idle over stuff as opposed to having to take a run at it. I don't want something too big for her as she is a pretty novice rider. My friends 12yr old tears around on 500 no problem but I cringe to think what would happen if he rolled it or had it come back on him and while my daughter is pretty tall for her age she's a string bean and won't be throwing a 500 around.

Alternatively I see Polaris has a "Mid" size SXS. Is this unit built for smaller people or just has a smaller engine?

Thanks
Clay

 

The rzr 170 might be big enough depending how tall she is. Be a good idea to try before you buy to check. The Kawasaki brute force 300 would be a good quad to look at. More power than the Phoenix but still not too big.

 

12 year old can grow up really fast. While I'm not a Polaris fan, I'd think about the 450HO. It's a detuned 570 motor with only 32 hp, but has a great ride and should last a long time, price is very attractive. I suspect you could even govern it down, if you wanted to. Big enough, when she grows up, which could be sooner than later.

 

The Brute is 2WD. We sell used bikes to quite a few people wanting to go a size up from an LT80 or Breeze, and most opt for a Honda 250, but that too is 2WD. If you must have a 4WD, there are lots of used models like Kawasaki KLF300, Honda 300 and Suzuki 250 King Quads. All are getting old now, but the "big four" left the under 400 size range to the Chinese a few years back, only Yamaha still make a 350 4WD.

 

If new I would get a Honda 250 TRX or Recon (Stay with name brand)

If use a Suzuki 250 Ozark or a 350 Yamaha Raptor or Grizzly/Bruin. Good Mid size chassis.
She will be driving a car in 3 years you might as well get a ATV she will not grow out of fast.
The BF 300 is subcontracted Asian ATV Kawasaki does not build there small bore ATV like Honda still does.

 

Thanks for the link I will look into it.

 

FYI: just cuz it's a 4x4 she will still have to hit stuff fast enough to get on top. They don't idle over some things.
2 wheel drives go almost as many places as a 4x4.
Maybe check out a Kymco Mongoose. 2 wheel drive but a user friendly machine. It's a CVT (like the polaris). I love mine.

 

anything over a 300 is to much for her... Its not the power issue its the weight of the machine. A 12 year old on a 500 is just stupid. They do not have the body mass to control the machine. The old Suzuki king quads are a good reliable machine and 4x4. Don't let their low ground clearance fool you they can go over anything the new machines can do and extremely stable

 

I assume he wants a cvt auto for his daughter and most of those quads mentioned are semi-auto foot shift machines. Not difficult to master but auto is easier. Especially for a very inexperienced rider. Not many choices in a small displacement(and size) cvt auto 4x4 machine. The Yamaha Wolverine 450 4x4 would be an option for a used 4x4 quad. Its a lot lighter than many bigger 4x4 quads and smaller in size too. Its about the same size and weight as a 2wd Honda Rancher 350 but is much more capable having more ground clearance, a little more power and push button 4x4 on the fly. But not overwhelming power.
The Polaris Hawkeye 300 4x4 and later called the Sportsman 300 is another small in displacement and size 4x4 quad as well. It has less power than the Wolverine 450. That's generally the biggest complaint about it, lack of power. But in this case, its got plenty for her level of expertise. Arctic Cat used to build a 300cc 4x4 quad as well but I'm not sure it was available with a cvt auto. I think it was a foot shift semi-auto like the old Suzukis and Hondas. The Yamaha Bruin 350 4x4 would be another one to look at, as TLC mentioned. Another mid-size machine that is smaller and lighter than the 500cc class machines but still has cvt auto and optional 4x4.

 

Here is my take on this, having a teenage girl in similar circumstance. I would look for a used 250ex/recon style machine. They are stone reliable, can be found for decent price, and she can learn a little about shifting gears or even driving a manual with the newer 250ex. If she is negotiating the trails now on the outlaw, the bigger tires and better stability on a 250 class may do wonders for her confidence. Also the linear power delivery at low speeds and throttle settings is easier to control. True she will need to change gears herself, most kids don't mind and pick it up quick.

I noticed my daughter was struggling a bit even on smooth but off camber trail sections due to her stock(narrow) 90. Having to deal with a wheel being off the ground in sections where the bigger machines won't do that.

Otherwise I would look to one of the smaller, older 4x4 models. A lot of these are just to big for a 12 year old and I don't care how big the kid is physically.