scavanau,
Has your son actually taken the Sportsman 90 trail riding yet? I'm curious to hear how it does going up hills. My son has a Suzuki LT80, it's a nice little ride but has some trouble getting up some of the hills we ride on. He is 11 and only weighs about 75 lbs. If for some reason he has to slow or stop on an incline you can pretty much forget about going forward again without a push. I'm not talking about huge hill-climbs here, just mild to moderate inclines. I would never let him attempt anything beyond his abilities, but it would be nice to have a little more power in reserve. The LT80 will soon be handed down to his 8 yr. old brother and another quad purchased for him. Just trying to decide whether or not to go for the Sportsman 90 or wait a little longer and get a larger sized model for him.

 

It doesn't seem to have any troubles with inclines. No trail riding yet. Just "bombing" around on his grandparents land which has lots of small mowed hills and some waist deep grassy areas. I got on it and attempted to take off with it pointed uphill, with my 225lb carcass I had to give it a little nudge and it took off slowly. Its going to stay throttled for a while, but I'd love to see what its capable of when opened up.
I went trail riding once with a guy whose son has an LT80 and was suprised at what that bike was able to do! He had no problems with hills and we were riding on Vermonts tallest mountain.
I imagine this weekend we'll burn another tank or two, I'll post anything I learn. Or email me,
scavanau@zoo.uvm.edu

 

SP5004X4

My eight year old rides a Honda TRX 90. We just got back from Royal Blue (again). The only things that stop it is when he straddles a hump with his 4" ground clearance and I have to give him a nudge. Climbs hills better than my King Quad (he weighs 65lbs.)

JB

'94 King Quad
'96 TRX 90

 

SP5004x4,
Just curious as to how old the LT80 is? If it is having a tougher time on hills then it should, it may need a rebuild.
I do not know how mechanicaly inclined you are, so please forgive me if I sound like I am insulting your intelligence.
2 strokes need more maintanence then 4 strokes for the most part. The piston and rings usually have to be replaced now and then, to keep the compression up. If they are worn, the machine will lose power, making it hard to do things such as hills.

 

Lurch,
The LT80 is a 93 model that we bought used about a year ago. You're probably right about the engine getting a little tired, it has been ridden quite a bit. BTW, I make my living as a mechanic. I have never been a big 2-stroke fan because I like riding more than working on 'em . I much prefer the low rpm torque and less maintenance of a 4-stroke engine. After tooling around on my SP500 for so long I may just be expecting too much from the little LT80. It really does pretty good on the trails as long as he doesn't let the speed get too slow on the hills or has to stop on one. I need to replace a couple of rear suspension bushings on it this winter and while I'm at it I may just go ahead and freshen up the engine too.

 

jaybeecon55,
That Honda 90 is a tough machine, I almost got my son one but he wanted the Suzuki because it was an automatic (He takes after his mom when it comes to shifting gears). I know the Honda will climb better. We like to ride in Royal Blue too. Maybe we can ride together sometime if I ever get caught up on my weekend projects enough to get to ride again. One project is a new trailer I'm building to haul all the ATV's on. Gotta ride when it's done.

 

We have an E-ton 90cc & it goes almost everywhere we go. We go up hills, thru mud, even a river crossing. Sometimes he gets stuck, but thats due to ground clearance not lack of power. E-ton is a little wider than the LT-80. thus its not as tippy, which is great for kids.

We have had his quad since April, the only problem is the squeaky rear brake.

I guess by owning a E-ton, I am a closet Polaris owner

 

I just saw the scrambler 90 @ my dealer yesterday...........the machine looks great, but it is the same frame & engine as the aeon 90cc machine.

to the owners of the scrambler 90 or the aeon 90, I need to ask a question. Does the placement of the air filter (very low behind the left front tire) present a problem with crossing deep water? also, how bright is the headlight on the polaris?

my son has a LT80, and it climbs hills no problem. I wanted to get my two oldest boys a set of new machines,,,,,,but I have yet to decide what I will get them. I have noticed that the LT80 is the only machine with a foot actuated rear brake, and Honda seems to think that a kids bike needs to be pull start for some reason. The polaris looks good, and I am considering the purchase of 2 of them.

please answer my questions in this thread if anyone has the answers.

thanks in advance for the info.

 

2punksdad -
Two answers
1) The light on the polaris is as bright as reflected sunlight can be, There are no lights, only stickers to make them look like the big polaris.

2) The Honda TRX90 has a rear brake actuated by right foot or left hand. Fronts by right hand. Also, I wanted electric start but wanted a TRX90. Got the TRX with its pull start - it starts like a Honda, never have to pull more that 4-5 times. My 8 year old can start it cold.

JB

 

jaybeecon55..........I think you are wrong, the polaris looked like it had a true headlight, and it FOR SURE has a tail light. Why would polaris install a tail light with no headlight?

the aeon version has two headlights and a tail light........

how much did the trx90 cost ya?..........

walmart sells a comparable machine for 1646.00