thats cool cuz my friend on his 2002 sportsman 400 keeps it under 20 mph and is a very carful driver. I ride with adults when i go out on my neighbors 500

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: shank0668

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



I can tell just by your reply that you're not mature enough for the larger machine. Getting through deep mud, snow, ect, will not hurt you if you don't make it, just makes for a miserale day. SPEED is the most important factor, along with entry and exit angles and the ability to recognize an upcoming danger zone that makes you mature enough for the higher powered machine. Do you're parents a favor and tell them you want a smaller machine.</end quote></div>



hmm lets see dont go up really steep stuff, always go for the easiest and the least steepest rout. hmm lean forword if going up and backword if going down hill. i have quick reaction time. i was riding a 90 full speed and saw a huge hole and i was quick enough to barey dodge it. oh and dont ramp. dont go fast into a mud hole. if you see a ledge infront of you stomp on the foot brake. when getting stuck jump up and down on the back and in awd jump up and down in the front.</end quote></div>

not exacly i am 14 and know there is alot more than that jumping up and down is deff not the way to do it sometimes it works and sometimes it is teh only way out but theres better ways. you do that with a 90 i did 2 but not with anything bigger i saw someone do that with 2 guys on a scrambler on the rear rack and it was realy stuff for 10 minutes then got grip and the 2 guys fell and teh atv shot strait up the rider almost got thrown off. look on you tube noone i have seen bounces haha.

 

shank, you probably could ride a bigger bike but would actually be safer,have more fun and become a BETTER rider if you have a bike that fits you and learn proper riding technique's, a 500 is a full on adults machine and even some of them don't belong on it.

 

i said before since all these post i downgraded my thinking and decided on a 300. is a 300 to big?

 

The Hawkeye 300 is a very nice and capable machine. Same size physically as the Sportsman 400 HO, just a smaller engine.

Bottom line, you can seriously injure or kill yourself on a Recon 250 just as easily as a Thundercat 1000 if you're careless or stupid.

Get what you want and ride it as safely as you can.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: sheepdogMSP8117

The Hawkeye 300 is a very nice and capable machine. Same size physically as the Sportsman 400 HO, just a smaller engine.



Bottom line, you can seriously injure or kill yourself on a Recon 250 just as easily as a Thundercat 1000 if you're careless or stupid.



Get what you want and ride it as safely as you can.</end quote></div>

i agree 100 percent a kawi 350 had more than enogh power to pull me up some realy steep hills on my broken scrambler it looked funny my scrcamber is a lil bigger i think and it was going up a hill spinning all 4 tires but it pulled around 750 lb up hills and over rocks thats more than enough power to bite you. but what is the smalllest all around independent suspention that any brand makes? i hate strait axle in teh trails i ride on i snapped my frame wor out bushings and bearings its just bad it juerks back and forth when you hit rocks. i would sugest anything independent suspention and good ground clearance.

 

Yep my magnum500 has a solid rear and when I go riding with the boys and am behind one of them on their sportsmans I watch them hit a bump and see their suspension absorb it while mine bounces up in the air- IRS is most definitely something to consider

 

beleive it or not the sportamns were faster on tight trails than my scrambler on tight turns mine whanted to flip and then spin teh tires because it did not grab teh ground with equal force one eather side like there independent sway bar on the irs.

 

Just make sure you have the IRS, because one of my sons friends has a honda 250ex witha solid axel. them and a couple of buddies went out ice fishin and his friend was going about as fast as every one else was on the utilities with the irs and he hit a snow drift that through him of his seat in front of the fourwheeler and it ran his legs over luckily we had a bunch of clothing on so it didnt hurt so him at all but we had know problem on the utilities, just make sure you can handle the machine.

 

I had to wait until i was 19 for my first quad which was a 2001 trail boss 325 with no reverse. It work good for a good while but not having reverse made me think twice about were i went.
at few months away from being 20 i got my sportsmen 500 it was fun but a heavy quad. good quad but i wouldn't ride one without a winch. honestly awd isn't a requirement. I had a trailblazer 250 at the same time i had the sportsmen 500 i found myself riding it more because it fit better in the trails. the main thing here I believe is size doesn't matter you dont need the big quad to go out have fun. one thing i know at 12 the only off road i had was mountain bike but it sounds like you live on a farm consider yourself lucky. My grandfather has some 80 acres of land in wisconsin that use to be a farm but the last owner planted a pine tree forest in 1965 now its full grown but the big problem now is that this land is about 300miles from me. about a six hour drive i think and the atv i had was 2003 yamaha warrior which worked out great until i hit the deer trail. I had to unstuck the quad by hand no winch just keep moving it until a part were i got traction