kevin the trailblazer is a decent quad for a beginner.easy to ride not much power though.
1 thing to think about is resell for when she wants something faster.
the honda will sell much better than a polaris.and as far as trading in in on something else well good luck i couldnt even get any other brand to even talk to me about trading in my old scrambler.they all said they wouldnt take polaris's as trade-in's.makes you wonder huh?

 

The last shootout I read between the T'Blazer, 250 EX, and Kawasaki, had nothing but praise for the Blazer. It actually sounded like they were gonna claim it the winner. But, as usual, when they handed out the ribbon, it went to the Honda. I was very suprised. The TrailBlazer is a great beginners machine. Keep up on the maintenance, and it will treat you right.

 

DirtDiggler,

No pun or slam on your handle was intended. I just like the play on words from the movie "Boogie Nights". It's pretty cool.

Kevin 400 EX,

I'm sure your wife will be happy with it. Celeste sure was, although she isn't too crazy about me modifying it more to make it go faster. I added a pipe, muffler, clutch spring, K&N filter, 34mm Mikuni carb with U.F.O., Fox struts, Fox shock and a 38 tooth back sprocket. Compaired to the Trailblazer I just bought for the kids, it isn't even the same machine. Granted, it isn't even close to my Sport, but it is MUCH faster than it was. It's always nice to know you have a few relatively cheap options just in case she does want to go faster. Believe me, she will be hooked in no time.

 

A buddy of mine just bought a Trailblazer for his wife about a month ago. We are going riding this afternoon so my wife can test drive the TB. If all goes well we are going to purchase one on wednesday for her. I am pretty lucky that my wife is interested in riding with me. We have a good group of riders here in Lake Havasu and many of the wives and girlfriends ride as well.

 

bought a 2000 TB for my wife and it suits her just fine,for the money $3200 out the door with a free pair of oakley sunglasses for me!! climbes decent, is stable and a good ride also.told her i would pep it up w/some mods but she vetoed the idea.so i think i will just do it someday when she isn't home[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

OK, I have had first hand experience with a 2000 TrailBlazer and a 2001 250EX. I bought the 250 TB from a guy whose friend has a 250EX. I rode all day with them.

I weigh 250lbs and the other guy weighs 190lbs. When we raced down a dirt rode, I would beat him by about 3-4 quads until he reached middle of his 4th gear. Then he pulled me by 2-3 qud lengths.

Considering my and the TB's weigh difference, the 2 cycle TB did great. My 11 year old son weighing 130 lbs will spank him so badly.

The TB is heavy, but has a very peppy engine too. I would get nothing else for my son (or wife) than a TB.

BTW: I was a Honda mechanic for a long time, I am not diss'ing Honda, but the Polaris 250 TB and 400 Scrambler are excellent quads, especially considering their price.

I wanted to own Honda, but I couldn't deal with a (very) wimpy 300, a air cooled 400 with no reverse or a Craptor that I would repair like I was a full time mechanic on it.

The belt drive is the best. Don't be fooled into mindless propaganda. Polaris isn't the 2nd largest quad builder by making junk. Too many people keep buying them, and believe me, they don't advertise like Hoinda and Yamaha, most of Polaris sales come by recommendations.

Best of all, my two Polaris' have taken a beaten and just keep on going.

Chunky

 

I went thru the same situation about 3 weeks ago, my wife wanted to ride with me and the kids in the dirt. I knew she didnt like gears but I didnt like the auto options. I did my research on the forums and the tests liked the Honda Sportrax 250 or Kawasaki Lacota the best. My solution was buy the Honda and i just put the quad in 2nd or 3rd and she just gassed it. After a few hours of riding i taught her how to change gears and occasionally when she needs to she does. Doing it this way allowed her to just ride initially, then do the gears later. One small step at a time. I think she will be fine with a clutch in the future, she is changing gears like a pro now...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

get a 250 ex retard[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]