Oh, Crap, it's going Back! It is too fast. The CVT tranny just gets up and goes too fast. The parental throttle control has to be set high enough for it to take off, which is high enough for this thing to do about 20 mph in about 50 feet. Not a scratch on lad or quad, but an auto-clutch 4-speed would be much better. So a raptorette/Badger or pit viper or Honda 90 4-trax are the remaining options.
The Honda doesn't have electric start. The Raptorette and Pit Viper aren't out yet. The two-speed Husky 50? At least it has suspension.
I gotta see what the dealer can do for me on this. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img]

 

Hey Fourlix,

I just bought the Polaris 90 2 days ago for my 6 1/2 yr old daughter. Also got a little 2002 Suzuki quadmaster 50 for my 4 1/2 yr old. We took them both out for the test drive yesterday, and I was really impressed with how well they both did. That Polaris can get up and go, but my daughter has good throttle control and doesn't go too fast. (the limiter is set real low, too, so that helps!) It does look a little tall!

That little Suzuki is a cute little thing. Nice size for my son, and it has two types of limiters - the throttle limiter and a plate inside that checks the airflow, I believe. We took that out, and are just using the throttle limiter - otherwise it had a hard time going at all! I had to adjust the throttle limiter to a speed I could keep up with at a quick jog (has the tether on the back - I only had to pull the plug once yesterday!)

Even that little 50 has some get up and go in it! Enough to make me have the jitters and stomach squinch up at times!

I was very happy with our first ride, and look forward to many more safe one s ! (Sorry, the twitching hasn't quite stopped ...yet..makes it hard to type well.....

Corry [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

 

Hi Sandhopper, Well it looks like we're going for the Honda 90. The 4-speed auto-clutch, decent suspension, and resale value, plus the dealer that has my money has one coming in. He said he'll sell The Scrambler 90 for me, it is just too fast for my 4-year old, duh. Sure have been saying that a lot lately.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Well, you know, it's tough finding the right one. It's not like there is anywhere we can test drive them all, and see how our kids do on them! And they are all so different! One 80 might be huge and too fast, and another might be tiny and doggy, and yet another one is just right. I had to totally guess, and it turns out we did OK. My husband didn't want our son to get a 50, but my little man just isn't a daredevil like his sister. At least, not yet! I am sure he will outgrow it pretty quick, but my sanity will stay somewhat intact this way! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

I think I saw a Honda at my dealer's...nice lookin' quad! Much nicer looking than the Badger they had sitting next to it. I would imagine, with yours being a Honda, it should be troublefree!

And it's good to hear that you are willing to buy another quad, and not risk your little man's safety. After all, it's just money. We can replace that! But we have to keep our little people safe!

Keep us posted on how you like that Honda! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Corry

 

If you think the Polaris mini was too fast, the Honda will really scare you. How big is your 4 year old anyway? My five year old is a terror on his E-Ton 50, I cant imagine him on a 90! Watch for kid sized brake levers, most minis seem to have adult size levers, so the kids just use whoever is in front of them as a means of slowing down. Yes, this is from experience! All the Taiwanese bikes seem to have ultra-stiff suspension, too. Who do they think rides these bikes? My 11 year old daughter has the E-Ton 90, and I wish for her that I had bought the Honda.

 

Yep the Suzuki 50 has these little levers that fit my son's little 4 yr old hands pretty well. I was worried about finding some that were the right size, that were easy for him to use.

Corry

2001 Raptor (Blue)
2001 400EX (Red)
2001 Polaris Scrambler 90 (for my daughter)
2002 Suzuki Quadmaster 50 (for my son)

(I just wanted to type all that!)

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]isgust
Hi All,
Wife of Fourlix here, does anyone out there happen to think that a 4 year old is too young for a motorized anything? I feel that the risks far outweigh the benefits and that a child should be 6 years old before you put them on one of these things. Let us know what you think.

 

First off, I am going to purchase the Pit Viper for my son this summer. I contacted IPC via email the other month. The price should be a little over 2 grand and released in Aug (possibly July). There are a few things that really pulled me towards this quad for my son.

4 speed tranny – this way I can have him stay in one gear. No endless reving to top speed. He has rode semi auto quads/trikes before and this set up has been very good. Second gear in the backyard is fine.

Suspension – I will be taking him mostly to MX practice tracks with me. In the “borrowing” of the neighbor’s quads he has already tried jumping. The suspension numbers on paper are closer to the Blaster than the other minis.

Handling – Dirt wheels stated that the 50cc Husky handled more like an adult quad than a kids quad. Quote from the IPC company president: “ The reason we intentionally made the machine turn slow was that we wanted a new rider to learn the right riding techniques from the start. We didn’t want them to have to deal with any unsafe handling characteristics just so the machine would turn quicker.” I like that idea in handling for a mini.

I watch the kids races in our series each time. All the different mini quads are out there. 50cc Eton and Suzuki. Honda 90, Eton 90 and Suzuki 80’s. I would have to say the majority of the time the Honda is the winner, but the rider would play the bigger part in winning. But one thing I notice is how the kids are getting hurt. It comes from the handling. Those kids quads just can not take the whoops made from the bigger quads. I have seen too many kids being taken out in the meat wagon from hitting a bump and flipping over the bars.

For speed, I am not worried about what I get. (except the 50cc) But more importantly, I want more than 2 inches of travel for the suspension.

Oh, to the wife. Well, you’re a mom so of course you will be worried. At the track the mothers are a nervous wreck while the fathers are running all over the place helping their kids do better. But it is up to you two as parent on what your child can handle. Some kids can handle a nice mini quad, while others are not safe on the electric ones. Personally, my son could have handled a mini quad at 5, but I waited another year. Now he is perfect for one. Come on Aug. I want a pit viper in my garage with his name on it!

 

The MSRP for the Pit Viper will be $2495. I talked to "Butch" at ITP. That's still a little cheaper than the Honda, same as the Raptorette/Badger. Everything about the Pit Viper sounds good except it still does not have full double a-arms and resale value is a real big question. The only mini with full double a-arms is the Kasea Skyhawk 150. This is a very serious mini. 5-speed, manual clutch, 40" wide, 150cc four stroke, electric start. They are pitching it as a Blaster with a four-stroke and electric start.

Meanwhile, if you'll notice my last post, it was shang-haied by my wife, looking for ammunition to torpedo my new riding buddy. I have asked sandhopper to write my wife defending our position. Wish us luck, I may have to keep his new quad in a remote, secret, desert location for a while. On manuevers.....[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img] Any assistance in this matter would be appreciated.....

 

Hello Wife of Fourlix!

I have been asked to sort of share our experience in getting our little one's quads (just this week as a matter of fact!)

My husband and I had this argument for many many months. He wanted to get them quads, and I didn't. I tend to be very overprotective of my children....to the point where I think I make myself and everyone else around me almost miserable at times (ie camping, boating, grocery shopping, driving.....you get the picture!) [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Well, finally I gave in, on the condition that I could pick the quads for them. I knew exactly what safety features I wanted - tether, full footboards so they wouldn't run over there little feet, automatic (no worries about shifting), the throttle limiter (BIGGIE!!) and the right size for each. I did my research and wound up getting the Suzuki 50 and Polaris 90 (which I understand you are familiar with already). The Suzuki 50 is for my 4 year old, and I am sure he will outgrow it fairly quickly, but he's not a crazy man, so he should have fun on it for a little while. The 90 is for my 6 yr old, who is pretty good at the controls.

One thing that really helped me before we went out for our first ride was sitting them both on their quads, and going over what each lever does, what the throttle does, how far to press it, how to turn their motor off, etc. I quizzed my 4 yr old by saying "BRAKES!!!" and he would squeeze his brakes right on cue. Then, I also pushed him around on it, saying "brakes" and making sure he was good at steering and paying attention to what was ahead of him, and not what was in the sky, or over behind that tree, or whatever! Again, this was all before I even started their motors. I think it helped them alot, but it also really helped me relax a little, knowing that they sort of understood the important parts!

When we took them out to ride, it took a few short little runs to get the throttle limiters exactly where we thought they should be......SLLOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!! My daughter did really, really well. I can honestly say I was surprised. I followed my son around on his (he couldn't go any faster than I could run), with the tether in my hand so I could kill his engine if he started getting into trouble. I really liked having that control! I only had to pull the plug once! And I think that was just me being paranoid! (I thought I saw a stick, or something....I think it was just a shadow!) He puttered around for a while, did really great, followed his sister on her Scrambler a little, ran into the back of her quad going about 2cm an hour when she stopped suddenly....and that was about it! Then he wanted to play with sticks and draw in the dirt.

And that was my first time. My initiation into the world of things I can't control or protect them from. And we all made it. Amazing!!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

It sounds like if your little man will only be able to ride around in 1st gear, that should be an effective speed limiter. That's how my husband learned when he was little - says it was very effective.

It's hard.. part of me wants my kids to have more fun than I ever did, but part of me doesn't want them to do anything that might hurt them. And it seems like everything fun has the possibility of hurting them! They do make lots of safety gear for little ones....you can swath them in body armor if that helps... I am going to do that! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

But in the very end, it's going to be up to both of you to come to a united decision as to whether or not your 4 year old has the motor skills and concentration to enjoy his new toy, and be safe on it. If it turns out that the Honda is too big, try a Suzuki50! If it seems that he just isn't ready yet, then wait a year. The important thing is that he can have fun, and do it safely. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions at all!

Corry