A honda Recon would be a great first bike and also be bullet proof ...........a good bike to learn on

 

I agree with Bing. A cheap safe quad for her first is best policy. My daughter has been riding since she was 3 yrs. old. Started with a suzuki 80 (it was also bought for her brother who was 5 at the time) Then a suzuki 230 quadrunner, now a Honda 350 es (she is 15). The Suzuki 230 was the best for her to learn on as it was a clutchless standard ( meaning she has to shift but not use a clutch). The mid 80s quadrunner looks very sporty as well. Good luck with what ever you decide on just make sure you promote safe riding and respect for the trails and environment.

 

I would still say the LT-160 is the best quad to learn on.

 

Yep! Sure Do. They are very cool.

 

What about a Blaster? a used one should be real cheap, they have a throttle limiter in the thumb throttle assembly so you can keep the speed sane while she learns the manual clutch, they are light and sporty, especially for a lighter driver, and when they want more speed (trust me,she will) a 2 stroke is very easy to mod for more zip. My son started at 4 1/2 on an LT80, then a Recon at 9, then a 300ex at 11, only took him one afternoon putting around the yard to ge the hang of the clutch,so don't let a manual clutch scare you off of some choices.

 

thanks for all the input. I'll weigh all the advantages and disadvantages and make a decision.

 

Warrior is definately too big for somebody here size. Blaster is smaller but I don't think it is a good beginner quad since it wheelies so easy and is a 2 stroke. A 300ex would be the max in my opinion and a 250ex may be better. A recon or lakota or something wouldn't be bad either.

I would buy used and cheap and when she outgrows that get something that she can stick with for several years. You don't want to get her something to small/slow and have her outgrow it right awau but not get something is over her skills now and hurt herself. That's why I say go used and sell it when she is more experienced.

 

A Honda 250ex or Kawasaki Lakota would be a great choice. Auto clutch is the only way to go for a beginner. On the Lakota the throttle has a limiter so you can gauge how fast she can go. The 250ex may but I'm not sure. Both are very good quads and reliable. You can probley pick up a used one fairly reasonable. JMO.