Youth ATV?

[farmerbyron]

Looking at getting my kids a small ATV. About 90cc or so. The chinaman specials are about $900 and known brand about $1800-$2200. Anybody have experiences with the chinaman special? I'm generally a known brand kind of guy but I don't think Atvs hold their value much anyways. At the same time, I'd rather not work on one more than have the kids ride it.

Got any recommendations on a place to visit or place to avoid?

 

[Eric_Williams]

Look for a honda trx90. Should be able to find one around that price used.

 

[turkeyrun]

Used is the way to go, especially for smaller sizes. People buy a small one and then want to move up and get bigger. Bought a china special on Craigslist for $200 for the grandkids. No idea what the brand is, no ID on the thing. Runs like a bat outa hell, they are having a ball shredding my back pasture. Can find them anywhere from 50 t0 90cc. The 50cc is good but the 70 - 90cc is a lot better. IMHO.

 

[BigDiezel]

The chinaman specials aren't that bad, just keep them up and they will go a long time. Will you be supervising them? If so get the remote shutoff feature you can turn them off if they get a little to crazy with them, they'll learn not to act a fool on them. Haha.

 

[turkeyrun]

C'mon Diezel, you're no fun.

How they ever gonna learn if'n you don't let em bounce their noggins off a tree or go diving into the creek? Jeez, that's why you get the cheap china specials. If anything really bad happens, you just go find Momma and make another one.

 

[Neanderthal]

Stay away from the cheap SUNL and knockoffs - they aren't worth a damn. I'm speaking from experience, we've had several of them. You would be much better off buying a used "better" quad than a new knockoff. They are very cheaply made and tear up easily. I would highly recommend Honda, although Polaris or kawasaki aren't bad either.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

Bought my nephew a dinli (sp?) 50cc A few years ago... still running, needs 6 years worth of maintenance by now there

 

[Okie4570]

Great that there's so many options out for the kids now. I somehow survived many years of Honda 110 and 125 3 wheelers, the 125 had marginal brakes at best!

 

[7stw]

My boss bought his son an eton 90 with reverse several years ago. Phils cycle in el reno has several kinds both new and used. I use the eton a bunch myself. A little awkward to ride though. I'm 6'2 200lbs and it goes fast enough for what I need. Load it with my bale bed and go gather cows on our off site places. Works pretty well. If I was buying one myself and was getting a small one I'd buy a honda though. Parts are easier to find.


Sent from NSA wire tapped device.

 

[dennishoddy]

Do NOT use ATV's as a baby sitter, and let the young kids use them unsupervised. I can't tell you how many folks have dead or paralyzed kids because of letting them ride without helmets, and I recommend chest protectors to help support the spine.

I raced ATV's professionally for many years back in the 3 wheeler days, and testified before a committee of the Consumer Product Safety Commission back in the day when they were trying to and succeeded outlawing three wheelers. We put on a race before the committee, balls out, and they commented they were amazed at how well we could control them.

Yet a month later before their leadership, they only commented that they were "inherently unstable", and the commission denied the factory's to import them anymore, killing the business.

The factory's had already seen the future, and began building 4 wheelers.

The same group is trying to outlaw anyone riding atv's now before the age of 16 because parents continue to put single digit aged kids on the machines and let them run the pasture without supervision. Some of these machines are over 500 lbs. One of the guys I worked with had to pull the plug on his brother after he ran off the road, and broke his neck. He languished in intensive care for a month before they could bring themselves to do it.

Flip one end over end, and your likely to suffer spinal damage or death.

For the record I still own and ride a 3 wheeler. I don't do it irresponsibly.