I say get something the whole family can enjoy...
Posted on 05/23/2011 3:56:57 PM PDT by Maverick68
OK, my son has outgrown his battery powered 4 wheeler. He is now 8 years old and I'm soliciting Freeper advice about moving up to a gas powered youth quad. I don't have too much to spend, so it will probably be a used one. Any advice on preferred make/model. Also, are there any modifications I can make to the quad to make it more safe? I have a fear of a flip over. Many thanks, Maverick
I think four wheelers provide a false sense of safety. I put my kids on two wheels. I got my son a little Honda 50, followed by a Yamaha PW80 and he is now riding a Kawasaki KX65. After the 50 I had to get my own bike. Got tired of chasing after him and picking him up out of mud holes on trails etc. We have a blast trail riding and he understands limits of his abilities. A four wheeler on the other hand, we always see kids flying on them, way faster than they can really control, or stop in time should they need too. Thats my two cents worth.
Wait til he’s old enough to get a learner’s permit...
The Wife has a Polaris 700 Sportsman automatic, with all the bells and whistles and she loves it. I am still happy chugging around on my 1998 Kawasaki 400 Bayou with gear box and manual shift, it is one tough old machine.
Don’t let folks discourage you. I personally think we’re way too overprotective of our kids now-a-days and have managed to turn them into a nation of wuss’s. Being a kid in America at one time getting a broken bone here and there. It builds character. Just teach responsibility and be responsible yourself. When my son was 8, we bought a Polaris 325 Trailboss. It was 2wd, but worked great for general utility use as well. No need to teach him to change gears and was easy to hop on and learn. He’ll be 20 in another couple of weeks and we still ride it.
Thanks for all the replies.
The Quad will be kept at Grandpa’s farm, so acreage is no issue.
Safety is paramount as I have a cousin whose son was seriously injured, however, it was because he was driving an adult machine.
I’m interested in 50-90cc only at this point with a governor.
I’m assuming the kid quads are a little harder to flip over.
Bought one of the Chi-com units and regretted it every day I owned it. It was just plain junk. Hard to start, fried batteries, bad starter, parts rattled off...
Then I bought a used 2000 Yamaha Breeze. It has reverse and a constant speed transmission. Just put it in forward or reverse and mash the throttle.
It starts easy and runs strong.
I liked it so much that I bought the other kid one (2002). Paid about $800 each. They drive them like they’re stolen!
Put a carb kit in one when we first got it.
I got both off of Craigslist.
To all those with family/friends who have experienced injuries on quads (not 3 wheelers), I was sort of curious:
Where they wearing helmets and was the size of the quad age-appropriate?
Lol...ahh the memories.
When I was 13....my younger brother was 3. Showing out in front of my friends...I said watch me scare my bro. I tossed the dart towards him trying to get close but miss him...it came down and stuck in the skin of his temple.
The sight of my little brother standing there screaming with a yard dart long as he was sticking out his head scared me more than it did him. Hurt me more too.
Good times...good times...lol...;)
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