basic 4 wheeler

[kwiggy]

I am wondering what a good wheeler would be for my son who will be 11 years old in June. I don't care about the 12 year old 90cc rule. I am willing to take the risk of him riding for a summer one year under the limit Basically, i am looking for a recommendation on a wheeler for when he is 12. He is larger than your average bear and is very responsible. I don't want to get him a rocket by any means. We are just looking for something that is light, average power, and can keep up with his slow-driving dad. He is very good at riding a motorcycle, but unfortunately we need to change so we can have a place to ride.

Any recommendations?

[SomethingFishy*]

 Originally Posted By: kwiggy

I don't care about the 12 year old 90cc rule.

By no means am I trying to jump down your throat or tell you how to parent, but your son would need to take and pass an approved atv safety class to be legal, violating the laws makes it harder for us to change atv legislation. That being said your son can take the atv safety course at 11 years old. Check with the DNR or local atv clubs to find out when they are being held. I know that GraniteCity Trail Riders ATV Club will be hosting an atv safety class in May at the Benton County Fairgrounds.

When/if you go to a dealer make sure you don't mention that your son is under the legal riding age as they are supposed to refuse sale.

On a last note I would like to say Thank You for getting your son into the sport of riding an atv, and riding it responsibly, he will be the future of ATV'ing and starting him off properly will set him up for a lifetime of enjoyment.

[kwiggy]

 Originally Posted By: SomethingFishy

 Originally Posted By: kwiggy

I don't care about the 12 year old 90cc rule.

By no means am I trying to jump down your throat or tell you how to parent, but your son would need to take and pass an approved atv safety class to be legal, violating the laws makes it harder for us to change atv legislation.

Fishy, you are absolutely right. My earlier post didn't come out write in typed words. Where we like to ride is just a small area in northern MN on an isolated trail. We have been stopped by a CO while riding wheeler(me)and cycle(him) and we had a good discussion about the wheeler rules for kids. I am certainly not talking for all COs, but this guy explained that as long as the kid 'fits' the wheeler, most COs won't say anything. When we go riding, we are always undercontrol and responsible and that was the most important thing that a CO cares about. My son is a bit larger and stronger than other kids his age and could control a larger wheeler and will quickly outgrow the 90cc class. This was my reasoning for making my earlier statement.

I am looking for a lighter, smaller wheeler that he can ride and still enjoy until he is fully grown. We are not racers or speed crazy so I am thinking that there are some good basic wheelers, but I am not familiar with model names/brands and their options (clutch driven, etc...). I don't want a racer because I don't want my kid out ripping things up, plus I just don't want him going that fast. However, I ride a Honda Rancher and that seems a bit large for him now. So, we are looking for something a bit smaller than a rancher, but similar in performance.

Thank you for your concern about the perception of the sport. I don't want to do anything to shoot ourselves in the foot. The rider safety information was something I had forgotten about too, so that was helpful.

[BD110]

kwiggy,

You cleared things up with your last post. I feel much better about replying to your post. I have 4 wheelers that range from a 225 Yamaha to a 500 Sportsman and 2 others in between. My wife and kids always liked to get out on the 225 Yamaha (two wheel drive). It was a very easy wheeler to learn on and still maintain some sort of control. All of them have moved up to larger wheelers but I think it was a very good size to start out on.

I would guess that a used (two wheel drive) would be easy to come by being that others are looking to get into four wheel drive. Some things I like about two wheel drive machines are they tend to be eaiser to handle. They make the rider consider better paths or at least they should.

Best of luck in your wheeler search.

[Dave S]

A couple of the smaller machines that you can consider that are inexpensive are the Honda Recon or Suzuki Ozark. You could also consider their sporty counterparts in the Honda 250ex and Suzuki Quadsport 250. They're basically the same machine with a different state of tune and different plastic.

I would recommend "taking your wife" to look at machines as Fishy mentioned dealers will refuse the sale if they know your son is the primary rider.

Also, as a MN DNR ATV Instructor, I highly recommend getting him through the ATV Safety course to be legal on MN trails. Some states have a reciprocal agreement with MN and will honor the MN Safety Training if you choose to ride in their state. Contact the MN DNR to order the CD-ROM which is the first portion of the safety training. Once he completes that, it will prompt you to print out his quiz results (must be passed with a 100% score) and present them when entering the classroom for the second and final portion of the course. Be sure to pre-register for the classroom/skills portion. Some instructors will format their courses slightly different based on resources available i.e. area to do the riding.

Do note that it is crucial for a parent, if not both, to also participate in the CD-ROM portion of the course. Take notes and use them to complete each of the quizes. Parents can learn a lot by participating in the MN DNR course. Check with your local instructor to verify it is ok for you to be there. But personally, I couldn't imagine anyone turning a parent down. I encourage parents to attend/participate and have had repeat customers in some cases.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. But first and foremost, THANKS for being a responsible parent. Not only is it a bad idea to put a child on a machine too large, but it's equally dangerous to put a child on a machine that is too small.

Dave

[kwiggy]

Dave, funny you should mention parent involvement in the safety training. I was thinking they should offer these classes to adults like me. As a father, I want my kids to experience similar outdoors activities that I grew up with, but I am learning the rules have changed since I was younger.

When shopping for a 4 wheeler when my son was 5, we learned from many salesmen that they couldn't sell me a wheeler for him to ride. We ended up putting him on a 50 cc motorcycle because we were told it was legal. Personally, I liked the idea of him on a bike first because I think it teaches him to respect speed and read the trail better, but my wife was a little hesitant. Last summer, we were stopped by the DNR and were given a warning for riding the motorcycle in the ditch, which was part of a trail system. The trail allowed wheelers, but did not allow motorcycles. We got a warning because we were riding safe and my son was dressed from head to toe in safety gear. In our discussion, I had learned that motorcycles are very restricted to a few trails in our area. My son and I have had many awesome times and made incredible memories on our rides at Grandmas house and now we were told we would be breaking the law. These are the same trails I rode as a youngster and was proud to be sharing them with my son, but now I felt like I was a criminal (something I abhor!) My son is in that awkward age where he will soon be growing into a "full size" wheeler and a 90 cc machine would soon be a toy to him. Since I am not made of money, I want to buy a machine that makes economical sense and still be safe for him and others.

I feel confused, angry, frustrated, and saddened at our government from this experience. I am mad that a few, and I mean a very few people can create such a problem for people like you and I. I am also mad that some people distort what is really happening in the woods to bash the wheeler community. I am afraid that we may lose even more rights.

Thanks all for giving suggestions on machines for my son. I like the Yamaha brand and have thought I'd seen a perfect wheeler in a classified, but I think many of these are used for racing. When looking for used machines, what types of models are typically used for racing and what types would be simple trail models? I like the idea of a 2 wheel drive machine too.

Thanks again everybody and thanks for letting me vent.

[Dave S]

Most of the machines that will be used for racing or generally beating on are Yamaha's Blaster, Banshee, YFZ 450, Honda's TRX 450R, 400 EX, Suzuki's LT 400, TLR 450, Kawasaki KFX 400, KFX 450R.

Being that the above listed machines are sport machines, they are usually ridden more aggressively.

Yamaha just introduced the Raptor 250 and Suzuki will be offering a new version of their LT 450R in a 250.

I personally wouldn't recommend any of the higher end sport machines for a "beginner". Although your son has many years of experience on dirtbikes, quads are a whole different animal.

But the best judge of that is you. Are you absolutely positive that your son can handle something more than the basic entry level machine? If you're set on Yamaha, the Raptor 250 might be the machine. But like I said, you'r the best judge of your sons riding abilities and the responsibility is yours.

Good luck on your decision. If and when your son goes through the MN DNR ATV Safety training course, keep in mind that he will need reverse. Some instructors provide the machines, I prefer to have them bring their own that they will be riding after the course so I can verify they meet the fit requirements.

[Scott K]

Hey Dave, has the dnr cd changed in the last few years? I have a child that will be old enough this fall to take the test, and still have a cd from a few years ago?

[Bjjams]

Sounds like a honda recon might be a good choice for your son. Small enough to be handled easily by an above average 11 yo but yet gives him a lot of room to grow with it. Plus it has good resale when it's time to upgrade.

[Roofer]

Another case where the good guy gets in trouble. I understand how you feel kwiggy. I grew up in Monticello and rode all over there(responsibly). I never cut through yards, always stayed along trails that were already there. Now I doubt you could fart in that yuppy town.

Anyways, I would choose a utility for a young person. A little more respect is given that way IMO. I don't have kids, so I couldn't tell you, JMO. I rode a Polaris 400L at 14. At that time it was the biggest machine made. I did have the safety training test completed and alot of experience by 14, so it was ok for me. If that was now, 15 years later, my parents would probably be in jail for that. lol At least there was an attempt to do the right thing.

[Dave S]

 Originally Posted By: 4wanderingeyes

Hey Dave, has the dnr cd changed in the last few years? I have a child that will be old enough this fall to take the test, and still have a cd from a few years ago?

From what I understand. there are some changes on the new CD's.

[kdawg]

I bought my son (14 years old) a polaris Hawkeye AWD. It has a 300, 4stroke engine. My son is smaller than most his age and goes about 100 pounds. He absolutely loves this machine. It is very, very easy to maneuver and handle, it has independent rear suspension (the only in it's class when I bought it last year) and frankly, I don't know that he will outgrow it. The only difference between this model and the sportsman's, is the tranny. It has only a forward, neutral and reverse where as the sportsman's have a low and high gear in forward and then a reverse. It has a push-button AWD/2WD, and more than enough power to go anywhere that I go with my 450 sportsman. It is not a speed-demon - it tops out at about 40mph. I think it's the perfect machine for any youth, wife or any fella who doesn't need to go over 40mph. I've driven it a few times myself and am very impressed. It can handle a larger adult with no problems. For what it's worth...

[kwiggy]

Thanks Kdawg, this sounds like the machine I am looking for. I was also looking at the Kawasaki 250. How many years have they made the Polaris Hawkeye?

[Dave S]

The Hawkeye has been around for a couple years. A neighbor has one and plows his driveway with it (about 100 yards).

I remember hearing something about the Hawkeye but I don't remember what it was. I'll post the info if I can find it.

[Dave S]

OK, I found the info that I mentioned in my earlier post. Here it is:

I just had my rear A-Frame crack on both right and left wheels. It was the front lower mounts to the subframe that cracked. My Hawkeye has 700 miles and was out of warentee and I expected the worst but my dealer contacted Polaris and they will fix it on their dollar.

You mentioned that yours was replaced and it was a stronger version. Is this correct?

Anyway keep this going because I suspect others have the same issues.

Note that this was happening on the '06 models. I can't believe that Polaris would have been able to continue building them this way and I HIGHLY doubt that Polaris took this lightly and was ontop of this matter instantly.

[Roofer]

Never mind, I forgot it was for a youngster.

[kdawg]

Yes, the Hawk has been around since '06, but they now took the Hawkeye and put the "Sportsman" name on it. You can't buy an '08 Hawkeye, but you can buy the same exact thing with the Sportsman name on it. I actually looked at an 08 Sportsman 300... It looks EXACTLY the same as my Hawkeye. For what it's worth....

[jltimm]

One thing to take into consideration for a kid is the weight of this quad. It weights 550 lbs. dry. Sounds like a great all around wheeler, but I would be a little concerned with the weight factor for an inexpierienced driver.