Which Quad for 12-13 year old?

[Traindog71]

Going to buy a quad for my stepson for Christmas, he already has an XR100 dirtbike, so he is familiar with a clutch, I am trying to decide between the 300EX, 250EX and a Blaster? Any suggestions? And reasons why? I like the '06 250EX for the lack of maintainence due to the shaft drive and also the new Sport Clutch (Rekluse style), The 300EX has more power, more accessories but is a true clutch machine which may not be great for him on tight trails, more maintainence with the chain drive, but more gearing flexibility, the Blaster, well, not really keen on it, also considering a Z250, but just not a Suzuki person.

[300ex_#387]

I went from an xr 100 to a 300ex about about 2 years ago and did just fine. My dad gave me a choice between a 250ex, 300ex, and a utility and I bought a 300ex....and didnt regret it

[rollie]

Get him the 300ex, low manitence and he can have it for a long time, and theres a lot of mods out there for them:D

[holister]

i had a 250ex for a while (2 or 3 years) then my dad found a fully built 300ex and we bought it and adapting to the clutch wasnt all that hard

[BLRacing619]

300ex definetly, i have a blaster but say get a 300ex, clutch is easy as pie

[ZeroLogic]

300ex:macho

[drifterx]

300ex for sure. 250ex will be outgrown fast, and the blaster is a 2 stroke. If you're worried about maintenence, a 4 stroke would be a better choice. Suzuki 250 is the same story as the 250ex. If he can clutch the xr100 ok, he'll be just fine on the 300ex. They are bulletproof!

[300ex mxracer]

built 450r:devil: lol get him the 300ex

[Honda TRX250ex]

250ex

[rmz250]

400ex-Nice and slow

[Tri-valleyracin]

^ hahaha ya guy

no a 300ex or a older 250x would be real nice for him to ride and he can ride it forever and mod it as he gets more use to it.

[161xchonda]

i am only 13 years old. i went from a trx 90 to a 2006 300 ex. but i am an aggressive rider and have had a cr 85 for ever and before that a kx 65. so i am definetley used to the clutch. if you do a lot tight woods riding and he is kind of iffy about the clutch go with the 250 ex because of the clutch. have him sit on both to see witch one he feels more cofortable on too. the 300 ex or the 250 ex are both great machines. you can't go wrong with a honda.

[Traindog71]

Well, I took my trip to Southern Honda in Chattanooga today and was set on buying the 300EX, I get there and to my suprise, they have no 2005 or 2006 300EXs, I look at their price for a 2005 450R (like the kid would really need that, but I thought, well, maybe, hehe, nah I would want to ride it too much) which they were out of stock also, they did have some 2005 Yellow 400EXs, but I know that is just too much power to put in the hands of a 12 y/o. This is the only chance I would have to get down there and was set on buying something today, so I got him a 2006 Red 250EX, new model with the Sport Clutch, which will be good for him to learn on and not giving him too much power to get in trouble with, got it for $3183 OTD, but I did add the 4-year warranty for an extra $375 (it covers bearings and I figure by within that time he will have worn out many swingarm and wheel bearings and possibly crankshaft bearings, well worth the time and money) His younger brother is 8 now and will be able to grow into it as he grows out of it and into something more like a 450, hopefully when he gets older I can talk him into racing Ute's like me.

[161xchonda]

ya i would of bought the 250 ex if i was you too. the 400 ex does have a bit too much power. i know i still have some time on my 300 ex before i move up. i am sure he will be very surprised and happy. it does work out pretty good that his brother is 8.

[Tri-valleyracin]

a 250ex is a nice bike my 9 year old brother has riden one before that my friend ahs and it realy was little to big but he still rode it vary good so i think the 8 year old would be riding it sooon :) . i realy like the new lookes of the new 250ex and the clutch wich is a pluse in my book. o ya my 9 year old brother has riden a bayuo 220 and a race ready 300ex so i think that ur 12 and 8 year old would be set for that 250ex for a wile.


have fun on ur new 250ex.

[Eddiesanders250]

i was 13 when i bought my honda 250r, of course i rode a 300ex for two years before that, and for five years before that i rode a honda 70, before that power wheels

[bigbadbrad]

when i was 13 i had saved up enough cash from working to buy a used 300ex have had it since, i am now about 6 foot and 230lbs so he should be able to keep it a while. i still wish i could have talked my parents into helping me pay for a quad so i could have got a bigger one, i would say just go ahead and get him a 400ex he will grow into it, just keep it stock and drop the front sprocket size down, so it wont be so fast, but it will be a wheelie machine

[Traindog71]

Well, I live in KY and we ride alot of tight trails that would require him to be a clutch master, I don't let him out on alot of these trails with his dirbike, so I feel the 250EX was the way to go. I also am going to pick up a very nice 04 YFZ450, 20 hours or so of ride time, Maier silver Ballance plastic, HMF full system, T-9s with HDs, nerfs with heel guards, Bling Star bumper, nice grab bar, case savers, powermadds for $4K, figure I can ride it until he grows into it. Just have to get used to a clutch again, been riding a BF750/Prairie700 too long.

[bwamos]

Agree with 300ex. Get a used one with all the goodies already. (+2 arms, w/ aftermarket shocks, much more stable) It will be good for several years. A 13yr old will outgrow the 250ex too fast, IMHO. (not size, but fun factor).

If he's at least an average sized 13yr old.. he'll have no problem handling the clutch on the 300ex. It's the most forgiving clutch out there, IMHO. Once you get moving you really dont even need to use the clutch to shift. Let off the gas, shift, give gas.

The 300 is also all torque, so you dont need to feather it like the 2-strokes, or higher performance quads.

250ex may be a good option, I just dont like it much. It's lacking a lot of torque, and is even narrower than the 300ex, so it will be tippy on uneven ground.

Too bad Rekluse doesn't make a clutch for the 300ex. ;)

You can also put a TRX90 thumb throttle on these quads. Easier throttle, and you can use the throttle limit stop if you want.

[my250ex]

im not sure if you are interested or not but my 250ex is for sale. i am asking $2500. it has a full hmf system, kn filter, dynojet kit. tip top shape. i also have the stock exhaust and air filter if you wanted them. i have pictures if you like.

my email is jsullivan1708@hotmail.com

[big_rider]

300EX

[bwamos]

Whichever you decide on, get a used one in good shape. Will save you a ton of money.

[250expro]

Originally posted by Traindog71
Going to buy a quad for my stepson for Christmas, he already has an XR100 dirtbike, so he is familiar with a clutch, I am trying to decide between the 300EX, 250EX and a Blaster? Any suggestions? And reasons why? I like the '06 250EX for the lack of maintainence due to the shaft drive and also the new Sport Clutch (Rekluse style), The 300EX has more power, more accessories but is a true clutch machine which may not be great for him on tight trails, more maintainence with the chain drive, but more gearing flexibility, the Blaster, well, not really keen on it, also considering a Z250, but just not a Suzuki person.


I think a 250ex is one of the best entry level bike

[Ruby Soho]

go for a 300ex, theyre all around good quads.

itll last him forever