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View Full Version : Need opinions about quad for 8 year old



jbyrd
12-09-2007, 12:27 PM
Howdy,

I just found this forum and hope that some of you could offer your opinion. I have never owned an ATV but ride those of friends and family a little. I have an 8 year old son, 4' 6" - 80lbs and want to get a Utility quad for him to use while deer hunting, duck hunting, dog training, etc., not for racing or jumping or the other things that mom is fearful of. He is a pretty responsible young feller and has done a good job driving my 3/4 Ton Superduty around the woods in Low Range. He pays attention to safety instuction well and so far has not been the daredevil type of kid.

If I limit my search to Honda 4wd, I need to figure out engine size, transmission and drivetrain. I want something that is as user friendly and dependable as possible. Once I get convinced of the Honda model and configuration that best suits our needs, I can then compare to other brands if necessary. We will want to mount a gun rack, cargo rack, extra lights and other goodies on it.

He will be in East Texas sand most of the time and when it is dry, dust is a big problem. Also a lot of wet weather.

Thanks in advance for any opinions you have to offer.

JByrd

jbyrd
12-09-2007, 08:07 PM
Thanks for the input jrafter.

Is the Recon 250 4wd? I couldn't figure it out from the Honda website.

JIMFROMTEXCO
12-11-2007, 09:33 AM
if you dont want to spend a crap load of money look and want 4wd look into a trx300fw. they are very reliable, user friendly and will go about anywere. there not over or under powered.

jbyrd
12-12-2007, 06:34 AM
I really appreciate the input. I was thinkng I should stick with 4wd because of my life experience with how much better it makes a truck handle sand and mud. Our place in East Texas has a lot of deep sand and its really loose in dry weather. Down in the creek bottoms and swamp areas we have that gooey sticky mud that will pull your waders off.

It looks like the smallest ATV Honda makes with 4wd now is in the 400cc to 500cc class and they weigh 600 lb or so. I would feel much better if he was on a 150 lb machine in case he turned it over. I was thinking if he had 2wd only, he would might be coming to get me on a regular basis because he had it stuck. But it would be better to go pull him and a small 2wd out than to have to go looking for him with a 600lb madhine on top of him.

My reservations regarding the safety aspect are pushing me toward a small machine. I may have to get another one for myself/wife so that someone will be with him when he is riding. Dang, this could get expensive if we wind up with his/hers/kids.

Not knowing anything about ATVs, I'm leary of buying used because I might buy more problems than fun. I will go with some friends that have ATVs for their kids and try to get a little more educated.

Thanks again for your input.

Byrd

sasquatch51
01-11-2008, 09:05 PM
Well, it's just my opinion....but, I think it's a mistake to buy a child that young anything over 90cc. The just don't have the strength and body weight to ride a machine any bigger than that. You can buy a good used 90cc machine for him that will last him a couple of years until he grows enough and gains enough experience to handle a larger machine, then you can probably sell the 90 for close to what you paid for it if you buy smart.

jbyrd
01-12-2008, 09:38 AM
Thanks for the advice sasquatch.

I see little bitty kids on great big machines and it looks like they handle them well but if something ever happens, they wouldn't stand a chance under that kind of weight.

My son's birthday is at the end of January and a 4-wheeler is on the top of his wish list. He was hoping Santa Claus would bring one but it didn't happen. If I can find something I can convince myself is worth buying maybe he'll get a big surprise for his birthday.

Most of the smaller machines I have seen are some kind of "I never heard of it before" foreign made.

Anybody our there have a lot of experience with small machines and willing to offer some opinions. I would rather buy new for a birthday present.

I'm on the west side of Ft. Worth part of the world and would like to find several to look at in the DFW area.

Thanks for the honest opinions and advice.

STEVEDU2
01-16-2008, 04:52 PM
buy the little one a trx90 and get urself a trx500 foreman s.stick with honda and u cant go wrong.the 90 will get him famaliar with shifting with out a clutch then u can move him up.the 90 will hall game out with no problem because it is a shift and not auto.and the 500 will do absoloutly anything u want it to.and in the off season just think of all the fun u and your little one will have.(leave the lady at home though).:cool: hope this helps

TheNewn
01-19-2008, 10:27 AM
If you're only looking at Honda's. You're cutting your options pretty short.

And there's no chance in hell you're going to find a LIGHT 4x4 machine. I think being 8 he's old enough for a quad over 90cc...he'd out grow that quick fast and in a hurry.

I'd look at an old 350 Rancher, or a New 350 Grizzly. Both are probably what you consider 'heavy' but compared to other 4x4's they're pretty light. Also they'd still be fun and USEFUL to drive once he's older.

What is your budget?

sasquatch51
01-19-2008, 11:38 AM
Originally posted by TheNewn
If you're only looking at Honda's. You're cutting your options pretty short.

And there's no chance in hell you're going to find a LIGHT 4x4 machine. I think being 8 he's old enough for a quad over 90cc...he'd out grow that quick fast and in a hurry.

I'd look at an old 350 Rancher, or a New 350 Grizzly. Both are probably what you consider 'heavy' but compared to other 4x4's they're pretty light. Also they'd still be fun and USEFUL to drive once he's older.

What is your budget?

I agree that only looking at Honda is cutting the options short....there are plenty of other brands out there that offer good machines. I also agree that you are not going to find a "light" 4x4 machine.

I strongly disagree that an 8 year old is "old enough" to ride a 350cc machine safely. "Safely" is the key..this is a child we're talking about. They don't have the experience you have. Just because they can reach the controls does not mean they can handle the machine. They will outgrow the machine fairly quickly...that's true. But an 8-year old can get at least a couple of years out of a good 90cc machine. That's exactly why I recommended buying a good used 90cc machine. Buying a new one is really sort of foolish because the kid will outgrow it within a couple of years. A 350cc machine is entirely too big for an 8-year old child and is UNSAFE for a child that age to operate. If the kid is going to learn to really ride the machine, it has to be one that he can get comfortable with and handle well. At 10 years old, with a couple of years of experience behind him, he might be able to safely handle a 250cc machine. You may not realize it when you ride (especially if you're not formally trained to ride ATVs), but you use your weight and upper body strength quite a bit in riding your ATV. If you didn't, you'd probably have already piled it into a tree somewhere. An 8-year old child simply does not have the strength and body weight to safely handle a 350cc machine. Really, in my opinion, it is irresponsible for an experienced rider to recommend that a new rider do something that could potentially result in the serious injury or death of a child. Crashing a 350cc ATV can easily result in tragedy for a small child....in fact, crashing ANY ATV can have fatal results....even a 90cc machine. At the least you can make sure they are on a machine that gives them the best chance of learning safely.

TheNewn
01-19-2008, 12:44 PM
While i completely see where you're coming from, i think it should be looked at slightly different and taken in a case by case basis.

Just because a machine is capable of going 50+ mph, does not mean you HAVE to go that fast all the time. Of course the father will be there, not just letting the child loose on a trail while he's having some drinks with a few friends.

I believe with the father there, it will be a safe situation for learning on a Rancher. I personally learned how to ride clutch on my dads new (at the time) 95 300EX when i was about his age. He monitored me while i was riding it and made sure i was not beyond my own control. And that was a *manual* quad.

Unless irresponsible, by not being watched, i think its perfectly safe. I was fine on a 300EX, which is more difficult to drive and i never even crashed it while i was learning.

Its once i started getting older and more aggressive that i rolled it a couple times :)

In the end, i think its up to the father what he allows his son to drive. In my opinion, its perfectly safe if he is monitored to let him drive a larger than 90cc quad.

sasquatch51
01-19-2008, 02:22 PM
Yeah, I think that when it comes to young children, you err on the side of caution. I've been racing motorcycles (motocross, hare scrambles, road racing) since the early 1970's, I've been riding ATVs since the early 3-wheeler days. I've seen too many bad things happen too quickly. Having dad around watching the little guy ride his 350 might only mean that he watches his child die. If he's 50 feet away and the kid gets into trouble, what's he going to do? Realistically, how is he going to stop something from happening when the kid is on an ATV that gets away from him? Year before last, there was a girl just a couple of years older than this boy at an ATV park in Georgia (near my house) that was killed in an ATV crash....Daddy was right behind her. What if the ATV starts to roll? Does the kid have enough body weight to keep in on it's wheels? Rollover crashes are some of the most dangerous crashes....if you are 8 years old and you have a 600 lb machine rolling over you, you stand a good chance of being seriously injured or killed. You started out at his age on a 350....you didn't get hurt while you were learning. That's great, but you were lucky. That does not in any way mean it's OK for everybody and it's going to turn out as well for everyone as it did for you. It could have just as easily turned out badly for you. There are rules governing the size of the ATV that children should ride. Those rules are in place for a reason. Most kids would probably end up just fine starting out on bigger machines....but a percentage of them wouldn't. A much higher percentage would be injured riding machines that were too big than would be injured starting on a properly sized machine. You were a part of the majority of kids that don't get injured. But, would you really take a bigger than necessary chance on your kid being one of the unlucky ones? Riding ATVs and motorcycles carries enough inherent risk when done properly...there's no need in unnecessarily increasing that risk.

It's just like people that allow their kids to ride ATVs without helmets, chest protectors, gloves, boots, etc. It's irresponsible and dangerous. Why risk your child's safety when it's so easy to enjoy the sport in an acceptably safe manner?

sasquatch51
01-19-2008, 03:16 PM
By the way, I do agree that the "one size fits all" set of rules presently in place regarding ATV size for kids is not entirely workable across the board and needs to be rewritten. A 15 1/2 year old that weighs 175 lbs and plays starting linebacker on the school football team can probably easily handle a 350cc or bigger machine. As the federal guidelines are presently written, he should be restricted to a smaller machine....so "one size fts all" doesn't always work out. The guidelines need to be rewritten so that the special cases and borderline cases can be accomodated safely. However, I do not think that a 350cc machine is ever appropriate for an 8 year old.

TheNewn
01-19-2008, 03:55 PM
With all due respect, I personally think you're overreacting. Bad things can happen anytime anywhere, of course. I'm sure if someone tried they could find a hundred freak accident stories.

This could go on and on, so I'm going to agree to disagree. If/when i have a child, he or she will be riding whatever i think is safe for him or her to ride. Which will more than likely be something above 90cc's when their 8.

That's not to say i wont have a smaller quad for them to ride, but i will LET them ride one of my larger machines as well if i think they can handle it fine.

Its what i went through, and i've never broken a bone in my life. I'll stick to what my dad did for me.

sasquatch51
01-19-2008, 04:21 PM
Originally posted by TheNewn
With all due respect, I personally think you're overreacting. Bad things can happen anytime anywhere, of course. I'm sure if someone tried they could find a hundred freak accident stories.

This could go on and on, so I'm going to agree to disagree. If/when i have a child, he or she will be riding whatever i think is safe for him or her to ride. Which will more than likely be something above 90cc's when their 8.

That's not to say i wont have a smaller quad for them to ride, but i will LET them ride one of my larger machines as well if i think they can handle it fine.

Its what i went through, and i've never broken a bone in my life. I'll stick to what my dad did for me.


Yeah, we can agree to disagree. BTW, I've never said that I have any problem at all with you, as an experienced rider, starting your kids out on whatever you think is appropriate. If you started your 8 year old out on a 350, I would wonder about the wisdom of that decision, but that would be your business....it's your kids....and whatever happens as a result is your responsibility. What I DO have an issue with is recommending that to an absolute beginner that you do not know on a public forum. I think it is a reckless and irresponsible recommendation. If you disagree with that, that's cool....that's what makes this country great. We all have a right to our own opinions. ;) I think it's an important enough issue that I have a responsibility to voice my opinion.

TRXRacer1
01-20-2008, 05:47 PM
Suzuki LT160

You can find them for a reasonable price, they're tough, full suspension, mid sized with an auto clutch and electric start. IMO this is one of the best beginner machines ever made. They're tame enough to learn on and fast enough to keep the kids interested for a long time. We've got one in my riding group and many of children and adult first time riders have learned on this machine.

sasquatch51
01-20-2008, 05:53 PM
Yep. That is a more reasonably sized and powered machine for a young beginner.

sasquatch51
01-21-2008, 05:38 AM
Coincidentally, there's a report on the High Lifter forums of a 9-year old boy being killed over the weekend in an ATV rollover crash in Southern Oklahoma. He was riding a 350cc machine. I'm waiting to see if anyone posts a link to the news story.

sasquatch51
01-21-2008, 07:32 PM
Here's the link to the story:

9 year old killed in ATV crash (http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/13938432.html)

jbyrd
01-22-2008, 09:30 PM
I appreciate all of your comments and opinions on small kids and ATV's. Getting a 350 for my son (he'll be nine on 1/29/08) is definitely not an option. I did not go back and re-read my original post, but the intended use of the ATV is for hunting and not recreational riding. There will be no jumping hills, riding on steep slopes etc. I know most kids, and adults, want to test the limits sooner or later. At present my son is not the daredevil type. I ride herd on him very closely and have allowed him to have some controlled "pain inducing experiences" to help convince him that it is prudent to pay attention to the advice he gets. He has been going to the University of Hard Knocks, majoring in choices and consequences, since he was two years old. He knows there is instant and permanent gratification for exceeding the boundaries. All of his riding will be limited to, accompanied, hauling decoys or gear to hunting spots until he has a couple of years experience.

I'm sure it's a matter of "when" he will have some kind of a wreck rather than "if" he will have a wreck. However, taking a riding safety course every year for the first few years and having tight supervision, speed limitation, terrain limitation, etc. should decrease the risk of a major wreck. If we get an ATV it will be used as a work vehicle rather than a play vehicle.

I'm taking this very seriously. Just this past summer, one of the kids in our neighborhood was riding an ATV with a buddy on back. They hit a drainage ditch, in front of the elementary school my son goes to, running pretty fast. The driver was killed and the other boy was seriously injured. I think they were 10 or 12 years old. I never got the exact details on the size of the ATV or just what happened, but I drive past the cross and flowers on the edge of the ditch in front of the school every time I leave my house or come home. I don't know how the parents can live with the loss.

I only have one child and I cannot fathom how I could live with knowing I did something stupid that led to his death or permanent injury. I think about it every time we go hunting, fishing or even driving to the store. I watch for rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, copperheads, brown recluse, black widows, dead trees, drunk drivers, gas cans, leaky gas grills, and all the other things I can think of that nearly got me along the way. I was fortunate enough to survive a lot of near misses and they were all learning experiences. I really want my son to learn about the dangers inherent in everything we do, but I also want to do my best to limit the possibility of severe injury or worse.

I see a lot of kids doing things that I think are way too close to the edge and I feel their parents should control and limit the situations the kids are allowed to get into. I watch mine like a hawk but am fully aware that if you let the situation present itself, all you have to do is look away for a moment and tragedy can strike.

Again, thanks for your opinions and concerns. I'm still trying to decide, but am leaning towards a 250 and custom installing a throttle limiter if it does not come with one. 10 to15 mph on pretty flat sand roads should be plenty fast for now. All of the 90cc bikes have chain drives. If we get an ATV, it will spend most of it's life in East Texas sand. I know that chains and sprockets are cheaper than doctor bills. However, I believe we can limit repair costs and limit the potential for needing a trip to the hospital at the same time.

Ride safe, live safe and keep offering up your experiences and opinions to folks new to ATV's. It really is appreciated.

JByrd

sasquatch51
01-22-2008, 09:37 PM
You'll be just fine. You are taking a level-headed and intelligent approach. Not only are you looking out for your child's safety, but you are providing a very good example. He will model his decision-making after your example. Enjoy!

jordan_400ex
01-23-2008, 12:26 PM
Originally posted by TheNewn
With all due respect, I personally think you're overreacting. Bad things can happen anytime anywhere, of course. I'm sure if someone tried they could find a hundred freak accident stories.

This could go on and on, so I'm going to agree to disagree. If/when i have a child, he or she will be riding whatever i think is safe for him or her to ride. Which will more than likely be something above 90cc's when their 8.

That's not to say i wont have a smaller quad for them to ride, but i will LET them ride one of my larger machines as well if i think they can handle it fine.

Its what i went through, and i've never broken a bone in my life. I'll stick to what my dad did for me.



hey a grizzly 125 os a good machine.its 2wd 3 speed auto clutch.and it has racks