Need opinions about quad for 8 year old

[jbyrd]

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]

Thanks for the input jrafter.

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

[JIMFROMTEXCO]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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). hope this helps

[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?

[sasquatch51]

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]

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.