My ten year old son now wants a dirtbike. He has only driven a 50cc auto around a back field for the night. For ride height he should be on an 80cc, but those have a clutch. Below 80cc are the autos. I think he'd want a ATV after a few outings? Canadian Tire sells cheap China knockoffs in Bikes and ATV's....is it worth getting one or staying to the main brand like Honda. I'll be selling my yellow GTO to make room for these toys. If any of you guys have a Quad....tell me what to look for. I know I want 4X4, electric start and a reverse gear
my daughter is 11 got her a 110 auto quad knockoff for 400 bucks in the crate put it together and it runs quite well auto for myself i got a 400 yamaha 4x4 with a winch,5sp hi/lo she never rode a bike though but loves hed quad.Sinclares in surry the king of the knockoffs
ATV hands down, much safer and a lot more fun. You can ride them on any terrain. My son has had a quad since 6yrs old, 80cc Yamaha and now at 14yrs he's into a Yamaha 450 Kodiac.
Save yourself the aggravation and don't buy Chinese junk. Spend the money on a used brand name machine, Yamaha 80cc has a 3sp semi-auto tranny, will work out perfect for his age. You can buy a clean one for under 2 grand, ride it, look after it and you'll get your money back out of it. The reason I say this is because if he enjoys ATVing, he'll be into a medium size machine in no time (4 wheel drive, ground clearance, good shocks that will lick up the bumps, a winch).
My son and I and friends have a blast with ATV's, nothing better than good old dirty fun.
I bought a new '03 90cc ATV Polaris and we all loved it I found it fun to drive too We bought it new and sold it last year for 1/2 price Its was the most fun/best toy we ever had....
my grandosn got a new step-dad who would not let him keep the ATV (said he had to earn it) He bought him a 90cc dirt bike, that Reeve is afraid, of and has only been on once...
Do NOT buy him an atv. Way more un safe. Illegal sence last year in Ont for under 16. If you fall off a bike, it usually goes 1 way , you go the other way.( 85-100 lbs) An atv usually rolls on top of you after you wipe it out.(4-500 lbs) I started at 5 years old on an old honda z-50. My son started at 5 on the exact same bike. My daughter is going to start next year on the same bike. My opinion, but you don't want to put your child in harms way any more than you have to. 4 wheels are NOT safer than 2 in this case. Also, don't buy a knock off from crappy tire. Good luck getting parts to fix it. (almost impossible) it'll be cheaper to buy another bike. Buy a good used honda, yamaha, suzuki, you will pay more, but be happier down the road. Just my 2 cents though, good luck.
Thanks for the input. Holeshot Motorsports told me to get a cheap knockoff for my girl, because she;d be on another quad by the time the knockoff broke. Maybe go to a name brand for Jake and then pass it down to Danielle. Carl ....sorry to hear about your grandson. his stepdad should learn about what it means when you go out riding for the day with him.
As for selling my dailydriver GTO. I still have the 455 and weekends will be up in the Hope area with the kids. Friday nights is Timmy's in Langley with the Poncho
-- Edited by 455gto on Monday 19th of July 2010 03:24:04 PM
I have a rather one sided opinion, that I had to learn. Everyone will react different to different typs of ATV/motorcycles. I think cars are more fun and safer. What ever you decide make sure they wear the appropriate gear, use their head. I would not recomend Japscrap. It is more likly to hurt you because of poor quality and there is no resale in the knockoffs. Have fun what ever you do!!