thinkpt
Tustin, CA
Senior Member
Joined: 02/08/2006
View Profile
 Offline
|
You said you want used, My vote would go to a 2002 or earlier LT80. 1000-1200 bucks and as said before bullet proof, run great and can take adults around. 2002 and before will have green stickers and these things run forever. I have a 2002 I bought used 2 years ago and it runs great, never a problem, my sister also bought a 2001 used and it also runs great. She has an 06 suzuki 90 and the LT80 is much better in my opinion even at an older age. My advice is to get the studs to widen the stance of the LT80 as the narrow width is the main disadvantage IMHO.
2006 Chevy 2500 6.6L D/A
2007 WW FS2500, Billet etc
2006 Yamaha Rhino Special edition
2006 Honda Trx450er
2003 Suzuki quad sport 50
2008 KTM 530 EXC R
2002 Suzuki LT80
2002 Yamaha PW50
Son Ryan
|
BIGDADDY650R
OVERBROOK, KANSAS
Senior Member
Joined: 06/10/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
We have 2 honda 90's that have been through 5 grandkids(oldest is now 13) and they are still going strong!
They are easy to maintain, very durable, and easy to ride.
Plus you have to shift , which will help them when they go to a bigger bike later!
Always remember, "you get what you pay for" !
Happy Trails!
2004 CHEV.2500 225/70R/19.5 , BD exhaust, and other goody's.
2004 40' KZ 3-SLIDE TOYHAULER
2007 RINCON
2008 RINCON
|
Blackdiamond
So. Cal
Senior Member
Joined: 06/10/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
Strabo wrote:My sons were raised on our LT80, in fact i loved riding it too!!!
Injected 2 stroke auto, never had a problem with it. Like the energizer bunny it kept going and going....One of the best quads i ever bought. 
These are great, yes it is 2 stroke but you don't have to mix the oil and gas, it does it for you. Just get an 02' or older an it will have the green sticker. It has alot more power (it can be goverend down)than the TRX 90, plus there are no gears, it is fully automatic and bullet proof reliable and e-start. The Honda is bigger size wise though and they did start offering the e-start in 07' or 08' until then you had to pull the ripcord.
07 Fleetwood Discovery 39S
Flatbed Trailer towing the toys
05 525 EXC
04 LTZ-250
04 TTR 90
03 XR 80
07 KX100
|
Richard cheese
take her out to Wasco and Shafter
Senior Member
Joined: 01/10/2007
View Profile
|
x2 on the polaris 90. my 6 yr old has had his a year and a half...very wide, hard to tip, easy to start and maintain
|
albizia
Orange County California
Senior Member
Joined: 08/01/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
In my opinion and experience get away from the quad idea. Plus I think an 80 or 90 is really small and underpowered for an 8 yr old. Unless you get the two stroke. We got rid of all the kids quads and have the kids on bikes. My 6 yr old has 2 Cobra CXjr i 51cc and 1 61cc as well as a yamaha PW50 and loves them all. The Cobra's are for the track but he rides them in the desert as well. My 11 yr old rides Yamaha YZ85. The best thing we could have done is switch them over to two wheels. For an 8yr old I would recomend a KTM 65 great motor and suspention. Don't get a bike where your child can touch with both feet on the ground. They should be able to touch one foot and teeter to the other at the most.
We owned Chinees quads and the Raptor 80 ALL JUNK! The raptor 80 can't even get out of its own way. If your stuck on quads get a used Yamaha Blaster 200 or the two stroke LT80 and mix the gas yourself and get rid of the oil inj. and put good smaller tires on it. We have one still and is kid friendly my son loved it when he was 9 and 10.
If you want a bike that is easy to learn on I would say get a Kawasaki KLX110 but be warned you have to spend a lot of $ to make it ridable. If you don't want to spend the $ on the KTM get the KX65 not as good but works great and easy to work on. Will need a pipe, rear shock and forks for the KLX110 just to make it worth riding. We have one as a pit bike and to loan out when the kids have friends come with us.
Quads are easy to ride and that is the big problem. When your kid goes down on a quad they will get hurt when they go down on a bike they may sill get hurt but chances are they will get up right away. Get the right gear including a good helmet Snell/DOT, moto armor, and leatt brace and your golden.
* This post was
edited 11/02/09 10:11am by albizia *
Jason 'Class A M1 CDL'
2006 F350 CC 6.0 PSD SRW FX4 4.10s, ARPs
07 Gearbox 375WFSG 5ER
"LET THE KIDS RIDE"
PW50 CX50 KX65 KLX110 YZ85 YZ250 450EXC
Blaster 200 Raptor 700 Banshee 350
Manx Buggy
|
|
|
Blackdiamond
So. Cal
Senior Member
Joined: 06/10/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
albizia wrote:In my opinion and experience get away from the quad idea. We got rid of all the kids quads and have the kids on bikes. My 6 yr old has 2 Cobra CXjr i 51cc and 1 61cc as well as a yamaha PW50 and loves them all. The Cobra's are for the track but he rides them in the desert as well. My 11 yr old rides Yamaha YZ85. The best thing we could have done is switch them over to two wheels. For an 8yr old I would recomend a KTM 65 great motor and suspention. Don't get a bike where your child can touch with both feet on the ground. They should be able to touch one foot and teeter to the other at the most.
We owned Chinees quads and the Raptor 80 ALL JUNK! The raptor 80 can't even get out of its own way. If your stuck on quads get a used Yamaha Blaster 200 and get rid of the oil inj. and put good smaller tires on it. We have one still and is kid friendly.
If you want a bike that is easy to learn on I would say get a Kawasaki KLX110 but be warned you have to spend a lot of $ to make it ridable. Will need a pipe, rear shock and forks just to make it worth riding. We have one as a pit bike and to loan out when the kids have friends come with us.
Quads are easy to ride and that is the big problem. When your kid goes down on a quad they will get hurt when they go down on a bike they may sitt get hurt but chances are they will get up right away. Get the right gear including a good helmet Snell/DOT, moto armor, and leatt brace and your golden.
I agree with the bike idea but don't agree on some of the other info, granted this is all providing you are going to trail ride, not track/race. I moved my youngest to a bike after she was on the quad going up a hill and it stalled, then rolled back down backwards and flipped on top of her, I have never been more scared. She was okay, and few bruises but it could have bee a lot worse.
The KLX 110 is a great bike to start on and you don't need to do any upgrades to make it rideable it is fine stock, the KX 65 is a rocketship it hits really hard. I am over 200 lbs and the front wheel comes up in the first 3 gears on the 65, I believe it is too much for a beginner for trail riding.
I also believe that for trail riding it is very important that a kid be able to touch both feet down. There are too many time kids fall over just because they can't touch on uneven ground or on a hill. The worst thing my brother did was move one of his kids to a bike that was a little too big for him, he could touch 1 foot but he ended up going from the best rider out of the kids in our group to the one that falls the most and it really messed with his confidence, took him about a year to recover (plus he grew into the bike). Touching isn't important for track riding but very important for offroad.
|
albizia
Orange County California
Senior Member
Joined: 08/01/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
Blackdiamond wrote:albizia wrote:In my opinion and experience get away from the quad idea. We got rid of all the kids quads and have the kids on bikes. My 6 yr old has 2 Cobra CXjr i 51cc and 1 61cc as well as a yamaha PW50 and loves them all. The Cobra's are for the track but he rides them in the desert as well. My 11 yr old rides Yamaha YZ85. The best thing we could have done is switch them over to two wheels. For an 8yr old I would recomend a KTM 65 great motor and suspention. Don't get a bike where your child can touch with both feet on the ground. They should be able to touch one foot and teeter to the other at the most.
We owned Chinees quads and the Raptor 80 ALL JUNK! The raptor 80 can't even get out of its own way. If your stuck on quads get a used Yamaha Blaster 200 and get rid of the oil inj. and put good smaller tires on it. We have one still and is kid friendly.
If you want a bike that is easy to learn on I would say get a Kawasaki KLX110 but be warned you have to spend a lot of $ to make it ridable. Will need a pipe, rear shock and forks just to make it worth riding. We have one as a pit bike and to loan out when the kids have friends come with us.
Quads are easy to ride and that is the big problem. When your kid goes down on a quad they will get hurt when they go down on a bike they may sitt get hurt but chances are they will get up right away. Get the right gear including a good helmet Snell/DOT, moto armor, and leatt brace and your golden.
I agree with the bike idea but don't agree on some of the other info, granted this is all providing you are going to trail ride, not track/race. I moved my youngest to a bike after she was on the quad going up a hill and it stalled, then rolled back down backwards and flipped on top of her, I have never been more scared. She was okay, and few bruises but it could have bee a lot worse.
The KLX 110 is a great bike to start on and you don't need to do any upgrades to make it rideable it is fine stock, the KX 65 is a rocketship it hits really hard. I am over 200 lbs and the front wheel comes up in the first 3 gears on the 65, I believe it is too much for a beginner for trail riding.
I also believe that for trail riding it is very important that a kid be able to touch both feet down. There are too many time kids fall over just because they can't touch on uneven ground or on a hill. The worst thing my brother did was move one of his kids to a bike that was a little too big for him, he could touch 1 foot but he ended up going from the best rider out of the kids in our group to the one that falls the most and it really messed with his confidence, took him about a year to recover (plus he grew into the bike). Touching isn't important for track riding but very important for offroad.
I completely understand where you are coming from but I can only talk from experience as follows: I bought my 8yr old son his first motorcycle a 2007 KX65 for his birthday. He learned on this and road it fine. He could not touch the ground. Yes I did lowering links and suspension to help him out then put it back to stock when he figured it out. My little 5 yr old that couldn’t even ride a bike yet I put on a PW50 to learn balance and throttle control then 1 month later put him on a Cobra CM/CXjr. He could touch the ground on the PW but not the Cobra. I would not want my kids to touch both feet. The right foot belongs on the peg/rear break. My two boys do both trail and track and they have two bikes each one for track and one for trail. They are exactly the same set up except for spark arrestors, gearing and jetting for the trail ones.
We have a klx110 and it is rock solid. The big problem with this bike is the suspension is horrible and dangerous. It needs to be upgraded if your kids do anything other than fire road riding. If your just on flat trails no whoops or ruts than it is fine.
Kids grow fast and learn even faster. Get a good bike they can do more with. My kids got into racing after they where trail riding. Instead of going to soccor practice and games we go to mini-night at Perris on Tuesdays and the races on Sundays. Way Fun!
Again, for an 8yr old a 65 is the best bike you can get. It is ment for a 60-80 lb kid, it will wheele me too cuz I am way to heavy for it. We have owned 3 KX65's and would have gone KTM or Cobra 65s if I where to do it again. The 85cc bikes are designed for 7-11 yr olds but I would not but a beginer 8yr old on it until they have been riding for 6-9 months. The 65 is a two stroke and hits harder than a four stroke but the KTM now has a powervalve and has bottom end torque to avoid this.
|
tri5ron
Orange County Ca. USA
Senior Member
Joined: 07/01/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
I appreciate the input, and opinions guys, that is exactally what I started this thread for... to get experienced opinions.
But, we will be sticking to quads for quite a while. I do agree with the bike vs. quad positions for the most part. I started riding when I was 7 years old, and that was over 40 years ago.
The difference is that I was able to get alot more seat time than my kids can get, so my skills developed more quickly simply due to more oppurtunity.
My wife is much more comfortable on 4 wheels than two, (she's just not that coordinated for motorized 2 wheelers, we tried, she likes her TRX250EX quad better), and if that's what it takes to keep her happy, and interested,... then so be it, and pretty much the same goes for my 8 year old daughter.
We got my daughter a TRX90 last spring, and it has been flawless. Typical Honda reliability. She absolutely loves it, and has progressed quite impressivly with only 3 weekend trips out to Johnson Valley, and El Mirage.
We do El Mirage alot, due to I also have 3 Landsailers, and have been doing that since I was a kid.
I've had something like 48 motorcycles at last count, throughout my life, so I'm fairly confident that my experience is worthy, and my choices are valid. I'm pretty happy with my TRX400EX, and am willing to accept the inherient limitations that come with riding a quad vs. a 2 wheeler.
Now the time has come to consider what will best suit my son in physical size, necessary functional operations, as well as his current and projected abilities.
The requirements for him are a bit different than typical 10 year old boys, due to he is a special needs child with Down Syndrome.
He can pretty much learn anything that a typical child can learn, as long as he dosent get to frustrated. The fact that it usually takes him alot longer to learn it, can play a vital, and piviotal, role in that level of frustration.
Thus, it can be what determines, whether or not, he will stick with a task at hand, or toss in the towel.
It's just something you have to learn to live with, when raising a special needs child. It's really not that much different than raising a typical child,.... it just takes longer for everything.
He does want to ride,(something I will continue to encourage), and he has a little bit of seat time on a tiny Chinese 50cc quad.
He has simply grown too big for the kiddie quad, and as a result, he is way too top heavy causing him to be more likely to flip it, even at VERY low speed. (yeah, he's gotten tossed off already).
So that is why I am now looking for a slightly larger, and appropiate replacement quad for my son. Hence the auto trans, throttle limiter, running boards or full nerfs, and a remote kill switch that I can operate from MY quad.
So, for our situation, the quads fit our combined needs, and abilities much better than 2 wheel cycles can.
Family fun is what it's all about, and that means including the entire family, to the best of everyones abilities.
The Hawaiian word, 'Ohana describes it very well.
thanks for everyones input, and please keep the suggestions coming. I am considering everyones input, and am aggresively searching for what will fit my sons needs.
Thanks, Ron
|
albizia
Orange County California
Senior Member
Joined: 08/01/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
Do you think he can use a clutch? My neibir bought his daughter a Yamaha Raptor 250. It seems to be the 4 stroke version of the Blaster with e start. Its small, light. And easy to ride. His daughter is 12 and had no problem learning the clutch. Same goes with my daughter I got her the blaster when she was 11 but has a kick start that can be frustrating for some. The raptor 80 sucks it does not have a arms the new 90 has better suspension but will outgrow quick.
|
thinkpt
Tustin, CA
Senior Member
Joined: 02/08/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
Ron, based on your reply Im going to again suggest the LT80. No gears, great power, limiter if needed and bullet proof. Has oil injector and runs awesome. They are also a little shorter than the suzuki 90 four stroke and are much more of a quad. JMHO and yes its all about family fun and the riding just goes along with it and makes it that much more fun. Good luck with whatever you get. And BTW the LT80 is about as maintenance free as a quad can get.
|
|
|
|
