Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Kids ATVs

Well, I've ended up with a go kart for my daughter, and a battery operated 4 wheeler for my son. They can (and will) both be governed down to 5mph, they'll both have helmets, and lots of supervision. Thanks for all the help on the decisions, guys.

I see the OP has already bought something but thought I would add this for those that do a search down the road.

I have two kids quads. The first was an Arctic Cat DVX 50. It has three speed controllers. The first is on the thumb throttle in the form of a screw. Most kids quads have this. The second is a ring inside the centrifugal clutch that prevents it from squeezing down all the way so the speed is limited. The third is a rev limiter in the CDI box. The min speed for the unit was around 10 km/hr (6 mph). Removing the ring in the clutch was easy and had the biggest jump in speed. It tops out at 22 km/hr (~14 mph) now. All three of my kids have ridden/are riding this unit. It is an Arctic Cat but made by Kymco. We haven't had issues with it, but I would probably go a different brand if I had to do it over again.

My second one is a used Honda TRX 90. There is the standard thumb throttle limiter, but nothing else. It is a manual transmission, which took the kids a little bit to figure out after the automatic. It is 10x the quad that that AC 50 is. Top speed is around 45 km/hr (~28 mph). Electric start only. Wish it had a kick starter, but so far not an issue. Manual choke that is on the carb body is a bit of a pain to access and adjust, but it starts and runs well and is much quieter than the AC. I bought it used and it looks like I will need to replace the tie rod ends that are getting worn. Pretty cheap parts and easy to fix.

WRT the kids getting hurt on ATVs, I would argue that the majority of serious injuries to kids on ATVs come from them riding units that are way to big and powerful for them. I've seen kids riding 400-700 cc full size quads without helmets. Pick a unit that is appropriate for the size and skills of your child and give them all the safety gear that there is. If you are going to cheap out on safety equipment, don't buy them an atv. My wife is an ER RN and the majority of kid injuries from ATVs comes from riding full size units without safety equipment.

SS

I wouldn't let a kid 12 or under ride it out of my sight, and maybe older than that depending on the kid. Visiting quadriplegic kids is no fun.

Hard to beat the Honda 90's. LT80's from Suzuki are decent rigs too.