ATV guys ... need advice

Mclovin

Mclovin

Forum Member
my nephews 12th birthday is coming up and his mom wants to get him an ATV.. nothing too fancy.. I was gonna sell her mine but then i realized a heavily modded 440EX prob isn't the best for a 12yr with very little riding experience..
So I'm looking at blasters for her nice lightweight decent power quad he can ride for a while.. But I'm worried about maintenance I'm 2 hrs+ away and he knows very little mechanically for now.. has anyone had any problems with the oil injection and/or fouling plugs ?? any other common issues??

or can someone recommend a 4 stroke similar.. leaning towards the blaster since I've found a few around here rather cheap <$1k

thanks guys
 
Thats a tough call. Not 100% sure on the quads but the 4 stroke dirt bikes are very pick about valves and maintenance. They are very expensive to rebuild if they grenade, Im sure you know due to having an ATV.

Are you able to inspect the bike prior to her purchasing it to make sure its running top notch?
 
I love Blaster's, but they haven't made them in so long that they're hard to find in decent/un-modded shape. Anything that has the oil-injection removed, I'd stay away from. Same with the TORS.....tapping the carb for an idle screw always seems to lead to a lean mixture death.

For durability, fun/$$, I'd go with a 250EX, or Yamaha 250 Raptor. My buddy bought his kids the Yamaha, and it's really stood up well to the abuse younger kids give them. I had (2) 2003 250Ex's some years ago, and we all loved them. With the sport-clutch they have now, I'm sure they'd be even more fun.

Just my $.02.....
 
mustangmike6996 said:
Thats a tough call. Not 100% sure on the quads but the 4 stroke dirt bikes are very pick about valves and maintenance. They are very expensive to rebuild if they grenade, Im sure you know due to having an ATV.
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Entry level 250's won't have that problem....Only the 450's....
 
my dad bought me a brand new Honda 300EX for my 13th birthday. I still own it today, and it has never given me any problems. I can go out to the barn right now, turn the key on, hit the button and it will start, with old nasty gas in it (did it a couple days ago to move it) never done any repairs to it besides brakes and oil changes. I have flipped it, rolled it, cart wheeled it, held it pinned in 5th gear for long periods of time (riding on a frozen river) and it just keeps going.

for a starter quad that fast enough to have fun/wheelie/hit small jumps etc, but wont break the bank, or need repairs every season I would definitely go 300ex. and it has reverse which is nice. will pretty much run on water, I have ran it on old shitty northern Michigan 87 octane side of the dirt road/trail head fuel many times.

ive since bought and sold a 660 raptor (686 big bore) and a Kawasaki kfx450r, and I still have ol faithful in the barn.
 
As a first quad for a young pre-teen through high school, it's hard to beat a Suzuki Ozark 250 IMO. 4 stroke, air cooled, electric start, auto-clutch, shaft drive, cheap, can't sink them - can't kill them. Do an oil change per year, replace the plug and air filter -- done.

I would be very cautious giving a 12-14 year old , new rider at that, a quad that can wheelie. That doesn't sound like a very smart plan.

And this is coming from someone who isn't a big Suzuki fan.
 
Killjoy said:
As a first quad for a young pre-teen through high school, it's hard to beat a Suzuki Ozark 250 IMO. 4 stroke, air cooled, electric start, auto-clutch, shaft drive, cheap, can't sink them - can't kill them. Do an oil change per year, replace the plug and air filter -- done.

I would be very cautious giving a 12-14 year old , new rider at that, a quad that can wheelie. That doesn't sound like a very smart plan.

And this is coming from someone who isn't a big Suzuki fan.
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while I don't disagree with you, anything with a clutch, and most things without...can wheelie lol.

the Ozark sounds very similar to the Honda, except the auto clutch. if the kid isn't comfortable with a clutch, the Suzuki sounds like a great option
 
99lsWON said:
my dad bought me a brand new Honda 300EX for my 13th birthday. I still own it today, and it has never given me any problems. I can go out to the barn right now, turn the key on, hit the button and it will start, with old nasty gas in it (did it a couple days ago to move it) never done any repairs to it besides brakes and oil changes. I have flipped it, rolled it, cart wheeled it, held it pinned in 5th gear for long periods of time (riding on a frozen river) and it just keeps going.
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That is because it's a Honda.

--Joe
 
Throttle stop the 400ex and pass it along... buy yourself a new steed! :)

or find a raptor 250. I test rode one at silver lake. It had no balls but was fun in a pitbike kind of way. Auto clutch, e start.
 
99lsWON said:
my dad bought me a brand new Honda 300EX for my 13th birthday. I still own it today, and it has never given me any problems. I can go out to the barn right now, turn the key on, hit the button and it will start, with old nasty gas in it (did it a couple days ago to move it) never done any repairs to it besides brakes and oil changes. I have flipped it, rolled it, cart wheeled it, held it pinned in 5th gear for long periods of time (riding on a frozen river) and it just keeps going.


for a starter quad that fast enough to have fun/wheelie/hit small jumps etc, but wont break the bank, or need repairs every season I would definitely go 300ex. and it has reverse which is nice. will pretty much run on water, I have ran it on old shitty northern Michigan 87 octane side of the dirt road/trail head fuel many times.

ive since bought and sold a 660 raptor (686 big bore) and a Kawasaki kfx450r, and I still have ol faithful in the barn.
Click to expand...

x2 on the 300. The 300ex is a tank! I owned one and watched it go through hell and back because I was friends with original owner who bought it new in 93. I bought it knowing its history, gave it some TLC (tires, clutch, valve adjustment, tune up) and rode it for 4 years with no issues. Still had plenty of power!

I have two raptor 660s now and they seem to be pretty good machines!
 
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