hey ATV/qaud guys...need some advice

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diymirage

HP@idle > hondaHP@redline
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hey friends

about 4 years ago, i sold one of my KDXs and took a small 50 cc chinesium qaud as partial trade the idea was to give it to my nephew for his 6th birthday but his dad claimed there was no room to ride it so my boy ended up with it

my boy will be turning 9 next month and pretty much outgrew this one
so im thinking of getting him a "new" one BUT with a plow on it (or at least able to put on one this winter) so he can learn to work with it as well

so, what should i look for in a qaud for a 9 year old that can plow?
obviously, reverse
i take it i want a good electrical system to operate the plow on (winch to raise lower it?)

any advice you guys have will be great
 
hey friends

about 4 years ago, i sold one of my KDXs and took a small 50 cc chinesium qaud as partial trade the idea was to give it to my nephew for his 6th birthday but his dad claimed there was no room to ride it so my boy ended up with it

my boy will be turning 9 next month and pretty much outgrew this one
so im thinking of getting him a "new" one BUT with a plow on it (or at least able to put on one this winter) so he can learn to work with it as well

so, what should i look for in a qaud for a 9 year old that can plow?
obviously, reverse
i take it i want a good electrical system to operate the plow on (winch to raise lower it?)

any advice you guys have will be great
I PLAYED AND BUILT AYV`S FOR ABOUT 24-5 YRS. AFTER I QUIT DRAG RACING. , MY BIGGEST SUSGGESTION WOULD BE , FORGET ABOUT PUTTING HIM ON SOMETHING BIG ENOUGH TO PLOW WITH !! THAT`S HOW MOST KIDS GET HURT AND KILLED !
Dis regard caps------------
 
so you need a tuff dependable not to much power but enough and safe that will push a plow for a long time , there is only one bike up to the challenge IMO is a Honda 350 foreman find a 02 03 or 04 in good shape you can't kill them .
 
We owned bikes, but I spent a lot of years around the 4 wheelers and have to agree completely with JimJimJimmy's post.
I was riding the 350 Foreman, and the guy in the red jackets has the 450 Foreman.
We went a good mile or more past where anyone else had made it.

snow.jpg


snow2.jpg
 
I think you would be better off with a traditional walk behind snow blower for him. It will take a high HP machine, and experience with that machine, to effectively and safely plow snow. I use ATV's everyday with my job. overweighted rack loads, trailers, overland, severe terrain to asphalt, snow to desert sand. If you have the money, Polaris machines are the way to go. Excellent for chore work, but they will be too much IMO for a 9yo..
 
We owned bikes, but I spent a lot of years around the 4 wheelers and have to agree completely with JimJimJimmy's post.
I was riding the 350 Foreman, and the guy in the red jackets has the 450 Foreman.
We went a good mile or more past where anyone else had made it.

View attachment 1715275608

View attachment 1715275609
That picture calls for a snowmobile! LOL my vote is for a little kitty Cat snowmobile so he can ride on it instead of push it.:D
 
That picture calls for a snowmobile! LOL my vote is for a little kitty Cat snowmobile so he can ride on it instead of push it.:D

The fun was in the attempt.:D
We went as far as we could reasonably go and then stopped and ate lunch.
The 6-8 miles of rocky muddy road getting to that mountain and back to camp would have been a bit rough on a sled.:D
 
so here is one...only 3 times my budget


Honda foreman with plow

and this one is probably a scam, right?
(and i probably wont want to put my 9 year old on a 500)

Good running perfect shape 500Foreman

and just because its a mopar, this is kinda fun

New KIDS Gas Powered Mini JEEP ATV UTV Side By Side

Oh, we forgot to tell you Honda's are highly sought after ATV's.
But worth every penny when it comes to reliability.
My youngest Son was riding that same 350 Forman at 9, though it was a bit big for him.
Off topic a bit but the "sippy cup" and her XR 50 in the background cracked me up.
The local Honda shop has this pic in their lobby.

DSCF0006.JPG
 
Forgot to mention I'm also an ASI instructor through SVIA. Regardless of what you get, I strongly suggest putting him through the course..

: About Us | ATV Safety Institute | Courses and Tips for Riders
you and @famous bob make a good point
this kid managed to break his arm last spring flipping a go kart, and if i add all the bones his old man broke riding dirtbikes, he aint out of the woods yet


Oh, we forgot to tell you Honda's are highly sought after ATV's.
But worth every penny when it comes to reliability.

people tell me the same thing about KTM dirtbikes, and yet, my budget only allows for the two KDXs and the TTR i have
i understand resale value, but that means nothing to if you never intend to sell it



whats you guy's thought on this kawa?

2006 Kawasaki Bayou 250 w/plow
 
Oh, we forgot to tell you Honda's are highly sought after ATV's.
But worth every penny when it comes to reliability.
My youngest Son was riding that same 350 Forman at 9, though it was a bit big for him.
Off topic a bit but the "sippy cup" and her XR 50 in the background cracked me up.
The local Honda shop has this pic in their lobby.

View attachment 1715275623
we used to do this. Great time with the family. We went to Wisconsin and rode their trails. We started with both kids on mid-90's Z50's (the little white Hondas), then got rid of them (sorry I did too) for a XR70 and TTR 90. Now we have a '87 TRX200sx and a 200x 3 wheeler (both red/white/blue). Haven't been there in a few years.... gotta get back.
Ours were exactly like this.. I went along side a car and it did 32 mph with me on it :D
th?id=OIP.qL4jQLagwMC0PJLB79qqUQHaFj&w=261&h=196&c=7&o=5&dpr=1.5&pid=1.jpg
 
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we used to do this. Great time with the family. We went to Wisconsin and rode their trails. We started with both kids on mid-90's Z50's (the little white Hondas), then got rid of them (sorry I did too) for a XR70 and TTR 90. Now we have a '87 TRX200sx and a 200x 3 wheeler (both red/white/blue). Haven't been there in a few years.... gotta get back.
Ours were exactly like this.. I went along side a car and it did 32 mph with me on it :D
View attachment 1715275636

Here's a pic of my youngest on his 80.
He always kept me ready to load up and go to the hospital.

image32.jpg
 
I highly recommend to stay away from Polaris and Yamaha and anything two-stroke.
The Polaris will kill you with REPAIRS and maintenance, especially wiring. They are cheap to buy used or new, for a reason, and need suspension help if you hang a plow or a winch on them. But they ride pretty nice,lol.
The CVT is a high maintenance item as well.And they eat tires, and steer like crap.
The Yammys are not quite as bad, but are built like dynosaurs. Maintenance will be a bit cheaper, and they don't break as much parts. I call their assembly stack-technology. Everything is stacked one thing on top of the next and the parts most likely to fail are at the bottom of the stack. At $100/ hr, a lot of time is spent simply unstacking and restacking, driving repair costs quite high.
I worked at three dealers over about 25 years or a bit more.Polaris, Yamaha, and Honda; so I didn't see many Kaws. (BTW: I like most Kawasaki's), consequently
I can't speak to Kawasakis.
Hondas were, during all those years, the most robust and with no belt-driven CVTs, the cheapest to maintain and had low repair costs. Their suspensions were up to the task, and the engines were practically bullet-proof.

My opinion is this; if you buy a Honda, the buy-in is a lil higher, but after two years or less you will likely break even, and have had no down-time. So in the end, they are cheaper.
Withoutexception, everyone who ever asked me , and didn't buy the Honda, regretted it.
And as stated above, the Foreman 350 is a sweetheart of a machine, adaptable to almost anything... except of course maybe racing,lol.
They will also pull a lot of weight along the ground, or on the racks, and are nimble enough for an adult to have fun with. Yet docile enough for a young experienced rider that can comfortably reach all the controls. There is only one downside; if you manage to get it stuck, you'll need either; a winch,a pick-up truck, or several tough guys, to retrieve it,lol. So if your kid comes home and says he's stuck, he really will be stuck. Go out prepared for the worst,lol.
Also with the Foreman, you can do almost all repairs to the engine or trans short of a crank,with the engine in-frame. Not so with some other brands. Also, IIRC, the 350 is a pushrod, sideways-mounted engine, so if you manage to cook a piston, the barrel comes off in a few minutes. Clutch work is a lil more difficult, but the entire rear end unbolts in a few minutes, and then you have plenty of room.The steering is tough, and with a bit of fine tuning is stable and comfortable at speed. The diffs are almost indestructible.
 
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My vote is for a Honda, I just had to buy a new battery last week for my wife’s, pos original battery only lasted 14 years.
 
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