MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Swogjb on May 22, 2011, 09:53:38 AM
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G'day All,
Im looking at getting a quad bike for our 3 year old daughters birthday and am after some information and opinions please.
We are after between a 50cc - 90cc four stroke 4 wheeler.
Are the Chinese units any good, if so what brand?
Or are we better off a good 2nd hand Japanese brand?
Any help much appreciated.
:cheers: Glenn
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I recently brought a near new second hand chinese 110cc quad for my kids. It had an electrical problem apparently and wasn't running when I brought it, and I paid $100 - I thought at that price it was worth it, as similar models on e-bay were selling between $800- $1000.
As I consider myself to be reasonably handy, I looked at it myself. It was frustrating because the wiring is crap and how they colour their wires is different (ie, red is not positive and black is not negative). After having a good look at it, and replacing a couple of electrical components, it still wouldn't run, so I started to ring around a few motorcycle repair places.
No-one would touch it. As soon as I mentioned it was a chinese quad they weren't interested. Don't know whether they were simply prejudice against this style of quad, but most said they could spend hours trying to fix it as these chinese bikes were all put together differently, and the problem was probably minor but it would take hours to find. Most places suggested for the price to have it fixed I might as well throw it in the bin and go buy a new one.... which wasn't a help to me!
Anyways, a friend of a friend was an automotive electrician and checked it out, and after a lot of hair pulling fixed it for $100.
We’ve used it a couple of times since then and it goes okay. It kinda looks like a name brand bike, but you can feel that the quality is not there. It feels fragile, suspension is ordinary and the thing vibrates badly at high revs / speed. The master cylinder for the rear brake started leaking and we lost the brakes, so I replaced the master cylinder. Brakes were good again, but then the next time we used it the brake line split. I’ve also noticed now the electric fan has stopped working.
The bike has probably cost me $400 all up, which is probably 1/10 the cost of a similar new, name brand bike. However, in all honesty I’ve spent more time fixing the thing damn thing than the kids have spent riding it.
We couldn’t afford a name brand bike for our kids at the time, but this whole process has been a learning lesson. I'd suggest if it's something you want to keep for a few years, spend the money on a proper name brand one. Right now the thing has been shoved in the corner of the shed until I get motivated to fix it ....the upside to this is that the kids seem contempt just sitting on it, making engine noises and pretending their riding it..... whatever it takes to get them away from the TV. ;D
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I spend all day every day servicing and repairing motor bikes. I detest chinese bikes. 99% are absolute crap and I would not recomend anyone buying one. The other 1% are in the higher price($1000 +) range and are OK, not great but better.
If your dead set on a cheap chinese crap bike, I suggest you buy at least two and use one for spare parts(yes, they are that bad)
For my money, buy a S/H jap. bike, there are heaps about second hand as kids have a habbit of growing up........
You need to remember that most really cheap chinese bikes are under $500, get a mechanic to spend two or three hours tracing electrical problems and the owner will soon be getting a repair bill for near the cost of the bike, and most people dont like that.
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For my money, buy a S/H jap. bike, there are heaps about second hand as kids have a habbit of growing up........
Im having trouble finding good 2nd hand bikes.
Any leads greatly appreciated
:cheers: Glenn
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hi swogsjb,moto/rmech,is spot on, the Chinese bikes are not that good,unless you would like to do maintenance 23hrs per day. i brought one for my daughters and it lasted one day. the oil i put in the bike was worth more at the end of the day. So then i chased up two little suzuki 50 quads two strokes they went well, but then the mixing arrangement started to play up, so no worries just pre mix the fuel and let them go. if you dont get the mix right they tended to play up a bit. local suzuki dealer had a sale on, walked in seen two suzuki 50 four stroke quads asked for a price for two .was happy with the deal and walked out with two new pink quads which i picked up later in the week,due to the fact that they only had one in stock. now we go for a weekend ride, we all go for a ride or i can sit in front of the camper and keep a eye on them.the four strokes seem to run for about 6-7 hours on a tank 2-3 litres . the other big selling point is that they are electric start,niccccccce cheers Graham ps i am about to fix up the two suzuki quads for sale in the next couple of weeks if it is of any help
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I have a kids Polaris 90cc Sportsman bike for sale, needs a bit of work inc, Auto Clutch Adjustment, new Starter Battery, needs Kick start spring relaced, some crack & repairs in Plastics but for $450 and a litlle of TLC you kids would have a good Quad bike...
Anyone interested let me Know, pickup COD Werribee Vic..
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You cant go past the Suzuki 50cc four stroke quads :cup:
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While Suzuki mini bikes seem to be top of their class, there is nothing wrong with Polaris(made in USA) bikes if you "know" the bikes. I worked soley on Polaris bikes for 5 years and you get to know them pretty good. There are tricks(like anything) that only Polaris techs. get to know about them. One poor point is their charging system which leads to alot of flat batteries......and then when you go to kick start them, the shaft is siezed up andjams up all the time.
We have a Polaris ATV 50 for our little girl and paid alot more than $450 s/h. Sounds like a good price.
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My kids have a suzi 50 starts first time everytime and runs all day no problems, We paid $500 more than happy.
George
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There was a thread here on quad bikes and kids last year.
And there was a story in the news about a four year old who died on one.
I hope her age was a typo and you really meant 13th birthday.
A three year old does not have the motor and cognitive skills to properly control a quad bike.
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G'day All,
Im looking at getting a quad bike for our 3 year old daughters birthday and am after some information and opinions please.
We are after between a 50cc - 90cc four stroke 4 wheeler.
Are the Chinese units any good, if so what brand?
Or are we better off a good 2nd hand Japanese brand?
Any help much appreciated.
:cheers: Glenn
Ummm, 3yo on a quad bike...mate, ...wait until she is older and can ride a bike
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Ummm, 3yo on a quad bike...mate, ...wait until she is older and can ride a bike
She's been riding a push bike with training wheels for over 6 months. I've got a 700 cc quad that I can wind the throttle way back to a slow walking pace and Grace rides this very well. It's just a bit hard for her to turn due to the shear size of the bike but she does manage.she also had had a small electric quad that she has more than mastered.
I'm 100% sure that my daughter can handle a bike suited to her size in a surpervised way.
But thanks for the concern
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There was a thread here on quad bikes and kids last year.
And there was a story in the news about a four year old who died on one.
I hope her age was a typo and you really meant 13th birthday.
A three year old does not have the motor and cognitive skills to properly control a quad bike.
How well was this poor unfortunate 4 year old supervised ??? ???
I have seen very capable 3-4 year old children on 2 and 4 wheel motor bikes, with more cognitive skills than some people that have a licence to drive a car.
As previously mentioned the good bikes have a adjustable throttle governor so the responsible parent can set the speed to suit the skill level.
Next you will be suggesting that kids to stop riding push bikes because some kid had an accident on one once ???
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G'day Swogjb
Sorry i can help you on a quad but i would recommend against the Chinese ones. Just from a few experiences friends had with bigger bikes.
Good on you for getting you kids one though. My eldest got her PW50 when she was 3 and while she doesn't want to beat the world she loves motorbikes as does her younger sister.
As you can see no matter what question gets asked on this forum the keyboard safety police start banging their chest.
I hope there is enough normal people here to help you with the question you asked.
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The step-grandkids (!!) got one each last year for Chrissy. Pieces of cr@p, but if you're mechanical and can keep them going they're still a hoot while they last. Sadly their dad's no mechanic, so guess who got called on to get them running all the time.
Personally, I'd say wait until you can afford a "good" one, in a couple of years, but then I'm probably a Grinch.... >:D
Either way, PLEASE ensure you limit throttle -3y.o. heads and fence posts don't mix.
Cheers,
Cam
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Next you will be suggesting that kids to stop riding push bikes because some kid had an accident on one once ???
No, I'm basing it on twenty years as a doctor familiar with the motor skills and cognitive abilities of children and a Masters degree in Forensic Medicine which included the study of traffic medicine.
A three year old does not have the motor and cognitive skills to properly control a quad bike.
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I'll be watching this closley as my 4 yo will be getting one for christmas and I'm trying to decide on the best way to go also.
As a side note 6 yo kids in the middle east can strip, assemble, load and fire AK47's. thats pretty cognitive to me.
Jetcrew :D
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I'll be watching this closley as my 4 yo will be getting one for christmas and I'm trying to decide on the best way to go also.
As a side note 6 yo kids in the middle east can strip, assemble, load and fire AK47's. thats pretty cognitive to me.
Jetcrew :D
Lego skills don't translate.
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There are 3 year olds and younger riding both small quad bikes and mini bikes all around this country.
That's what I'm basing my opinion on.
WTF......I was asking about Chinese quad bikes not the cognitive skills of a 3 yo.
Glenn
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I'm basing it on twenty years as a doctor familiar with the motor skills and cognitive abilities of children and a Masters degree in Forensic Medicine which included the study of traffic medicine.
A three year old does not have the motor and cognitive skills to properly control a quad bike.
As Glenn has said "WTF......I was asking about Chinese quad bikes not the cognitive skills of a 3 yo." So unless you are going to post an answer Glenn's question keep your opinion for your own thread on "The cognitive skills of a 3 yo." if you wish to voice it.
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For the safety and well being of any child regardless of age when first learning , buy a ruputable brand. Feel good that you've given your child the best you can. That way you know that the brake leaver's are not going to bend or brake at the weld when called on in an emergency . The bike won't lose forward drive when going up a hill because some pin in the drive has broken allowing the bike to go rolling backwards down the hill with those crap brake leaver's and brake lines to hopefully work when needed most. Buy well and your money's safe, when you up grade you'll get most of it back. IMO Chinese quads= rubbish this is more so in the one's marketed as kids bikes.
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My Grandkids have 3 chinese bikes and have had a good run for about 3 years from them. Things are now starting to break and wear out and as the "resident mechanic" it falls on me to keep them running. Last night the front handbrake broke on one and the carby mount let go, problem getting parts (they have to come from China and generally you get the wrong bit about 3 times before they get it right)(despite sending photo's with the order). Have suggested new Jap bikes needed sooner than later.
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I wouldn't touch a Chinese quad or two-wheeled bike.
And rather than quads have you considered a Yamaha PW50 with training wheels? A lot more fun for the kids once they have mastered it and the training wheels come off, and there's no difference when it comes to the likelyhood of accidents - they're going to fall off whatever you give them. Speaking of, make sure helmets are part of every ride (same goes for non-powered bikes), and there's no substitute for responsible supervision, as in sober adult supervision - but you knew that; I'd just go away feeling bad if I hadn't said it.
PW50s have good resale value if looked after, which tempers the initially high outlay for one.
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I brought my son ( 4 ) a Suzuki 50 quad , 7 years ago .
Best thing ever , we both used to run around the paddock on it .
A bit of a freshen to the motor and its still going ..... ready for my 4 year old daughter .
Also brought a Chinese import quad , since owning it for about a year , I don't think we have ever got a full day from it without it failing .
Go the brand name quad , you wont regret it , even if you look around for a good second hand one .
Cheers
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As Glenn has said "WTF......I was asking about Chinese quad bikes not the cognitive skills of a 3 yo." So unless you are going to post an answer Glenn's question keep your opinion for your own thread on "The cognitive skills of a 3 yo." if you wish to voice it.
If someone asks a dumb question about DIY 240V electrical work on this site, the electrical experts feel obliged to post a warning about safety. Usually it's along the lines of "Just don't do it." Everybody accepts their expertise, and the dumb questioner says "sorry I didn't realize how dangerous that was."
Why are motor vehicles different? "WTF Officer, I've been driving at 80km/hr through this school zone for years and never hit anyone."
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If someone asks a dumb question about DIY 240V electrical work on this site, the electrical experts feel obliged to post a warning about safety. Usually it's along the lines of "Just don't do it." Everybody accepts their expertise, and the dumb questioner says "sorry I didn't realize how dangerous that was."
Why are motor vehicles different? "WTF Officer, I've been driving at 80km/hr through this school zone for years and never hit anyone."
Blah blah blah, let it go mate ???
You are entitled to "YOUR" opinion as is everyone else, the question was:
Are the Chinese units any good, if so what brand?
Or are we better off a good 2nd hand Japanese brand?
Any help much appreciated
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We have three cheap Chinese units, it's that old story you get what you pay for. If your handy and don't mind tinkering they are ok. The first thing we do is change the fuel leads and all the fluids ie brake and oil. Our child also has to do a spanner check everytime he goes to ride it.
Like all things there are degrees of good and bad Chinese bikes and to a certain extent it's the luck of the draw. We bought a 110cc adult one of eBay,I clipped a stump and the steering bent - damn that Chinese alfoil (I mean stainless steel).
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Thanks to all for the information.
Ive decided to give the Chinese quads a miss and pay a few extra bucks and go for jap bike.
I think a Suzuki LTZ 50 is going to get the nod. I'll have a good look around for a good second hand one but I don't hold my breath in finding one reasonably close to home.
:cheers:
Glenn
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Blah blah blah, let it go mate ???
You are entitled to "YOUR" opinion as is everyone else, the question was:
I didn't want to make this a game of "who has the last word" but, (like the electricians) I am an expert. My opinion is worth more.
Have a look at the data Morgue collected; http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?topic=13709.0
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73 bubba
I think your supposed to reply "nah, you are"
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Thanks to all for the information.
Ive decided to give the Chinese quads a miss and pay a few extra bucks and go for jap bike.
I think a Suzuki LTZ 50 is going to get the nod. I'll have a good look around for a good second hand one but I don't hold my breath in finding one reasonably close to home.
:cheers:
Glenn
Pretty much what I'm looking for too.
I read the links and would say that the overwheelming saddness at the loss of those children is undienable. However after reading 4 of the stories from the US I have to ask "What contributing factors lead to the death"
In one of the stories the child had no understanding of the quad and was ridding in a dangerous area .
In another the child had no supervision and died from being unable to breath
In another the quad was too large for the child.
Another lack of supervision and unknow terrain.
So before we all go off half cocked about how dangerous these machines are because of a death we must first evaluate the circumstances of the death and attribute any additional actions/cirrcumstances that may have caused the death.
Your link to the study and recomendations is exactly what i will be doing with my son.
So i am sorry to say but none of those deaths can be attributed to the quad bike itself, they were all rider error and lack of supervision.
very very sad that these kids lost thier lives but not a reason to ear bash someone for wanting to buy one.
Jetcrew ;D ;D ;D
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Out of bikes, trikes and quads, Bikes are my favorite. Each to their own.
They are all worlds apart on how you ride them try turning a corner on a trike like you do on a bike and you go straight ahead.. Quads are different again. if your kid can ride a pushbike, I'd say go for a QR50/PW50 with training wheels - may make it easier all round.
Cammo has had a bike since he was 4-5yrs old (now 11), and loves it.
State dependent the issue is theres barely anywhere legally expect private property to ride trike/quads. theres a few bike tracks around you can go to for bikes only that dont have racing on them.
the fines are close to a grand if caught, something to keep in mind.
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A 3 year old is hardly going to be throwing lugs off the tyres in terms of riding it hard, until they progress and become a better rider. The Chinese bikes are ok at a price.
I bought a Chinese peewee for my young lad for his first bike when he was 4, he couldn't kill it and it never gave me an ounce of problems. We also used to have a Chinese single seat buggy, again never an issue, kids loved it. We had to offload the peewe and bought him a KTM as he couldn't race the Chinese peewee in his age group as it was a 90cc.
Don't forget your kid will outgrow a lot of this stuff before they can wreck it, so it really depends how much you want to spend.
Getting into motorbikes is not a cheap pasttime, especially with all the protective gear needed to ride safe and the rate kids grow they'll outgrow clothes and boots before they wreck them.
Fitting a govenor to the throttle will ensure the kid can't wind it on and take off across the paddock and do damage to bike or rider, the govenor can then be adjusted as their skill improves. :cup: :cheers:
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My boys 5 and 8 now have been zooming around my parents property have for a couple years now on a pair of Suzuki LT50 quads. I bought one brand new from the dealer $1450 and one second hand which was early 80's model but they are identical. They can be stored for months then you take them out put the choke on and away they go.......They also have a cut off switch on the back with a cable you can pull when they are learning to stop them. They can also have the throttle govenerned so that they only go as fast as you want them to......
For my own sake I bought named brand Suzuki casue I didn't want the hassles down the track. So far three years and I have only had to add fuel and 2 stroke oil a couple times....
The old saying is "YOU GET WHAT YO PAY FOR"
HTH
James
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Anyone can sit on a quad and ride, they only need limited skill and that's why there are a lot of accidents. I'm biased as I come from and grew up with a moto trial background where riding skill and bike control is generally above any trail, enduro or moto x discipline.
For this reason, I strongly recommend you take a look at an OSET. They have bikes purposely designed for 2-5 year olds, 5-10 etc. They are not a toy and are a quality built comp spec bike specifically designed to teach kids how to ride - you can start them on training wheels and the power is fully adjustable. http://www.osetbikes.com.au/ (http://www.osetbikes.com.au/). Yes they are electric and yes they are a trial bike not a trail bike but you get 2 hrs from a 6 hr charge and you never need to worry about neighbors and noise. When they can handle an OSET then they can go up to a proper petrol bike with a full set of skills.
I will be getting my daughter an OSET as soon as she is off training wheels on her pushbike.
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i must say ,as a recalcatrient parent my two little girls could not ride their quads till they could ( due to the fact that they could not operate the brake ,to slow down ,or stop but the true fact is i would never put the munckins in a situiatin that a problem would occur (and i know accidents do occur & thats why they are accidents), but i ride with them,2or 4 wheels.also they cannot ride without full armour, armour is as cheap as chips, if you can afford the toy the armour is part of the price. i wear it so why would,nt my kids have it . next thing i will hear is that i should not have brought them a couple of shot guns
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sorry i have to come back after my last post in this age of political correctness and say that the two munchkins could not hold the shotguns in the correct position, due to the fact that they are too long &heavy so they will not fire them , due to the pure fact is that they may not like it and i would never force my ideals upon them .they are two little girls who think chickens are people GOD LUVEM
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Well I asked this question last year and ignorning all the nay sayers and after looking at the Suzuki, the Polaris and a few other (non-Chinese Quads) we then looked at the Yamaha 50cc (with electric start, I think it was the TTR50 not the Peewee50?) and the Honda CRF50. In the end Santa went with the CRF50, one for each girl as we picked two of them up in the pre-Christmas dealing time of the dealers for just slightly more than one Quad bike.
The girls are not even allowed to sit on their bikes without all their safety gear on. They were 6 and 5 when they got their bikes and could ride a pushbike without training wheels before we let them loose. The neighbor also lent us an electric scooter that used a twist throttle the same as the bike and we got them to ride around the cul-de-sac on that getting them to learn that there wasn't just one speed of flat out and also how to use brakes.
The girls can now ride their bikes (I won't let them in the back yard just yet as they WILL panic and go into the fence) and they have started to go over bumps and get all excited when wheels come off the ground! In Sydney they have been to Pacific Park and out to Leuwee. We are looking at getting them into fun-kana if they want to. They absolutely love it.
They have had many many offs but have never hurt themselves as we have the proper riding gear and also the throttle is restricted and we only allow them to go in second gear at this stage. During the day you can see them gain confidence then they have an off, and god bless their little cotton socks, they jump back on, but are much more weary than before. Then their confidence starts to rise again and they have another off. Good fun.
All I can say is have a serious think about two wheels rather than a quad. In the end actual price decided for us. You can wrap your kids in cotton wool and not allow them to do much and experience much in our nanny state. However my kids, whilst keeping them as safe as possible, will get to experience most things in a controlled manner and if they like it then we will keep going with it. Things like motor-bike riding, driving, water skiing, hiking, flying/aerobatics etc my kids have done and they love them all. Abseiling, rockclimbing, diving and shooting will be added to the list as soon as they can. Pity they have to go to school and I have to go to work! Nothing beats bonding with your kids as much as undertaking new activities. And these are all good wholesome, fun-for-the-whole-family things.
Just need to buy a farm or get access to a hundred acres or so closer to Western Sydney so I can get out more often to undertake these things with them!
Anyway don't listen to the naysayers. They are in ALL walks of life and in EVERYTHING we do. I do believe you should listen to all sides of the story though and as much as the good doctor here has been slightly bagged, I am sure he is well meaning. But in the end do what you think is right, most of us have a decent enough moral compass to know what is right and wrong. Let your kids experience life. There will be stumbles and if you have done your job responsibly then there will be no major issues. We learn for the stumbles, it grows our character but more importantly, that is how we learn. Yes the paint is wet...
Cheers
CB
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Top post Cloud Basher.
That's what is often missing - total responsibility taken by the parent/s.
If you are going to manage the risk properly then there is not much wrong with getting kids onto bikes, and as far as I'm concerned the more young people growing up with an appreciation of motorcycles, the better, even if it only means that less young drivers will pull out in front of me when I'm riding :)
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i bought the kids one a 50cc yumcha quad
worthless piece of crap also dangerous
no real chain guards and quite a long chain, exposed exhausts with no heat shielding and would hit nearly 60kph on the bitumen with my 7 year old son on board
and after about a hours use you spend 30 mins cleaning the crap out of the carb
quads are inheritantly unstable while cornering and many people come acropper because of this tail whip effect, run nearly bald rears to aleviate it somewhat
we could not buy a full face helmet small enough for my 3 year old daughter so that to me says shes too young, no saftey gear no ride is our moto
a 12-18v electric job is more suitable
i bought the kids 50cc yamaha bikes aournd 900 second hand at about 8-9 years old, if they cant ride a 2 wheeler they shouldnt be allowed on a quad with its handling quirks