Youth ATV advice. 90 or 125?

Here’s the situation. My kids are 9 (10 in October) and 7 (8 in Feb). Both are tall and strong for their ages, the 9 year old easily passes for 12. The 9-year-old is almost 5 feet tall and will certainly be so by summer of next year when he’ll still be 10.

They are begging for an ATV. This will be mostly ridden at my hunting farm and maybe one day a trail ride. They are both beginners, though, so I need a safe learning machine.

I want a quality brand youth ATV with safety features like throttle limit so they can learn to ride, but I’m afraid these 2 guys will both outgrow it in a year. I really don’t want to buy something and then lose money selling it a year later, only to have to buy again.

So questions:

1. Is the Polaris Sportsman 90 a bigger machine than some of the little trail 90s like the Outlaw/Scrambler/Predator? Will this work for a 5 foot tall kid?

2. I really like the Yamaha Grizzly 125 but I can’t find any info on if this machine has a throttle limiter. Anyone know? Is this a better idea for a longer lasting machine for these 2 kids?

Anyone have other suggestions for a beginner machine for bigger kids, but one that still has safety features? Am I trying to buy too far up the line by going to 100+ CCs?

Many thanks.

Grouse

You can make a throttle limiter with a hose clamp or even get technical and make a drilled and tapped one like many youth vehicles have. Not too hard.
Make sure brakes are hydraulic. I bought one with cable and they are bad for kids.

Good point, Mark, didn’t know you could do that on any machine.

The other concern, though, is is a 125 too big for a (albeit big) 8 year old as a first time machine?

I really, really, really don’t want to shell out $1-2k on a 90 and then have to turn around and sell it 1 year later and then go through all the hassle inherent with buying a used machine again.

Grouse

Get the larger one. I went thru this several years ago and he outgrew the 80 Honda fast. Ended up with a 110 Honda and that was a bigger frame so he rode it until we go a 250. I sold the 110 to a gun club I belonged to and they use it to set steel plate targets with adults driving it

I can’t offer a ton of advice for what machine a young kid can or should ride. I don’t have kids. You know yours best. There are some 18 year olds I wouldn’t trust on a 90cc quad. On the contrary, there are some very cautious, mature young kids who can handle the responsibility factor of an atv.

My only advice is to be 100% sure they are wearing a correctly sized, comfortable helmet at all times no matter the terrain or distance. Developing good habits from Day 1 could save their lives or limit injuries down the road. I grew up with a close classmate who had a traumatic brain injury from a mishap on a relatively small 250cc atv while riding 1/8 mile to get his family’s mail.

Take a look at a youth ACE that Polaris makes. Same as the atv you can limit the speed and it has the advantage of a full cage.

Totally agree on helmets, Bucky. Nothing more to say there, you are 100% right.

Onestrout, the ACE is interesting, but as they are rather new on the market, the prices I’m seeing are from $3-4k. Easily over $1k more than I’m willing to spend on a youth ATV.

Also, they are a bigger footprint, so storage is even more of an issue.

Grouse

My father had a 93 Honda TRX90 for us growing up. He gave it to me a few years ago and it’s still ticking after 4 destructive boys sinking and rolling that thing into the next Stone Age. Plastics are all but gone but the motor just keeps chugging. They’re plenty fast and I rode it comfortably until I was about 13. It’s now my early ice transportation.

Keep in mind that the Polaris, Can-Am, Kawasaki and just about all other name brand youth models with exception of Honda are not made by the actual manufacturer. They’re just re-branded machines from Taiwan, China or other Asian country.

404 ERROR wrote:

Keep in mind that the Polaris, Can-Am, Kawasaki and just about all other name brand youth models with exception of Honda are not made by the actual manufacturer. They’re just re-branded machines from Taiwan, China or other Asian country.

Now that is really disappointing, but I guess it’s the way things are now.

So what other 100-125 CC machines are out there besides the Yamaha Grizzly? Anyone have other suggestions?

Grouse

I see two 8 & 10 yr old girls riding a Honda Pioneer side by side…by my place, by themselves. They can drive it well enough. It’s got to be more stable than a 3 or 4 wheeler.

I just happen to have two polaris sportsman 90’s I want to sell. They are older no reverse plastic kinda beat up but I’d let the pair go for 1500 bucks. I have owned them for at least 6 years kids are now 12 and 11.
Whatever you do dont buy the off brand ones they last maybe a few years then turn to junk.

When growing up (which wasn’t that long ago) at the age of 8 I drove a Polaris 325 trail boss. I wouldn’t be afraid to buy a slightly larger atv for around the farm. Just make sure they can safely operate the throttle and brakes. Depending on the age you’d want to take them trail riding would determine the size of atv you would want to buy. I don’t know what the youth atv laws are now but they were pretty extensive when I was that age if I remember correctly. The 90 cc units are nice, spendy but nice. Don’t bother with the no name brand youth atvs as there is no support or parts to be found for most of them. I also know that there are a few manufacturers that make a smaller frame 250 cc atv that they would most likely fit now and be able to ride well into their teens.

SXS’s aren’t going to fit the budget and IMO those things are even more dangerous than a 4 wheeler as far as kids flipping them. I personally know 2 rigs that have been flipped by drivers <12 this year alone. IMO, they give a false sense of security and kids think they’re like a go cart.

The point of a 4 wheeler is that I WANT the kids to learn to drive one safely. IMO, this is an important outdoorsman skill because as popular as SXS units get, they will never replace 4 wheelers for tight terrain and soft ground. Plus, we do not have the trail width at my farm to run sxs vehicles down most trails.

I hear you guys on the el cheapo import ATVs. Not going to touch that stuff.

Grouse

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Now that is really disappointing, but I guess it’s the way things are now.

Pretty much. But also keep in mind you have the support of the manufacturer behind you on these models. Parts, service and other nice things still go along with them, regardless of what manufacturing facility they came out of. Didn’t mean to steer you away from them, just wanted it to be known.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

So what other 100-125 CC machines are out there besides the Yamaha Grizzly? Anyone have other suggestions?
Grouse

from what I can tell not much. also the Yamaha 125’s are discontinued as far as I know by now aren’t they? its too bad that there isn’t a larger variety of dependable small CC ATV’s. for my uses the price point and overall utility are very appealing compared to the larger machines.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

So what other 100-125 CC machines are out there besides the Yamaha Grizzly? Anyone have other suggestions?

Forgot to mention…Kymco has a 150cc atv on the market. Kymco is a rare exception to the “cheap” Asian ATV’s. They have a decent following and the dealer network is actually really good.

I found a used knock off 90cc Chinese one that I got for my 10 year old daughter (she has no problem driving our 6 seater utv or my 500 sportsman by herself). I can tell you one this as far as power and speed I would not want anything bigger. I drive it and it can get scary.
My thought was its only going to fit her for a couple years anyways so I didn’t need the top of the line stuff and didn’t need it to last for 15 or 20 years.
She only uses it around the house in our woods and not on trails.
The downfall to them is their physical size. They are small.
If it was me I would find a used 90cc (expect from 300 to 1,000) be ok with sticking a couple hundred bucks into it over a couple years and re sell it when they outgrow it.