Cheap ATV's..

[Burn Out]

Looking around on ebay and see some cheap atv's made in china for sale in the states. SUNL and AIM-EX are a couple brands I see. Almost half the cost of brand names like yamaha and honda. Anyone have any luck with these or hear anything about them? Looking for my kids...so thinking a 50cc is good for beginners? I see a lot of 110cc also....so is that for teenage years? I seen one in person here at the fair, the SUNL brand, and looks decent, like a knock off of a yamaha! Imagine that!! :rollside:

[stvneil]

call around and see what parts are available. :cry: :idea:

[mickeyfinn]

The patent on some of the older Honda engines ran out. Chinese bought some of the actual production equipment from Honda. They are making descent quality exact copies of stuff. If you have a Honda 50,90,100 or some other size you can actually buy an engine replacement from them at 1/2 the cost. Lot cheaper, but unfortunately we all contribute to our economic slow down or worse by buying their cheap shit. Pretty good quality overall though

[HocusPocus]

better off paying a little more and getting a name with more history behind it. i heard somewhere that you can't even get some of the cheap atv's green stickered in cali?

[Trailer Park Casanova]

We dune all the time and here's the facts on the cheapie china quads:
If their is any morning dew, or damp weather, or ya ride through a puddle or even wet ground or sand they quit.
They are very slow, and clunky.
Better off buying used name brand and you'll take less depreciation when ya sell over the China stuff.
I know they're tempting, but they are trouble + zero resale, gutless can't keep up with a simple group family ride.
Known as keeper quads. On sale now at Pep Boys BTW.
Just my humble opinion, others may have had better experiences.
We stick with Yami, Kawa, Honda and Zuki.
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/500/3812Dumont_Jan__06_008-med.jpg

[GETSOME]

They are great for what you get for the price. But i would not buy it too go on any long trips. It would be great if you have little ones that will grow out of a bike fast and they are just going to ride around camp. I have a china built 110 dirt bike that is pretty fast for what it is and will pull the wheel in 1,2,3 gear. And you can buy parts over the internet for cheap. Just my .02

[HM]

One of the main reasons they can't be green stickered is they don't have pink slips.
Go to Out The Door Motorsports and you can get name brand at a great price.

[SHOTKALLIN]

Would these be those cheap quads sold at pep boys? I walked into pep boy the other day and was greeted by the intercom piping in spanish advertisments. :rolleyes: I wanted to press 1 so I could hear it in English.

[HavasuSelect]

I took a look at some of the little off-brand pit bikes at Pep Boys and I noticed that some of them had engines made by Suzuki.

[OCMerrill]

Suzuki LT50 - I bought one for our son from some freinds pretty well used. Its been through many kids so mine is next. I looked at all the china stuff and the fact is a well used Lt50 for example is 10x what that crap will ever be. Engines copied from Honda is a bonus but still...Just an opinion.
There are so many China quads now its hard to tell who makes or sells what. Later on when you need a part...will that sales guy be around? Also the prices in the cycle-trader are not what you can buy one for. There are extra fees from these fly by night resellers that make Pep Boys about the only straight forward seller around.
This LT50 was $600 - A few parts later and were good. Runs like a swiss watch. Looks good as well.
My advice is to watch the paper and let someone else buy those things.
We dune all the time and here's the facts on the cheapie china quads:
If their is any morning dew, or damp weather, or ya ride through a puddle or even wet ground or sand they quit.
They are very slow, and clunky.
Better off buying used name brand and you'll take less depreciation when ya sell over the China stuff.
I know they're tempting, but they are trouble + zero resale, gutless can't keep up with a simple group family ride.
Known as keeper quads. On sale now at Pep Boys BTW.
Just my humble opinion, others may have had better experiences.
We stick with Yami, Kawa, Honda and Zuki.
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/500/3812Dumont_Jan__06_008-med.jpg

[bchbum]

I went to different shops selling the cheap ones & , couldn't understand why they came with no pinks . No one had an answer for me about it . My problem is my girls are to big for the 50- 110 range ,& to young for the bigger ones .They say 16 or older . What do they think the 10 - 15 year olds are going to ride ? My girls ride xr70]s now , but want quards . :cool:

[TRUMP TIGHT]

How old are you kids? If when i was even just 13 and you stuck me on a 110cc i would be bored after 5min.! When i was young i rode my bothers 200cc yamaha blaster a 2 stroke that was bored and built for a kid that raced. She paid $800 for it in 97 and it was an 88. It was a very fun bike. It was light and easy to move around but still had some pop to it.
If you get your kids a little bigger bike you can put a throtle stop on it to keep them from getting out of control. If not they might need a bigger bike after 1 season!

[TRUMP TIGHT]

One thing for anyone that has kids riding to think about....if you put your kids on quads right off the bat they tend to think it wont flip or crash. Kids on 2 wheelers build up confidence with skill because they are scared of crashing.
just my .05 cents.

[HocusPocus]

when it comes to kids and quads it isn't the speed thats a real issue.. its what the quad weighs.. in case they have a roll over. :skull:

[bchbum]

My girls twins ,& this riding season they will be 11 . One was already stopped on moms quard for being to young . There's just nothing for them to ride that they won't be bored on or get busted . They have been riding 2 wheel since they were 5 . :cool:

[FREIND OF AA AND TA]

I have had tons of those no namers and they are cool for the first couple rides and then totaly fall apart. Parts are impossible to get and the bolts are always breaking off in everything!!! I can only recomend the Kasea 90, 1/2 the price of Hondas. Still borderline junk.
My 4 year old has a new TRX 90
My 9 year old has a new TRX 250
Yep sick of working on shiat!! Only Honda now for quads and bikes.
Seeya at the dunes.

[Trailer Park Casanova]

Is that Franky in the pic?
Nah,, it's Maynard:
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/500/3812cruise_2006_Royal_Carib_018-med.jpg

[Burn Out]

Thanks for the info! I didn't think about the VIN# issue! Here in IA, it needs to be registered for public use. The state was donated an old gypsum mine and they built trails on it and jumps, etc. About 500 acres worth. Possible more in the future! Anyway, probably hard to register it without the vin#! It would be for the kids, so they will outgrow them anyway within a couple years!

[HM]

I took a look at some of the little off-brand pit bikes at Pep Boys and I noticed that some of them had engines made by Suzuki.
I bought two Yamaha PW 50 knock offs by Tank that are IDENTICAL to the Yamaha. So much so, you can buy Yamaha parts for it.
I am selling both my PW 50 knock offs as I don't like the 2 stroke - the governor only seems to slow, not limit acceleration and with the auto trans, they can get into 3rd going nearly 30 MPH w/o too much effort. I am going to sell them for $500 for both. They are blue, just like the Yamahas. I am going to get my kids the CRF 50.

[HOOTER SLED-]

Spend a lil bit more and go for the Eton. I picked up an Eton 90 for just under $2000. About a grand less than the Honda. Parts are readily available. Has disc rear, wired for headlights($20 for bulb harness), brake lights, automatic, adj. governor for speed. Thing hauls ass. Does not even seem cheaply made to me.

[doesitfloat?]

One thing for anyone that has kids riding to think about....if you put your kids on quads right off the bat they tend to think it wont flip or crash. Kids on 2 wheelers build up confidence with skill because they are scared of crashing.just my .05 cents.
100% agreed. I've saying the same thing for years...bikes are safer and better to learn on.
They also build up better awareness. Kids (in general) who learn on quads are just like the kids who just jump on the jet skiis at the lake...they'll just turn w/o looking at any given time.

[doesitfloat?]

I bought two Yamaha PW 50 knock offs by Tank that are IDENTICAL to the Yamaha. So much so, you can buy Yamaha parts for it.
I am selling both my PW 50 knock offs as I don't like the 2 stroke - the governor only seems to slow, not limit acceleration and with the auto trans, they can get into 3rd going nearly 30 MPH w/o too much effort. I am going to sell them for $500 for both. They are blue, just like the Yamahas. I am going to get my kids the CRF 50.
Yeah, my kids started on a PW50 and outgrew it in weeks for the exact reasons you stated. Still, it's a great 1st bike for a 4-6 year old. And you can almost always sell it for what you bought it for. I'm not so sure about the knockoffs though.

[Howie Feltersnatch]

A buddy of mine bought several for his guys to run around inside their warehouses with. They won't break any speed records but they get the job done. I rode the 250cc & it was fine. They are sold under a bunch of different names but the parts are all the same and you can buy the parts for them at Pep Boys. He bought his here:
http://www.1trail.com/
The prices are probably better than what you see on ebay.

[OGShocker]

We used to bleed Honda Red, but now we run a Yamaha fleet. The reason.... http://theinsideline.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=13564&stc=1&d=1154921169 ...Yamaha gets the girlie's!!! :crossx:

[TRUMP TIGHT]

100% agreed. I've saying the same thing for years...bikes are safer and better to learn on.
They also build up better awareness. Kids (in general) who learn on quads are just like the kids who just jump on the jet skiis at the lake...they'll just turn w/o looking at any given time.
Yep, you defenitly have to be a little more alert on 2 wheels.
Another big plus....ive been up some hills along with a few other places that there is no way you could get a quad there and i dont care how good you are.

[Mrs.HLB]

I ended up buying one for myself. It was a 250 Kazuma. POS! It started to leak the day I bought it! Of course when I called to let them know they were going to charge me to fix it! What a rip off!! We fixed it and sold it after one time out with it. It ran ok, but I couldn't get into the dirt scene. I would recommend a used bike/quad to start with, that is a name brand.
Good luck!
Mrs.HLB

[FREIND OF AA AND TA]

Spend a lil bit more and go for the Eton. I picked up an Eton 90 for just under $2000. About a grand less than the Honda. Parts are readily available. Has disc rear, wired for headlights($20 for bulb harness), brake lights, automatic, adj. governor for speed. Thing hauls ass. Does not even seem cheaply made to me.
Ya I had a 90 and a 50 too. They are cool but clutches went out way fast. Parts suck on them too.

[HotDogz]

My dog told me to boycott China for unethical treatment of canines. :mad:

[Trailer Park Casanova]

Stick you hands in your pockets and fall over.
You're gonna get hurt.
It's that easy.
No one off roads more than our family, and we feel no difference between quads and bikes as far as safety is concerned..
We camp with huge groups & neighbors that ride both, they all concurr.
We rarely see off road accidents. But as of late, with Extreme MX all the rage, all the kids want to jump their bikes and that is the danger point,, A few kids are getting creamed attempting jumps.
Occasionally kids bump into each other riding, either with bikes or quads and get their bells rung, like kids colliding in little League going for the ball or a base.
Some alarmist friends recently told us:
"All day long while we were camped outside of Pismo Beach and ambulances were coming and going. It was terrible!!!!
We'd never ride those things!!!"
I looked up what the emergency calls were that day on a Friends of Pismo site link and none were riding related:
Asthma attack, a diabetic shock call, a guy fell off the top of his RV adjusting the sat dish,, a hood latch puncture wound from a guy that slipped off the front bumper of his truck while working on the engine,,, nothing riding related.
Sure off road accidents happen,, but we think overall it's a pretty safe sport if done soberly, and teach the kids properly, like with anything else.
Every fatality and serious accident gets posted and it's not often we read something like this. Honestly.
Sadly a couple last year, but it was the exception I will argue.
The LA Times did a big, dramatic story at the Hospital in Brawley on a big weekend at Glamis:
"The hospital was packed" they wrote, "The Medical staff taxed to the Limit. Chaos!" they wrote." Ambulances working overtime"
Aahhh the horrors of off roading!!!!!!
Well, the truth:
Wasp and scorpion stings,, drug overdose's,, cuts,, kids falling through the RV screen door 3' feet to the sand and KO'd,, stitches for a knife cut while trimming a steak,,, hand slammed / broken fingers while hitching the trailer to the truck,, two drunks fell outta the back of a pickup from standing up while it was moving.
People call the ambulance because they can't get the MoHo out of the campsite or the ambulance is easier to run to the hospital, + their medical coverage covers it, so why not,, and it adds to the drama.
The horrors of motorsports!!!!
Sand Venues are fewer than most other sports so the crowd is bigger at each location, hence the 911 call counts will be higher.
Dirt bikes are cheaper and easier to transport and store than quads, and usually that's the reason people go that way, in addition they'd rather ride a 2 wheeler.
Safer is no arguement.
We love the sand, the dunes and the river is our families recreation life.
In addition we love our motorcycles, grew up on them, can still remember what the ink smelled like on the Yamaha TJ 100 brochure when I was a kid.
It's all safe and it's all good.