Lots of good info - wish it pertained to me!

I'm looking at a 40cc Viper Jr. Looks like the best buy for the $$$ I can find. My 4 yr old wants one and it's gotta be small and gotta have a wireless remote to kill it. Anyone familiar with LITTLE ones?

Quote::

Lots of good info - wish it pertained to me!

Dont worry Zang, won't be long and it will! They grow fast!

I checked out the Eton Viper Jr. 40cc. Looks like a good little quad. It has independent front suspension, not all 50cc and under have that. As long as the little 40cc motor has enough power for even little hills in the yard.

Dinli also has a 50cc model with the remote kill, and there are probably some others too, I guess it just depends on what is offered in your area.

Personally, I'd look for one with a cvt such as the Kasea micro. Think it just has a rear thether kill switch though, which worked quite well when I was training. At first, I followed her on foot. Then, once she got going a little faster, I strapped on a retractible dog leash and followed her on my quad. Quick yank shut her down.

Gentlemen, I'm impressed with the information here about the mini-quads. I had the impression that all the cheap mini-quads were junk out of the box...that's why I had planned on getting my 10 year old a quality machine (honda, polaris etc...) But considering that kids grow up so fast and will grow out of the smaller quads like they grow out of shoes and other clothing, that I am leaning towards more of this type of mini...not to say I'm gonna buy him a piece of junk, but if some of these cheaper imports will hold up to the torture my kid delivers, then it may well prove to be the overall best bang for the buck...You guys, keep those progress reports coming in...I am very interested in what you're doing. Thanks

many more informative reviews are on the way folks ! me and doc (mostly doc) are working hard on the next batch . the next one's are also showing great results especially in the mud and water test .

Basically it wouldn't hurt to spend the money on any of the major 4 brands. Around here (at least) you can sell them for as much as you paid for them after 2 or 3 years of use - if you take care of them.

Thanks, Fuzzman!

Zang- Yeah, if you don't mind spending the cash, why not buy one of the big 4.
Resale is similar around here. Its ridiculous, if you're buying anyway!

Even the E-ton quads are bringing what they cost new. Doesn't matter what brand they are if they aren't broken, the cost is the same as new. Just better odds it will not be broken if it's one of the main brands.

zang~just remember when you buy the name brand it was made by one of the small brand companies . and most are made by one of two companies . so quality is pretty much heads up

wildcard wrote:

zang~just remember when you buy the name brand it was made by one of the small brand companies . and most are made by one of two companies . so quality is pretty much heads up

Ah...I'm not sure I buy that...

Honda, Yamaha and Polaris all have joint venutres in China. And a lot of it is being cloned and marketed under various brands. And I know in the case of Yamaha/Polaris, engines are being duplicated by the same company and making it to off-brand machines! Don't believe me? My off-brand has Yamaha stamped on the side. Look up Linhai (Yamaha), QJ Motorcycles (Polaris) and Sundiro (Honda).

Suzuki had a deal with Korea (Hyosung) and the same company now puts out a couple of machines with their own label too.

I think often you get a "mutt" but a lot of the parts on the off-brands are the same parts being used on name brand. Not saying some of these companies don't skimp on quality, but others put out a very good product.

Now, THAT I believe. That's a LOT different than 1 or 2 companies making them all!

zang~what samson say's is right on the mark . what i should have said was that most of the componants are made by or on paterns from only a couple of companies . like qj and sundiro most all of their parts are interchangable . there are some small differances from brand to brand that will enhance performance to some extent . what you will see is that some companies will use lesser quality material in there parts . that is a lot of what myself and doc intend to show with our review of small mfg. when all the parts of simulare designe are assembled we intend to compare how those small differances can make or brake the succes of a useable trail worthy minnie quad .

Doc, as many of you know, the mini class is spelled out in the CPSC guidelines, and as such, they dictate that lights are taboo. That is why you do not find them on many of the brands out there.

ALthough I feel they are one safety item that should be included, the CPSC does not.. their thoughts are that they do not want kids out riding after dark...

Your suggestion to just go out and purchase a running light designed for an automobile needs some quantifying... You need to know the amount of wattage that the Stator is capable of supporting. If you exceed it's capabilities, then you start killing batteries, not to mention destroying a Stator. Each quad is different, so you need to do some research for each model. What works for one, will kill something else, so check and be sure.

Me again... the debate over the worthiness of off brands versus name brands has been and will continue to be debated forever. The difference I see right now is in the after the sales parts and support you receive.

Many of the cheap deals out there leave you high and dry when it comes to fixing a broken part.. and let's all admit it.. something is going to break no matter who makes it.

Resales are pretty much a wash right now.

Yes it is true that children grow fast, and the machines are outdated even faster... but that is the fun part. Not all the quality familiy time has to be spent on the trails. Walking through the local dealers and drooling at all the nice shiny items on the sales floor and in the parts department can give you just as much pleasure as riding on a rainy day.

And at least in my case, it lets me get even with Mrs DB for all those trips to the cloth store that we manly men of the house have to suffer through over the course of the year... so we deserve OUR drool time too...

My biggest complaint with the cheap stuff, is that the so called "Dealers" and I use that term loosely, do not have a clue about rider safety, rider training, or even how to service the machine after the sale... For no other reason that this lack of knowledge gives our sport a black eye, I'd sure like to see them get with the program a little more.