DuneMe
Elk Grove, CA
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Joined: 09/19/2004
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I'm guessing you'll end up in the desert more and you'll want the ability to open it up when you get a chance.
A Sport quad gets plenty of traction it is a fixed two-wheel drive. Your car is a one-wheel drive (unless it has a limited slip rear end). My totally biased openion is the Raptor 700. Great size for you, plenty of power for you and the big-bores are less work to ride than the 450's.
You don't need a 4X4 for most areas you'll ride.
Your son will like a lighter quad he can throw around. If you are going to ride dirt / hard-pack the Raptor 250 may be a good quad. If you are going to the sand, I like the Z400 / Honda 400EX or similar. The 450's are a bit much for him at this age/size but, are an option. Your GF will like the sport quad for the size and you won't have to worry about her killing herself if she rolls it over. BUT - they'll need to be able to shift.
2005 GMC Sierra 4X4
Duramax Diesel - Edge w/ Attitude / 4" exhaust / Cold Air Intake
45-gallon TransferFlow Tank
4" Lift
Air Bags
Weekend Warrior LE3905 Toy Hauler
TomPro Mini-Rail - Turbo Hayabusa
Raptor 700's for the Wife and I
250EX - Daughter's
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dunerunnerjw
Norcal
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Joined: 08/31/2008
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As my handle says, I ride 99% in the sand dunes. My 8 year old just graduated from a 90 to a Honda 250 sportrax. My 16 year old and my wife have kicked me off my 350 Yamaha Banshee since last year.....so I went out and got a Jeep with sand tires..... I rarely ride on dirt anymore.
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albizia
Orange County California
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Joined: 08/01/2002
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Its funny. We are out all the time and I nerver see any of these 4x4 quads. Mabe there in areas we dont go. You also have to consider the cool factor. Kids like to have toys that look good and the 450s and Banshees are the fun quads to mod and hop up. I remember my banshee didn't stay stock long.
We find ourselves in the desert all the time anyway we love it. Especialy for a regular weekend we will just take off after work Friday to Jawbone get there around 10:00pm. We have two full days there The only 4x4 I have is my truck. 4X4 quad does not sound fun anyway unless I was doing utility work or hunting or somthing slow. We all ride very fast, full pipe all the time NEVER slow when we are on quads. Thats what there ment for, racing with your freinds through the desert fast.
PS: I would also take a look at the KTM 450 & 525.
* This post was
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edited 09/07/08 11:25am by albizia *
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Jason 'Class A M1 CDL'
2006 F350 CC 6.0 PSD SRW FX4 4.10s Banks Procomp Susp. 4 KCs, ARPs
07 Gearbox 375WFSG 5ER
Banshee T5s ported, YZ250 (Mine)
Blaster (Hers)
KX65, Raptor 80, KTM 50, PW50 (KIDS)
MANX "Bandit Buggy" (OURS)
08 246 SSI Chapperal
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Badhabt
Puyallup, WA
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Joined: 09/06/2005
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For easy riding, easy maintenance, look at the Yamaha Wolverine 450. Fully automatic, 2 or 4wd at the push of a button. Weighs only 419 pounds, narrow - only 43 inches wide. Water cooled 421cc, shaft drive. Its a blast. Really fun on the trails, not as bulky as the big utility quads so you can really maneuver well yes has floor boards/big fenders to keep you relatively dry. Still sporty looking for your kid and g/f. You might be a little tall...I'm 5'10 220 and have no problems. Climbs over rocks fairly well even though it doesnt have a front diff lock. I have a raptor for my sand fix but for trails the Wolverines are real fun. Gets around in 2wd with with ease, slides nicely and if it gets real sloppy/muddy just push the "easy" button for 4wd. Gets around the sand ok, just avoid the big stuff (thats why I still have the Raptor). I got my 07 special edition new for 5K out the door. Not the fastest, but lots of fun.
06 F350 4X4 Crew Cab Dually Tow Boss
07 Raptor 3612DS
92 Banshee - sons now
06 YZF450 50th Anniv Edition - sons too
06 Raptor 700R 50th Anniv Edition - mine
06 Wolverine 450 - wifes
07 Wolverine 450 SE - my other toy
04 YZ250F - spoiled sons newest toy
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albizia
Orange County California
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I don't like narrow when it comes to quads. On our Banchee & blaster I widened them by 4" axcel & a-arms and added elka shocks as well. Especially for jumps and large dunes. Blaster got rid of the oil injection and the Banchee put traditional carb tops for easy mant. No batteries to deal with just kick and go. As for automatic when my son was 7 he mastered the clutch and gears fast. Even my daughter did at 10 no problem.
For SoCA I would stick to sport quads for sure. We don't really have any close areas to ride utility type anyway. If your going to go up to the forest I would only take bikes anyway due to the narrow trails. All the good quad areas are sand dunes or washes, unless you are just going to ride fire roads, then you need a plate because a lot of these are considered roads and trust me they will let you know.
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Badhabt
Puyallup, WA
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Yea...but for people starting out do you want to jump right into bikes with kickstarters and mixing fuel? Hey, I got a BanShee, my kid started on a blaster (no injection yada yada too). You got to be ready on a 2 stroke for when the pipe hits...so for beginners it would be easier to go 4 stroke with an electric start that you can lug around in any gear just about. Just my opinion otherwise it could ruin the fun DEPENDING on the person. Believe me, on trails the last thing you want is a wider front end i.e. tree roots.. but wider is great for the track or dunes.
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3Guner
SoCal
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Joined: 09/24/2007
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My wife and I ride Polaris Sportsman 800's. The xtra power is nice, as is the 4X4. Gets the boss out of trouble when she stops on steep trails as she is not always as aggresive as she should be. Always get 70 miles a tank, and have gotten as much as 85 before. When my son-in-law and I ride together have had mine up to 65mph in a sand wash on a slight down hill. A lot more nimble than they look...
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GMC Dmax
Snohomish, WA
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Joined: 06/07/2008
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For sporting uses including dunes I would look at these machines:
You: Raptor 700R or Suzuki Z400 (the new ones have EFI, very nice)
Son and GF: Raptor 250 (if you think they can learn to use a clutch), or Honda TRX250 with the SportClutch. Acts like a clutch when you pull it in, but won't stall if you don't use it. Slick.
For rougher trails or more laid back riding:
You: Grizzly 700 or 550, KingQuad 700 or 450, Honda Rincon 680
GF: Same as above
Son: This is a little tougher. The Wolverines would be a good bet, depending on how strong he is, as they are lighter than a full size utility quad.
I have the Raptor 700 and the Grizzly 700. I can't say enough good things about either, and each excels at what it does.
For fast trails and dunes, the Raptor is awesome. The 450's are faster in most circumstances, but they ride a bit rougher and have narrow power bands; you've got to be on the ball to ride them right. The Raptor is much more forgiving. It won't rail corners like a 450, but it will pull hard from any RPM and offers a smoother ride. There are tons of parts for them too.
The Grizzly 700 is unbeatable on nasty, rough trails. The power steering is a game changer, and I'll bet it's on half of the utility ATVs sold within 5 years. It's that good. It takes out the hard hits when you catch a root or rock and it makes all day riding a breeze. The engine on the Grizzly may not have the huge power of the others like the Brute Force or the Can-Am but it's plenty quick. The suspension and steering are awesome too. It also has a locking front diff that makes riding in rough terrain even easier. It's also much lighter than others, about 600 lbs dry. Some of the other utility quads are over 700 lbs.
A few things I've found I really like:
Electronic Fuel Injection: Makes cold starting easy, and adapts to different altitudes and temps. I won't buy a quad without it.
Skid plates: Whatever machine you get, buy skid plates before the tires touch dirt. I have full skids and they've paid for themselves 10 times over.
Spare wheels/tires: Ask a local dealer if he has factory take-offs he wants to get rid of. Lots of dealers offer wheel and tire packages on showroom models, and keep the factory tires and wheels they take off. I bought a full set of wheels and tires off a Kawasaki BruteForce for $150. Nothing will ruin a trip faster than a lack of spare tires. Utilty wheels also take a beating, so having a spare wheel is nice too.
Helmets: I shouldn't have to mention this, but wear a helmet. Period. I also wear gloves to protect my hands from branches and rocks. I've bashed my chest on the handle bars enough to wear a chest protector too. My friend was saved from an ER visit (or worse) twice this past summer because of his chest protector. Good boots should be on the list too.
Enjoy!
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albizia
Orange County California
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Joined: 08/01/2002
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What ever Quad or bike you ride know it well and know your limits.
Always put safety first.
On our rides slow or fast everyone has the following no matter what: Helmet (DOT/SNELL), gloves, boots, knee braces (not pads), leatt brace, roost protector, elbow pads, gogels, kidney belt, pack with water, co2, first aid stuff and toilet paper, cell phone, MAP and an adult takes a pistol legaly and a GPS.
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