What would you reccomend
he has a breeze 125 now wants something faster and that shifts

would a warrior be to big
i want something he can grow into and don't want to buy a new bike every year

Thanks

A BIKE THAT WILL LAST HIM A FEW YEARS AND IS RELIABLE IS A HONDA 250EX
HE WILL GROW INTO IT AND THEN HE CAN GET THE FASTER BIKES

A Warrior or a Blaster would be good. We have alot of kids that age in our camp, and the preferred bike is the blaster, though sometimes they have difficulty starting the darned things! Blasters need to constantly be shifted while duning though and acouple of them have not yet figured this out, they would be better off on a 4-stroke. My $.02

I'll second the 250EX. I just picked one up for my 10 year old. It is a good bike for them to learn how to shift. No clutch, but it will gve them an idea of the gears. I have one for my daughter, once she learned how to shift on the 250 EX, it became easier for her to use the clutch on my 400EX.

You can get them for about $3700 OTD at LA Cycle Sport

Perry

While I agree the 250EX is a good bike, there is just not that much room for growth on the bike. I guess it depends on the kid. The kids we ride with are more aggressive, have ridden for a while, and already have the Blasters modded, where other 10 yr olds may not be ready for that for quite some time. More$.02, probably all it's worth anyway.

Doesn't Honda make a 300ex or something around that size??

i like the z250 we have.

Honduh's 300EX is, according to many (no personal experience) even more gutless than their 250EX. I think one of the new WarrioRaptors (thumper 350) would give plenty of room to grow for 3-4 years...

I have an '01 Warrior for sale, it does have a throttle governor to keep the speeds down, I can send you pics if you like, I am asking $2500, registration is paid, let me know, comes with knobbies and paddles, its in the for sale section on this board

Ian,
the one you have for sale is the reason i posted this question


i was also comparing to the (dont't laugh) polarises......with the auto trans i mught get the wife on it also

I just picked up a 300ex for my 11 year old daughter. She loves it, and no problems handling it. On her 2nd ride on the quad, she was able to follow the buggies thru the dunes to the drags and back.

I am going to be at gordons this weekend, wasnt planning on bringing it, but if you are going to be in the neighborhood, I can bring it and you are welcome to take a test ride, please let me know by this evening so I have time to pack it if need be.

Thanks.

Little Blue Buggy, I tried responding to your PM but it wouldnt send,
Anyway let me know if and when you want to check it out, I was going to store it in our trailer with my other bikes after this weekend. but I can leave it out if you would like. I am in the process of moving, so at the end of next week I will be living in Ramona, but the warrior will still be in El Cajon for awhile. (we are renting a house while our is up for sale). Just let me know so I can plan a little ahead, Thanks again. Ian

The pm's worked you prob got a few from me as i thought they did not go through either

I can stop on my way home almost anyday after work usually around 4:30

Warrior fo sho!

Whatever is clever for you, the eariler in the week the better for me, here is a couple pics, taken today

another with lights, has blue covers. wired to stock switch

rear view, with paddles

I would suggest the 300EX, it is a solid bike and can even carry me throught the dunes

Thats a screamin' deal for the warrior, but for a 10 yr old it may be a bit much. I refering to the weight of it. Thats a heavy bike for a kid to muscle around and if it gets squirrley over whoops or something it might be hard for a young kid to handle. It would be great for the wife or an experienced 14yr old. If their experience is limited, then I'd go with the 250ex, if a little more advanced, then a stock 400ex might be worth looking at if the kid has the size for it. I know that the 400ex and the warrior are similar in physical size, but the warrior is what, about 80-100lb heavier right? Its the weight of the quads that I'm speaking of for a youngster. I bought my 12yr old daughter a 250ex last year and its a sweet bike for a kid. However, she can handle the Z400 I have OK also. Go by the childs experience and size.

I have a blaster, that needs to sell, great condition, will be at buttercup this saturday

The weight of a warrior is 397 and the honda 400 is 375, so that really isnt much, the warrior is a tamer version of the honda, off the line it is about the same, but going uphill the extra 50cc's the honda pulls it faster, I have had various ages and sizes ride the quad, and they all seemed to do fine. if you are worried about the bike getting squirly over whoops and what not, turn the governor in so it cant go as fast, then when they are used to the power, crank it up a notch...if I didnt think it was a decent bike I wouldnt be trying to sell it. and I think that this bike would last until they are about 14 or 15, depending on factors like riding ability, size, etc...

Please don't think I was slammin' your ride, that wasn't my intent at all. If the kid can handle it and has the experience then that price is a really good deal. Some 10yr olds are a lot bigger and stronger physically than others and can handle a larger, heavier bike fine. For a smaller sized kid though, a 250EX is tough to beat. Don't sweat it, you'll sell it easy.

I didnt think you were trying to slam my warrior, but you brought up a good point about the weight, and I just wanted to double check and then realized the weights were not that different. You are very right about kids sizes and abilities, there are so many differences at that age what works for one 8 yr old may not work for a 12 yr old. Everything is relative and that is the parents job to make the most informative decesion, I was just trying to feed him all the info I possibly could, I do not want to try to sell something to anyone who does not feel they can handle it. Off subject but I have had friends buy their first streetbike and people will try and sell anything "I know you just got your motorcycle liscense, we have this 180hp GSXR-1000 on sale, you can handle it" NOT 2 weeks later the poor guy is in the hospital...Dont know if this really happened, but I dont want the same situation with a quad, know what I mean??? Just trying to do the right thing. I think.

Well one difference to consider would be the front end weight. I ride a 98 Warrior and find that the front end can get heavy (and I am no wimpy girl). I find the front end on my brothers z400 is way lighter. Makes for a very different ride. I would not put an inexperienced youngster on a warrior. But an automatic for a new rider would be the ticket.

I am going to get my 11 year old daughter an automatic. My 10 year old son, on the other hand, loves to shift and fly. I have him on a older honda 200. He is doing great and this keeps him some what in check.

Good luck on your decision. But I can tell you, your stomache will give you one to think about when you see your kid fly. Both of my youngest have gone off the 50 (weird, but true), fortunately with no damage. Now they both do better on something that they have to respect because it is bigger than they are..

Ps I love my Warrior, but when I don't want to muscle the front end around anymore I am going to a Z400 (no 450 for me - I cant keep the front end on the ground )

You think the front end on a Warrior is heavy? Next time try a DS650!