I am going to be purchasing a new dirt bike here in the next few weeks and also want to purchase my girlfriend a new quad. She has no ATV riding experience and I am trying to find the right size to start her on but big enough that she won't "outgrow" it once she gets better on it. I was looking at a Honda 300EX but alot of people are telling me they are pretty weak when it comes to power, would a 400cc 4 stroke be too much for her to handle? Thanks for the assitance.

 

I guess it all depends on what you want her to be able to do with the ATV you get. I have a Suzuki 250 4x4, and while it won't hang with a 650, it has enough power for what I need. To give you an idea what it will do: with just me on it, it tops out at about 42mph. Add another person and it tops out at 32mph. As far as working with a load - I can easily move my 10' popup (~1700lbs) around the yard with it, and have pulled cars out of my ditch with it. In mud, I haven't had any problems either. On a goose hunting trip I had me, a buddy, all of our gear, and about 4 dozen decoys loaded and pulled through a flooded wheat field with a mud base about 6" deep. Like I said - it won't run with the big dogs, but it gets me where I need to be. However, best advice I can give you is to take her to some dealers and have her test several out.

 

I would go with the 400. It's a quad she can grow into.
It's also an easy quad to ride for extended periods of time.
I know 4 or 5 women who have 400E's. They all swear its
the most comfortable quad they've ever ridden. IMO, its a
comfortable fit for females. It's not as big as the Raptor or
Bombadier, but it's also not as small as a Blaster or 300E.
Bottom line, a 400E is not too much quad for her. No way.

P.S. I wouldn't just dismiss the 300E just because of what
someone said, especially if it's a guy. What a guy thinks
is weak, is not the same as what a girl thinks is weak. If
you think you might want to ride that quad at some point,
that's just a little extra incentive to get the 400 instead
of the 300 though.

Thanks for posting an ATV question. It's rare here. It
drives me crazy because I'm an ATV looney. If I could
ride it to work, I'd be in Heaven!

 

If you're not stuck on the Honda, you might give Polaris a try. The Trail Blazer is an excellent entry-level ATV that's very easy to ride. It's a CVT (automatic) two-stroke 250 two-wheel drive that's pretty peppy out of the box. With a few mods it can be made into a real screamer. It's not as fast as the real sport ATV's, but is very entertaining for most beginners. Pricewise, the MSRP is about $3399 but with the new '03 models coming out, you should be able to find one for less.

If you have to have four-wheel drive or four stroke, the best bet would be the Magnum 325 ('02 models) or the Magnum 330 ('03 models) four strokes. These can be had in either two wheel or four wheel drive and are utility models with CVT. They will top out around 42 - 45 mph, so they aren't likely to scare the daylights out of a novice. I think the price is around $4200 and $5200 respectively.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Hondas. They're great ATV's, and well worth the money. I've ridden both and believe the Polaris ATV's are the easier to ride. I currently ride an '02 Polaris 500 RMK (Rocky Mountain King) All-Wheel Drive. Great ride, loads of torque, nearly unstoppable in the rocks and hills.

Whatever you choose, good luck!

John

 

How about a yamaha warrior 350? plenty of power so she wont outgrow it, but not quite as much as a 400ex, so she wont kill herself.

 

Although not of the female persuasion, I am also thinking of buying a four-wheeler. I use to have a Kawasaki Tecate... ran like a bat-out-of-hell with a few mods. Not really my speed anymore. I swear that two-stroker Tecate had two speeds: stop and crazy

I want something that strikes a balance between speed, torque, versatility and price.

Anyway, sorry to but in on your topic SVT. Any info, advise, links etc. you guys (or gals) could provide would be appreciated.

 

I would have to agree with the Polaris 250 Trailblazer. I ride a Honda CR500 dirtbike, and have been considering a quad as a second ATV. Two days ago I was at our local track/trail spot, and a guy I know showed up on his new, stock 2002 Trailblazer 250. It was nice, 2 stroke oil injected and not to loud. I thought it had plenty of power for just playing around. I also kind of liked the idea of the automatic (because my wife would be more interested in learning to ride it then). The best thing I noticed was it had a bigger than ussual frame for a 250cc. Most smaller cc quads have smaller frames making it hard to stear, but this one was nice for us in the 6'2", over 200lb range, I liked it. If it was for me, I checked and noticed they made a 400cc too, I would probably consider that one instead, but for now I will stick with the CR.

 

i had the polaris trailblazer. great quad to start out on. has plenty of zip but it's won't toss you off without reason. it manages to jump just not as beautifully as others
remember getting a quad for the girlfriend, if she isn't scared to death on it and it's easy to ride then she'll be much more likely to want to ride with you.
ask any teenager and they'll tell you the 400 honda is f%^$#n awesome. another words it's fast, fun, and will loft the front end with no regard for sanity. may not be what the g/f is looking for.
if she is not afraid of power and able to control herself with it then the 400 might not be a bad choice, but for something that's easy for her to ride and handle without worrying about not givin' it too much i'd go polaris.

 

Thanks for the replies. I think for now I will just stick with the Honda 300EX since I can get it and my new bike at the same place at the same time and they will give me a good deal. I am pretty sure she can deal with the clutch, and if not she can learn quickly! Just kidding, I know better than that. She wants something that will span from a beginner to a intermediate so she won't outgrow it and be bored on it. Now all I need is a trailer to haul one of them on I will be set. Thanks again.

 

Let us know how she likes it!

 

hey svt: did you get the bike and quad yet?
are you still looking for a trailer? i've decided to sell mine so i can get a 2 place sled trailer. let me know if you're interested.

 

I think you are on the right track with the 300EX. Something no one has brought up is reverse. The 300EX and the Warrior have it. The 400EX does not. Even though, from what I've read, the 300's reverse is kinda hard to use, it will save you lots of trouble. Honda is the best quality off-road product.

 

my opnion, but her a 100cc beast. Guys love buying toys, and that will be the excuse "It is for you honey"

 

i would definately stick with a 4 stroke. that way she can still putt around on it and you wont have to worry about her fowling the plugs.

my $.02 ...chris