Kids' quad?

[96xr400]

i'm thinking about getting the kids a quad, browsing and seeing you can get a 10yr old Suzi LT50 or brand new electric start chinese import for similar money - any comments on the better way to go?
does anyone have a chinese import/comment reliablity/get parts. thanks
toddler/preschoolers will use quad on beach or flat field, no mx'ing or strenuous use
thanks

[Rupe]

Would you lose less money on the resale of a suzuki quad than a chinese when they out grow/get bored of it? Also don't know how heavy they are but they tend to roll over on the rider. You must of noticed how easily the littlens seem to handle bikes up woodhill, how old is the kid?

[chop]

We have a chinese 50cc quad for our girl and she loves it the motor is a copy of a honda motor and is electric start. Had a few teething issues with the remote imobiliser but once i "imobilised" the imobiliser its sorted! its been very reliable and the only probs other than that have been with her stacking it.

[FROSTY:Me]

The suzuki has been around since year dot and is fantasticly reliable and bullet proof.
IF YOURE LUCKY the "other" imports will be the same.
safety wise I prefer the imports from china for the simple reason that they have enclosed footrests so there is no chance of the bike riding over your kid.I like the remote kill and the easily flicked handlebar kill switch.They seem to be wider than the suzuki so a bit more stable.Also they have a 4 speed gearbox with aito clutch which means that you can put it into first and even if the lil bugger gets to full speed you can outrun them.
Being four stroke and lekkie start means no mess and easy to get going.
Resale wise the Suzuki is gonna be best. -They hold their value
Brakes wise--the susie has a hand operated rear brake where the chinese bikes have foot operated brakes-Juries out on that one but I think the foot brake is better due to the one limb one control idea.
I gotta say though that ANY quad isn't gonna be able to be ridden by a toddler--they dont have the strenth in their thumb to work the throttle. AND--they just dont have the motor skills to deal with them

Ok time to be REAL--for at least a year toddlers gonna be sat in front whilst dad rides-The suzuki seems to handle that pretty easily whereas the China imports have a tiny seat and the suspensioion dosnt handle adult weight
I thinkImpretty qualified to answer this question as Baby bikie had the suzie and now due to scumbag intrusion His little bro has the chinese one.
The chinese one is three years old -used to belong to a bike mechanic mate of mine-but he did say he went through three before finding this reliable one

If you wanna dude-gimme a PM and come see maddys quad

[FROSTY:Me]

Ohh guys --one accessory Maddys quad has fitted is a set of bark busters-BIG butty solid knuckle guards. Definitely a great idea--protecting the knuckles in any bush encounters AND if the quad tumbles over instead of the bar end stabbing the kid theres a big rounded area

[chris]

Aeon brand isn't too bad. Worth a look.

[96xr400]

thanks for replies i will investigate some more

[Flight Engineer]

Thought I should throw my 5 cents in as the dad of a 3yr old who bought him a second hand LT50 when he was just over 2yrs. Pretty hopeful on my part I know but I figured if Tiger Woods could start golf at 3yrs what the heck, and worst case is I can still sell the suzy fro pretty much what I paid for it ($950 for a 2yr old hardly used quad). I have found that he is not that keen on riding by himself yet and is still developing a feel for how the brake/ throttle works. He does have the strength in his thumb to operate the throttle but it seems to be all or nothing. This is not so much of a problem if he is riding by himself as you can screw in the throttle limiter to pretty much nothing, but when you are sitting on behind him it makes for some interesting two up riding with "dad intervention" having to occur on a regular basis to save both him and me from some sore body parts.
One other thing I found with the LT50 is that with me sitting on it the front end is pretty light so steering takes some technique and when doing wheelies (without the 3yr old of course) its pretty easy to end up in a heap on your arse - which is kinda funny but still hurts a bit.

Bottom line is if I was buying a quad now I would still get the Suzy as you are gonna be selling it at some stage and the resale value (vs the Chinese makes) means you lose way less. Also spare parts are gonna be everywhere if you need them (also hop up bits and ways to get more power if you look on the web)

Dean