What ATV would haul me?

[amad]

I am considering getting an ATV for my wife (and me to use). I am 6'2" and about 215 pounds. Would a 200cc ATV haul me around some trails OK? My 200cc Lifan GY-5 dual purpose does fine. What I don't want to do is buy one and then look like a giant on a kid's ATV. Also is Komoto a good brand? Thanks

[ambassador]

Saw this on E-bay, may be what your looking for, I'd loose the gear indicator thing.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-2...QQcmdZViewItem

[Ferrit]

Roketa has a nice 250 sport type ATV. See your local dealer!

[ejcycles]

Don't buy it...It's a regular 200cc engine with a 4 speed & reverse. The company making the engines put the reverse gear where 1st should have been. The engines are very sluggish due to this until you get to higher speeds. I have seen this on a brand called Cobra, and the quads are no larger that a Redcat MPX-110. No parts are available for them either. Roketa quads have no parts either. You'll want to buy a Kymco, Redcat, American Lifan, Mountaineer or Linhai/Yamaha.

Bruce

[culcune]

Bruce, what about Jetmoto? Were they represented at Indy? They seem to have decent products and parts, but not sure about them lately.

[RPM]

This has a lot to do with what type of ATV you are after. Sport or Utility?
Automatic, being your wife will be sharing?

Redcat has a great full size DPX-150 with true CVT automatic transmission with reverse and front/rear racks that does a great job if you are looking for something to do the job with the least amount of money. There is also the DPX-250 which is water cooled, drive shaft and a lot heavier unit. I am 250lbs. and they both do a great job with me.

Mountaineer is another impressive choice. I haven't heard of any complaints from these at all. Trying my best to become a dealer for their stuff myself.

If you are looking for something to last, stick with the names that Bruce mentioned. From experience, I can say parts are not as much an issue as the Roketa usually has. There are tons of new stuff about to hit the market in the ATV industry, judging from the stuff that was at the Expo. Be carefull and make sure that there is a parts chain attched to the unit you decide on.

Bruce and I have done a lot of research on this subject, so if you want, I am sure Bruce or myself will be happy to give a straight and honest opinion of the models that you are looking at.

[amad]

Does manual shift have any more power feel than an automatic? My wife can ride a manual, she rides a motorcycle. I like the look of the utility atv better...just looks beefier. I want something that looks big enough for me, has decent quality, and enough power to get through some mucky mud. But I don't want to pay too much either...probably less than $1500. How much would that Redcat DPX 150 be? Is it a big fullsize? Would a 150 pull me up good hills? Also, how much would a Mountaineer be? Are redcat and mountaineer Chinese or what? Any ideas? Thanks for your help.

[RPM]

The DPX-150 is a Qingqi unit. They have a lot of good product that they manufacture and their quality and parts is very good. Retail is $1999, but you may come out better if you visit a dealer close by. I don't think you will ever get one for $1500, but I do know they are good and worth the money.

I actually have one that I use around the shop and use it to pull a 5X8 trailer, so to answer your question, it does the job remarkably well for a 150cc engine. This unit is also made with a Suzuki cloned 200cc manual trans. w/clutch if you want a little more engine and like to shift, but it will cost about 3 hundred more. The 200 will give you more control over the power output and is faster, but I still prefer the CVT and the 150 for all purpose work and ride around my place.

Tank makes one called the Scout250U that is nice and although I haven't personally looked at one myself, dealers tell me that they are one of the best they have sold and just about "bullet-proof". These sell around $2600 on the retail side.

I don't know the prices of the Mountaineer just yet. I know they are known to pretty much "bullet-proof", also, from other dealers that I have talked to. I have seen the 260cc retail in the $3000. bracket with $500 more for the 4X4 version. They are a bit pricier, but built pretty tough.

[amad]

What is the difference between a sport atv and a utility atv? If they are both 250cc, is one better for fun offroading than the other, or is it just that the utility one can carry more cargo on the racks?

[RPM]

That's pretty much it. Some folks opt to remove the racks from the DPX-150 to give it a more sport look. Many times, however, the sport ATV will come with longer suspension for more travel. In the Chinese units, some will pretty much be the same unit, just different plastic.

[amad]

Thanks. I probably prefer the looks of the utility, but it costs about $300 more for a utility over a sport for the Komoto 250cc. I know you guys said Komoto may not be the greatest. I'm looking for something to just play with and see if I like 4-wheeling. Any pros or cons on the Komoto?

[ambassador]

Amad, for those prices, you may want to look into something used, maybe one of the "big 4" I'm sure you will find something as good and worthy for alot less...

Sorry RPM and EJ not trying to take away from your business but there are a bunch of used quads out there that are going down in price cause of the China industry... The China Quad market seems to be over saturated here in FLA, you see them everywhere 50-150cc quads, low price, cheap quality and consumers that don't know any better... Alot of people are just un-educated about quads, get them for their kids and don't realize what happens when they break (NO PARTS)..Sorry, don't mean to run on but I'm glad there are people like you guys out there to educate and inform us.. I do however think China is going to take over the quad market in a short time with their 50-100cc chainsaw engines, old school technology, just for the amount of product out there...will see...

[culcune]

Amad, I think RPM hit the nail on the head with a 150cc. My neighbors passed a 90cc Honda ATV to their daughter. I think it is an early 1990's model or late 1980's model.

We have become good friends with our neighbors, and we often are invited to their family's barbeques and parties out in the "county" area. Our neighbor's (the wife's) parents live on a 2.5 acre rectangular lot, and her sister and brother in law live on an adjoining 2.5 acre lot. They take their daughter's and son's ATVs to the property when a party is thrown. I, myself, have ridden the 90cc quad. I am shorter, at 5'7" than many of you, but do weigh 180 pounds. While I don't try to imitate those wild ATV video games, I did push the bike somewhat. There are lots of bumps and such, and I figure the bike would haul me around on trails just fine.

Yes it is a Honda, but it is only 90cc, and in spite of the horsepower handicap of Chinese bikes, I couldn't imagine an unmodified Honda 90cc putting out more horses than a Redcat 150. Especially a 250cc (Of course, correct me if I am wrong Bruce or Tom, or anyone for that matter). I would think that a full size 150cc or 250, used for trail riding with the occasional speed passes, would suit you just fine for your intended purpose. In fact, based on what you intend to do with the bike, I think one of these 150's (or 250's) would give you more than you expect for the money. Just listen to Bruce or Tom--yes they are dealers, but they aren't "salesmen" in the sense of smoke and mirrors tactics of "Earl's Used Cars" or similar. The only hesitation I would have in buying a bike from either of them is the fact that they are about 1000+ miles from me, I don't have a truck to pick up a bike, nor the money for a bike (right now), or for gas for a truck (plus the fore-mentioned lack of a truck!) However, now that my financial situation is improving, either by moving to Vegas, or working more hours at my second job, I am tempted to look into trying to put enough down to buy one of those United Motors beauties. I know that the high end German carmakers let you buy a car at your local dealer and pick it up in Germany to drive for a few weeks before shipping it back to the states. Why not buy UM from Bruce, fly out to Ohio, and ride it back to Arizona (or Nevada)? As I would like to support Tom as well, I think one of those Lifan GY-5's should make the trip from Miss. to Arizona as well. No, it's not as exotic as buying a Porche and driving it on the Autobahn, but it's exotic enough for me to think and dream about , on my low budget

[RPM]

Amad, what city in TN are you located? The Redcat website, www.redcatmotors.com , has a link for dealers using the zipcode in your area in case you want to call or check these out yourself.

Kazuma also makes a Dingo using the same 150 engine, pretty durable, but just plain ugly in my book.

The Chinese have completely saturated the kids market on ATVs for sure and are now working on the adult models. Like I said in an earlier post, from what I saw at the Expo, there's a lot of new stuff about to hit the market in the US. Some of it it rather impressive, but again ... parts, parts and parts! If I am not familiar with the name by now, they have a lot of convincing to do. Time will tell.

[amad]

Hey, I ended up getting an atv. I didn't go Chinese, though...sorry. I did get something that will definitely haul me. I got a Polaris Sportsman 700cc. It's got gobs of power. Anyway, Lifans still rock!