mini quads

[smokinwrench]

My boys LT80 broke down today and I'm tired of it breaking down everytiem he's gonna race.

My question is what is the best 80-90cc quad out right now. We ride lots of sand, so the more power the better. Something with good suspension also.

[x.system]

http://www.cobramotorcycle.com/v2_quad.asp

[smokinwrench]

That looks great but to rich for my blood.

I'm wondering about the raptor 80 and trx90. I think both of those are 4 stroke, 4 speed quads. I just wonder if the 4 stroke will run as fast as the 2 strokes.

[42F67N]

Right now * have about the best kids mini quad out there in my opinion my kid has one and its problem free,i know there also a market for the lil dinli there suppose to be decent lil quads to mod out for racing.

i love yamaha but id stay away from the raptor 80 it has a solid axle front end,and ive been told the honda is slow in comparasion to the rest of the mini in its class

[Blown 331]

http://www.cobramotorcycle.com/v2_quad.asp

Wow, that thing looks insane.

[thefox]

Wow, that thing looks insane.

It better for 8 grand! I wouldn't even spend that much on a full size quad for myself.

[350Xhilaration]

You've got one of the best already. Do not go with the Moto4, I mean the Raptor 80.
www.atvconnection.com look up lt80. he's the man.

[RedRider_AK]

I wouldn't say that the LT80 is the best thing around... it's kinda old and not very powerful unless you're ready to drop a fistful of dollars...

The Cobra isn't exactly the cheapest. Ok, it's the most expensive mini ever, but it offers the best performance for the money.

Personally, I think that E-Ton's Viper is the best mini quad. Yes, it's an automatic and yes it's not made by a famous company, but it can roost like hell and has plenty of power. Plus, it's less expensive than the Raptor 80.

[smokinwrench]

I wouldn't say that the LT80 is the best thing around... it's kinda old and not very powerful unless you're ready to drop a fistful of dollars....

Where did you get that info? I say you have no clue what your talking about!

I just went to and looked at quads tonight. The dealer I went to sells yamaha, honda, kawi. He thinks best bang for the buck is the LT80 as far as power and easiness to ride.

I'm not impressed with the solid front axle on the raptor 80.

Etons are expensive, from what I've seen of them run they do seem powerful.

[Preddy05]

http://www.cobramotorcycle.com/v2_quad.asp

I wanna pipe like the one on that for my zinger! lol that bike is sweet looking but i can't say that about the price.

[MTS]

I have rode the Raptor 80 and the LT 80...the LT is far suprior in power and handling...the raptor 80 is just ...underpowerd and oversized for an 80....

[42F67N]

Go to a kids mx race and ull see what mini quads dominate lt80s and dinli min quads * can see some bad azz dinlis at this site

http://www.maximumrpm.com/pics/new_g.../gallery.html#

[brapp]

when i worked at east coast, we built a little eton50 that scared the hell outta me!, and with a 4 year old as a pilot i seen him run the 300foot drags, he cleaned house against balsters and the polaris trailblazers that were piped and modded, and we only used a 70 big bore to it! and it flew liek 40+mph

[Mr. Sandman]

My sons have a Raptor 80 and a Kawasaki KFX 50. Both have been ridin hard and are proving to be great little quads. Sure, the design of them hasn't changed in years and they don't have the most up to date suspension, etc. but they serve their purpose for us. Granted, my boys don't race and there are a ton of mini's out there that you can pick up for a lot less money, and modify for racing, but my reasoning for buying these two is that the Japanese minis are much more reliable and will have parts available for years. The Chinese and Taiwanese minis may run good now but will they be around 5 or 10 years from now? Remember the Yugo? Just my $.02.

[TimSr]

I’ve had plenty of experience with several of these.

First you're dealing with two stroke CVT machines vs. 4 stroke manual trannys (w/ autoclutch). CVT’s are great when dry, but when you get into water crossings and deep mud they perform poorly. Also, when you are dealing with steep downhills on quads with poor braking systems, the manual trannys will give you some engine braking. The CVT models will coast, and roll freely, and we had a near disaster once when TimJr's first E-Ton once got away from him on a downhill. Both types will roll backwards in an unsuccessful hillclimb. For sand riding, either type would be fine, but if you were looking at a Midwestern woods and trail machine, Id pass on the CVT types. None of these have very good stock supension.

First the LT80 is good proven quad, but is outdated, and is also a royal pain to work on. Something as simple as changing the plug in the field can be a pain. They are a two stroke with a CVT tranny, which can be easily beefed up, but the basic motor design doesnt hold up well to high power modifications. Also its outdated suspension setup with staggered a-arms and swingarm placement have very limited capability. As a stocker for the kids, they are a decent machine, and probably be fine for dry sand riding, but for a more serious rider or racer, its not a good model to work with.

The Taiwanese two stroke mini quads flooded the market around 2000. These include the E-Ton, Sundiro, DRR, Alpha, Dinli, Blazer, Kasea, POLARIS, and probably a dozen other names. They are all pretty much the same machines with minor variations. Most of the parts are interchangeable, and there are tons and tons of aftermarket parts available all over the place for these. These quads are mild in their stock form, but a pipe and some matching variator rollers wake them up big time. They are modifiable up to the point that they could be competitive with stock Blasters. There are tons of suspension modifications. These use a single a-arm in the front, and have a CVT tranny. These dominate the mini quad MX classes by far. They would make great sand quads, and be my first choice for that, but again, if you are thinking of mud, water, and hills, they are not a great choice. Also the airbox location makes about 3” of water the limit. On steep sand downhills they are fine as sand doesnt require much braking power. Also, most of these have hand brakes, front and rear with no foot pedal. This is big problem for smaller kids who don’t have the hand strength for cable operated brakes where there are big downhills.

The TRX90 is an all around great machine. 4 stroke, 4 speed manual tranny w/ autoclutch. They handle about anything well, and can be competitive with the Taiwanese quads on the MX track, and many of them do compete there. The motor has more limitations, but everything can be setup to be a good competitor on the track. They do fine in sand as well. The bad news is that they are priced accordingly. They run about double the price of a Taiwan model, and about $1000 more than the Raptor 80. Ive never had one, but am very familiar with them.

When I first saw the front suspension on a Raptor 80, I assumed it was horrible. Then TimJr won one in a raffle. This has turned out to be the most awesome trail mini-quad imaginable. They are bullet proof, and suffer through the most incredible abuse. Ive watched it chug through water that my TriZ drowned in. Ive seen it pull him up any hill he aims it at, and hes well over 100lbs now. I cant say enough good about it. Its not nearly as quick as the E-Ton, but has a higher top speed. It would easily take the E-Ton in a tractor pull! It’s a 3 speed manual tranny w/ autoclutch. Its shaft drive, and near maintenance free. While it doesn’t suck up bumps as well as an a-arm system, Ive found it less prone to tipping over in off camber. Its got a long wheelbase, so its not prone to flipping over when climbing. If you want something that may not be particularly quick but will get through anything, Id buy a Raptor in an heartbeat. Ask the guys who rode with him at Wellsville!