No two kids are alike but if you don't mind, I'll throw my 2 cents in. My 10 year old rides a 1997 380 E Touring. He can handle it pretty good but the boys worse than me. He jumps the thing constantly and has no problems keeping up with everyone else. He says "but dad it only goes 60" Again, the boy has no brains. Well the E Touring crapped out a couple weeks ago. I put him on a 500 MXZ and told him he BETTER NOT open it up because it will easi8ly do 100 mph. SO far he has yet to see over 40. He handles it well but I am more comfortable with him on the 500 because he's afraid of it.

 

Hello,

I am looking to buy my 12 year old son his first trail sled. He has a 1980 250cc Yamaha Enticer. And has had my daughters 1986 340cc Excel III out on the trails. But I don't think the Enticer is a good trail sled for him. I plan to get the replacement end of this season and give it to him when he graduates 5th grade this spring. He is NOT currently an agressive rider! So, do I buy him something bigger so as he ages he can grow on the same sled? Or do I get something small and wait till he says it is to slow?

Any lessons learned or advice is appreciated.

One last thing - IT HAS TO BE A SKI-DOO!!

As I see it you should be looking at a rev with either a 380 fan motor or a 55o fan motor. The 380 gets great fuel economy and will run 60 +/- MPH with a kid on it. They are more hard to find though.
550 is a very durable motor and runs faster at 75+/- MPH.

Thanks everyone,[sup][/sup]

 

I am going through the same thing, my son is currently riding an 89 Yamaha Ovation 340, the motor is a perfect size for him, the problem is there is no suspension. I am planning on getting a ZX chasis with the 380 fan in it, I have seen some around my area in the $2500 range that look to be in really good condition.

 

I have a 500 fan my brothers boy would be riding this year, if we had enough snow. Another option is a phaser, I believe it is a 540, very light and controllable.

 

Where are you out of? I am willing to sell a 1999 MXZ 440 that my GF used this season briefly. Time to get into the REV chassis for her. It is for sale on the Sled Classified...

 

i have a 12yr old thats been hitting the trails with us this year on an mxz 500 (2000) and he's been doing awesome. he looks perfect on it, fits him well.

 

Like any sled, you can gear it down to slow him down. Just because a sled does 80 stock doesn't mean you can't gear it to do 60.

$$ is the main thing, so what's the budget?

I put my kids on a phazer II 485 fan at the age of 8 and it worked great. Now that I ride all mountains, the phazer power just doesn't cut it at 10K ft.

What type of riding? All trails = 121" or 136". Off trail = 136" or 146" Deep snow = 146" for a kid.

Now that my kids are 11 and 14, I opted for the 600 etec. The throttle pull is a HUGE factor for young riders. "What ever sled you decide to get, make sure the throttle pull is smooth and easy. Most kids will end up using their hand to push the throttle if the pull is too hard. It's called the "death grip". Make sure they can push the throttle easily with their thumb.

The 600 etec throttle pull is amazing and light. Again we ride at elevation, so the 600 feels like a 500 at best.

Smooth clutching is important for a young rider as well. A 440 REV would not be a good choice for a beginner without doing some serious "de-tuning" of the clutches. The 440 REV stock will pull as hard as an 800 up to 60 mph.

So many factors that you really need to find what is in your budget and have him ride it.....before you buy it if possible.

A 550 fan MXZ REV would be a nice sled if you can find one in good shape. If he's a big kid and can handle the extra power, the 600 sdi is a ride that he can grow into and still enjoy for many years.

 

rev 500ss might be over kill now so a 500 liquid in the zx as stated above or even a S chassis mzx in the 500. if you can find 1 in good shape the formula 500 was a great starter sled and they are cheep now. also the 503 fan is a heck of a sled too!!!!

 

500ss is way overkill for a 12 y/o IMO. My 9 y/o rides (off trail) a 300 Freestyle and will probably ride that until he's 12-13. I would agree with any 340 Poo, 370 Cat, 380 or 550 REV. All would be good choices. My wife had a 340 Poo that was a great sled. Would run 55-60 with her on it and go days on a tank of fuel. Fan motors are great b/c you can ride them in low snow and when it's warm, less maintenance, cheaper, better power band.

 

Im gettin ready to buy my 14 y/o brother a zx chassis 500 mxz. I was going to get him a 440 fan, but wanted to get something a little snappier. A 500 l/c will keep him smiling for years

 

http://muskegon.craigslist.org/rvs/2816758379.html I have a 440 polaris for sale on craiglist $1500obo Was my sons first trail sled good condition and great runner.

 

Worked in the rental business for a season we had GTX 550 fans in the fleet, snappy enough but not over kill. As well we had the 500ss, which is really a 600 it's a very fast sled maybe too much power but you can grow into it or teach him to respect the power in that particular sled. As mentioned above the older Formula, MXZs or Legends are a good starter sled with between 500-600ccs

Let us know what you decide, I'm curious

 

I recently picked up an '02 mxz500 fan that my 12yr old daughter has been riding around the house and on the lake. She is still a beginner but has been doing real well with it. I like that the power delivery is fairly linear, no surprises. Plus she can putt around the yard without fear of overheating, which was happening on my liquid cooled.

 

zx chassis mxz 500 liquids are a great machine. But you can't go wrong with a zx fan or a rev 550 fan either

 

I have Rev 550 fan I am considering selling

My 13 year old son has gone to racing a 550f so I may sell his gsx
He loved ot

 

O7 550 FAN

 

If money is not a factor,,,there is no question he would fit perfectly an MXZ TNT with a 600 ace engine. It is surprisingly snappy and will get in the high 20`s MPG. Anyone who has not tried an XP chassis has no idea how much of an advantage it has over other machines. I have a 2007 500SS rev, 2009 mxz x 600 etec, and a 2012 MXZXRS 800 etec,, and I will probably never sit on the REV again,,, the XP chassis truly makes you a better rider, and can gobble up almost anything suspension wise,
and give you the ability to outperform many bigger sleds on tight twisties. Basically it is safer becasue you have so much more control. Test drive one and try to call me a liar. A 600 is way to powerful for any 12 year old,, and this xp-ace combo would carry him easily till 15, and make him a better driver along the way, preparing properly for a 100HP + machine when he turns 15 or 16. Dont rush the power,,Kids do crazy things when your back is turned and in front of friends. He will enjoy the handling so much,, the power wont matter so much,, I can still have an absolute blast on my 600 etec, cause nothing catches me on trails,,,but the 800RS,,,,well thats another story,,,

 

I've had both the 380 mxz and 500f mxz with e-start and RER in a zx chassis... To doo it all over again I would skip the 380 and just go with the 500f as the handling and feel is identical just more power which will allow you to keep it longer...

 

I got a 377 when I was 19.I could not wait to get something bigger,so as soon as I turned 35 a went and got a 500 liquid.Of course that was after buying 4 380's brand new and having a few used ones.We had a blast on those sleds 25 mpg ride it all day on tank of gas and going places every one on here say they would not go with a 600 shorty.

 

The boy is working hard to learn

Three years ago I bought this mxz 550f for my 13 years old he is now 16 and still enjoy it, of course he's asking to ride mine more often ahah. Anyway I think this is a very good machine for a youngster

 

an old citation late 80's early 90's model. sleds with fast throttle response and lots of top end are an outright bad idea for kids. "they are doing well" and "they can handle it" are dangerous assupmtions, some of those sleds are not elans, they go from 0 to tree in a millisecond, lots of kid deaths and injuries from parents putting the kids on sleds that they thought they can handle. Flame away, but better to be safe than sorry with a young kid on a motorized vehicle.

 

I totally agree, For now you should stick with the 250cc, like a citation ls, its a light and nimble sled. Now, if you wanted a sled that he could grow into, I'd suggest a safari/citation 377, that would be a great sled for him to enjoy through his teens.

 

I have not read all the posts but I started on 250 bravo and worked my way up!! From 250 to 440 is a good younger person sled not a racer but good low end and some speed!! not alot but a good step up!!

 

I purchased a 07 550 fan freestyle bc for my son. With that track package he can do some off trail with me too. Great little sled but is a wee bit hard on gas

 

My nephew has a 380 (550 maybe?) Freestyle. My wife drove it and she really thought it was a great lightweight machine. Plus it is a nice looking sled.

 

Kid can hurt themselves quit easily doing 60 and much easier at 100.

Somehow I don't think the horse power or top speed is an important as size and weight of machine. Not sure how big your 12 year old is, but before I let mine go out on the trail with the sled they need to be able to pull start the sled and be able to manhandle it to get it unstuck. I started mine out with the Bravo and it was a great sled for them to learn on. And they did. two years later aI traded in the Bravo for a Formula DLX 380F and 92 Skandic. They were also told that it is the last sled that they will ever get from Mom and Dad. Take care of them, learn to maintain them and save their money if they want to buy a new one. If they blow them up, sink them, write them off, they will no longer have a sled to drive. It's been 2 years and so far so good. The Skandic is a bit of a money pit but we are all learning from that machine.

 

If you wanna make your kid real strong, get him a 640 Nordic and tell him to go hit some drifts. He'll be able to bench press 300 before the sun goes down

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Now that is FUNNY!! Thanks, I got a good chucle out of that one.

 

I would consider a Freestyle 300, 440,or 550 fan, or a 380 fan in the S or ZX chassis.

If you want to purchase 1 and only 1 sled for a 12 year old that will last him quite a few years, look for a Freestyle 550 and gear it way down for the first couple years. Add a paddle track and wider skis and that should last him a good long while. I have ridden one with a longer paddle track and Pilot 6.9 skis and I am probably going to purchase one in the next few years for my son to ride, and I can use it as a "backup" sled as well.

 

Depending on the kid, i agree with rev 550 fan. I assume he will eclipse 100lbs over the next year. I would probably go with GSX, softer ride quality for a lighter rider. You can always put half a roll of tape behind the throttle as a governor.