Taotao ATVs?

[JTK]

Anyone have any experience with these, good, bad or indifferent? My kids have been through various hand-me-down, yard sale and loaner "Power Wheels" battery powered vehicles and the current 12V Jeep has seen better days in a big way. They're great, but don't do well on our hilly, rough acre and a half. In lieu of all that, I just mail-order 'layaway'd' one of these Chonda specials for the kids to bomb around the yard with. I realize the quality will not be name brand, but the problem in my area is a kid's Polaris, Honda or otherwise ATV will run you $1000 for a 4-5yr old one. If I get a year or 3 out of this one and it's still salvageable, I could still recoup a few hundred. Time to enhance my first-aid kit... good thing EMS is right around the corner!

http://www.budgetatvs.com/atvs.cfm

Joel

 

[Zaedock]

I had to replace pretty much every rubber hose on my oldest's old 90cc ATV. It's a Yerf Dog. The thing runs OK, but the rubber coupler that attaches the carb to the engine also cracked (cheap composite). Luckily, I was able to machine one from aluminum and fab some gaskets. Some of the plastic hand controls have also cracked.


My wife's 2003 Honda 350 Rancher and my 2001 modded 400EX has absolutely no cracking of any hoses, lines, or controls.

If I were to do it again, I would most certainly get a Honda, Yamaha, 'Zuki, or Kawasaki. The $200.00 savings on a cheaper quad was not worth the hassle.

 

[Familyguy]

The Chinese-made ATV's and scooters are really not meant for more than casual use. I would spend the extra money and get a Japanese ATV if you're expecting it to last more than one season. Getting spare parts could also prove to be a challenge.

 

[JTK]

If it was intended as a long term investment, I'd defintely go higher dollar. For my 4,6 and 8yr/olds, they'll outgrow it or maybe even loose interest first. Parts don't look like an issue. Everything can be had here> http://www.eagleatvparts.com/ , eBay or other online sources. From the looks of it, Taotao has only been around ~4yrs, but have been making quality improvements by leaps and bounds. A new youth quad/ATV is easily $2500. We're talking $600 here shipped to the door.

Joel

 

[Familyguy]

You're a "brave" man. Given the danger of that POS rolling over with a young child at the helm, and the scant attention Chinese manufacturers usually pay to safety, it wouldn't be on my Xmas list at all. Be careful.

 

[JTK]

True. A Honda, Yami or Kawi would NEVER roll-over.

Joel

 

[Familyguy]

Originally Posted By: JTK
True. A Honda, Yami or Kawi would NEVER roll-over.

Joel


Dunno, because I would never put a 1st grader on one. While the more established Japanese brands surely can roll over, you can bet that each model has had a safety team go over the design...a Chinese quad...fat chance.

Again, good luck and I hope your tots use it safely.

Best,

 

[JTK]

I hear you. They're all adept at operating motorized 'toys'. Some neighbors have small quads, etc.. No way in heck this would be operated w/out my presence and it does have some neat safety features which my neighbor's older kids machines do not have; Remote ignition kill (small key fob) and a tether line kill switch that extends from the back for extreme beginners. I'll definitely have the throttle locked down as well. It can be maxed at 7mph on up per the specs. We'll see. If I feel it's khrap or totally unsafe, it can be sent back for a refund (I would loose 20%).

Joel

 

[Familyguy]

I wish you good luck. I had a neighbor in CT lose their 7 year old when she rolled over a small ATV while horsing around in their 2 acre relatively flat back yard. Be safe.

 

[Panzerman]

I would look for a used Polaris, Yamaha or Honda quad. These small quads by the leading makers are built so much better and long out grew before wore out, so they are plentiful in the used areas. Ive seen alot of deals on them. I dont know the age of your children, but I dont like the small quads at all. I have a 11 year old daughter and a 12 year old son and they have been riding for 2 years each on 250 Polaris Trailblazers. They are much safer, they are just so much more bottom heavy. They cant roll those things if they get off and try to lift them over, they dont have the weight.Its like a adult riding on top of a volkeswagon. That is just my take. Ive seen numeous mini quad roll overs at parks. They will fall off Them before they roll the bigger quads(and have).

 

[Hitzy]

Originally Posted By: Familyguy
You're a "brave" man. Given the danger of that POS rolling over with a young child at the helm, and the scant attention Chinese manufacturers usually pay to safety, it wouldn't be on my Xmas list at all. Be careful.


I would never get a kid one of these things. I see too many of them getting killed or severly injured on kiddy ATV's.

 

[JTK]

Putting a child on an adult machine is generally where the injuries and deaths occur.

Joel

 

[Panzerman]

I will admit I do see some people that take it to extremes and stick there 11 year old on a Grizzly 660 or a 400 with a lift kit and snorkles, Iam taken for granted these kids grew up on quads and know what they are doing because they generally drive with more common sense than the little kids on 90s. I make sure my kids always wear a helmet, but Iam sure they are much safer on a adult sized machine than on a youth quad. The wheelbase is so much wider and the bottom weight is so much more stable. They were racing on the track at a atv park and the boy came around the turn too fast and litterally flew off the side. I watched the whole thing, the quad wheels never even tried to lift up.Bruised his ego and him a little, caught up with his quad and everything was good to go and he slowed down next time. Over half the youth quads that came around the curve either rolled over or they started to and the kid tried to steer out of it and crashed into the hay bales. Observe the youth quads and check the stability. It just does not work to put a kid on a quad, that weighs as much as the quad, with a narrow wheelbase to boot.

 

[JTK]

The machine I actually ordered is the ATA-110D1. A wider wheel base, lower slung version than that of the pic I originally posted. As always, I appreciate the comments fellas. This is it:

Joel

 

[Hitzy]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Putting a child on an adult machine is generally where the injuries and deaths occur.

Joel


ATV deaths and injuries are pretty rare to begin with, but I have seen enough mishaps with the kiddie ATV's to never get my kids one.
This 7 year old died on his kiddie ATV after driving it for a year. This was pretty close to home.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/06/26/ot-atv-080626.html

 

[Hitzy]

Here is a several page thread on these ATV in another forum.
http://forums.atvrideronline.com/70/6517303/newbies/tao-tao-chinese-atv-problem/index.html

 

[JTK]

Thanks Hitzy. ATVconnection is another very active forum with an probably the best "Chinese ATV" section around. That 7yr/old situation is tragic indeed.

Joel

 

[JTK]

I placed the order right around the 6th of December. This particular outfit allows you to make payments, when it's paid-off, the unit ships. I'd have to say this place is sporadic in regards to phone call and email availability. The first time I called them, I was put on hold for so long I eventually hung up. The next day I got "all circuits are busy". The was all around New Year's and I know their was weather issues then (still is). When I finally got through another time, I was told there was an issue where one of my online payments didn't 'take'. I had to do it again. Problem solved. Prior to that, two emails I sent them went completely unanswered. One a tech/spec question, the other a billing question (the issue above). I did get a confirmation email stating the ATV was on it's way and on 1/8/10 I did get another confirmation stating they used Old Dominion freight and got a tracking number. It looks like the unit is on it's way from Carrollton TX to Columbus OH, then it goes from Columbus to Buffalo. Estimated arrival time is 1/13/10. Interestingly enough, the Old Dominion freight terminal is right around the corner from where I work. Worst case I might be able to slide the crate in the back of one of our vehicles, but supposedly they call to setup a drop-off right to the house. I'll take pics of how it looks crated, unpacked, etc.. I purchased from BudgetATVs, the unit hopefully will be an ATA-110D1. Transaction isn't complete yet, but to use a buzz-word I can't stand; "It is what it is." A cheap mail-order quad. As always, you get what you pay for.

Joel

 

[Cmarti]

The boys had dirt bikes and ATV's at 10. I let my daughter ride horses competetively at 5 years old.(She is now 18) I own ATV's for our property and was forever terrified to let her drive or even be on one. Still am, I would argue on end with her until she was 15.

Doing research for a lawsuit, I found some stats, on injury and fatality rates.........That horse was pretty dangerous....I would never have guessed to what extent. It is tough to be a parent....

Roost protection and helmets!

 

[JTK]

I picked it up a few days ago. They used Old Dominion Freight for shipping and the terminal is just a few doors down from where I work. Instead of scheduling a drop off at the house, I just picked it up at the terminal. She fit w/ room to spare in the back of the Santa Fe (rear seats folded). The only issue is I paid for a 110D1 and got a 110D, so they owe me a plastic cover that bolts over the steel tube front bumper/guard.