Kids Sled - Help with Purchase Decision - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

babzog · 01-17-2013, 05:03 PM

Have a choice of a couple of kids sleds. One is a 2001 skidoo mini z with ridiculously low hours, the other is an '02 Polaris xc120. Both for same money.

Questions I have at the moment are: Which will be more fun for the kids to ride, easier to maintain, is better built, easier to upgrade if desired, etc.

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**smallengineguy** · 01-17-2013, 05:15 PM

They are all almost identical. The Mini Z runs a Honda engine, which is great. Prety much same suspensions too. Many upgrade parts available for all of them at www.recmotor.com

pineluretom · 01-17-2013, 06:48 PM

Not sure what age your kids are but they outgrow the 120's very quickly. The Premier Enforcer built in MI. is a 3/4 size sled with electric start, reverse and all the bells and whistles. Check it out online.

babzog · 01-17-2013, 07:43 PM

6.5 and 5. That site indicates that the skidoo doesn't have front suspension. Which makes me then wonder how important front suspension is on these little sleds, esp considering the others do have it? Not a big deal, or does it become more important when modding the sled?

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**kccats** · 01-17-2013, 07:56 PM

I personally have a Kitty Cat a Z 120 and then 3 Yamaha Snow Scoots!
I looked at the Premier and really liked it!

yamadad4 · 01-17-2013, 08:06 PM

i snowchecked a mini z back in 99 and that was the biggest pile of crap i have ever purchased. more things went wrong with that sled than any i have ever owned. absolutely no attention to detail on the simplest items. i can only assume that the moniker had nothing to do with it and i lump all of the 120's in the same pos group.

be aware that none of the 120's are really suited for anything more than a packed trail, and in my opinion not much of a learning tool. its a big jump from those little sleds to the next step and i would suggest teaching your children well and putting them on a larger machine from the get go. lots to choose from and often times way less money than the child specific models with alot more to gain in experience.

look at any of the 300 or more cc'ed machines as your learning tools. you will be further ahead. i raised 4 kids on sleds, 3 out of 4 hated the 120.

babzog · 01-17-2013, 09:03 PM

Would a 6.5 yr old be able to safely learn on and drive a sled that big? Would a 5yr old (not quite 5, actually)? I'm honking around on a 440 and that thing is big and fast. My 6 yr old can't touch the footrests let alone have the strength to steer it.

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yamadad4 · 01-17-2013, 09:24 PM

you would be the better judge of that. its all in the discipline. perhaps respect could be a better term.

most of my kids learned on enticers and phazers, some cut their teeth on far more capable machines. it was the brides idea to downsize to the 120. although it was a fun sled, it lacked the capability to go anywhere other than a packed trail and limited by the fuel tank size.

its a bizarre lesson in parenthood, putting your precious young ones one bigger machines. i am still living it. the important part is the teacher, i believe. its about control and comfort level for the rider and encouragement from the parent.

still turns my stomach and makes my butt pucker watching my kids do what they do, i just seem to take solace in knowing they have been well trained and hope for the best. so far, so good.

try putting a 10 yr old on a 150hp+ sled in an organized drag race and see what your blood pressure does.

**RJ Gleason** · 01-17-2013, 11:54 PM

A fan cooled engine between 340 and 440 size is a good starter sled for almost any age as long as they are big enough to manage it.
Too bad they don't still make sleds with small frames and 175 to 250 engines like they did in the late 60's and early 70's.
A Polaris Colt with a175 single or 250 twin would be ideal as it was small framed and light to maneuver. Even one of the old Doo Olympic sled with the 300 single [12hp] would be good and I'll bet you can find either of them around still.

**smallengineguy** · 01-18-2013, 06:13 AM

My son started on a Ski Doo Mini Z then went to a Citation 250 at 7 yrs old.

**kccats** · 01-18-2013, 06:58 AM

The 120 can be updated a bit, but the 250 bravo is there next step!

TheFoxwasHere28 · 01-18-2013, 07:03 AM

When i was younger, i learned on a kitty cat for a year or two, but cooked the engine when i modded it. Haha. Good times. Anyways, when My brother, who was a bit younger, got an older jag 440, and i got a Kawasaki drifter, which screamed for a 340. But later on, we got a Yamaha bravo (i think it was like a 250 or something around that) but we sold it right away to our neighbor for his boys to learn on. The sled was light, had a smooth power band, not a lot of power, and simple as hell to work on!

So i'd probably recommend a Yamaha Bravo

1on3off · 01-18-2013, 09:48 AM

I put my 6 year old on my polaris tx 340 and he did really well. That sled is a rocket up to 50 mph and I was quite nervous but he impressed me. I preached the safety stuff to him for the last several years and to my surprise he was actually listening. I started by having him haul me around. Then I held my breath and let him try it on his own. I was scared to death and extremely proud at the same time. Teach them right and lock the wife in the house. You'll be surprised at what the little ones are capable of.

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babzog · 01-18-2013, 10:06 AM

Definately have to lock the wife away! OMG.... not even going there! LOL She's a doll!

So he could sit properly on a 340? I haven't seen or played with a 250 / 340 sized sled so I'm not sure how big or small these are. I know my son can't really straddle the 440 (his toes might touch the boards at some point on the seat) and I'm imagining the Yamaha Bravo to be much the same size... true or no? For the most part, the ones I've seen for sale, look pretty rough.

1on3off · 01-18-2013, 11:35 AM

My son could touch the floor boards with his toes but not flat footed. You could always install a cable lock so that he could only give it so much fuel. That would keep them from pegging the throttle to the bars. My 340 wasn't much smaller than my phazers. My 6 year old would ride one of those minis for about 5 minutes and then he would be wanting to know why it won't go any faster. That mentality scares the hell outta me but i guess the apple don't fall far from the tree. The benefit of the bigger sleds is that they won't outgrow them nearly as fast as they would a mini.

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babzog · 01-18-2013, 12:20 PM

I'm sure my son would be pressing me for more speed too but I need to keep it in check for now to let my daughter ride it and gain some confidence. All last summer, he wanted me to make his go-kart faster. Drifting it (self-taught) around the driveway at 6 yrs old, made me proud.

Not having much luck spotting a decent used 250 sled, though, other than the Bravo mentioned above, I'm not sure what others there are.

Aside from limiting the fuel, there's also the question of the kids having the strength and size to be able to control it (ie: turn).

babzog · 01-18-2013, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smallengineguy

My son started on a Ski Doo Mini Z then went to a Citation 250 at 7 yrs old.

What year was your mini Z? What was your impression of it?

rgoers · 01-18-2013, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1on3off

... Teach them right and lock the wife in the house. ...

Too funny!!! Reminds me of the time my wife came home to find me working up on the roof. I hadn't thought anything of having my 6-year old son up there with me, just sitting there straddling the peak. Needless to say; she saw things differently...

Now he's 24, and can put shingles down faster than anybody I know.

TheFoxwasHere28 · 01-18-2013, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babzog

Definately have to lock the wife away! OMG.... not even going there! LOL She's a doll!

So he could sit properly on a 340? I haven't seen or played with a 250 / 340 sized sled so I'm not sure how big or small these are. I know my son can't really straddle the 440 (his toes might touch the boards at some point on the seat) and I'm imagining the Yamaha Bravo to be much the same size... true or no? For the most part, the ones I've seen for sale, look pretty rough.

Ya, most are pretty rough, buts as far as size goes, they are much smaller than an Indy 440, if that makes sense. If you are interested in one, it might take a little bit of effort, shopping, and fixing up because i know mine did. Once u get it there, its a great, light, reliable little sled. Its a Yami so u know its built well. They are just pretty abused. The one we sold to our neighbors looked like shit again 3 years after we sold it to them. (The abused the fuck outta that poor girl. Hahaha)

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TheFoxwasHere28 · 01-18-2013, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babzog

I'm sure my son would be pressing me for more speed too but I need to keep it in check for now to let my daughter ride it and gain some confidence. All last summer, he wanted me to make his go-kart faster. Drifting it (self-taught) around the driveway at 6 yrs old, made me proud.

Not having much luck spotting a decent used 250 sled, though, other than the Bravo mentioned above, I'm not sure what others there are.

Aside from limiting the fuel, there's also the question of the kids having the strength and size to be able to control it (ie: turn).

Those lynx 340s (ACat) and drifter 340s (Kawi) are pretty small. My brother had one of the older Jag 440s as a kid, and he was on the small side even for his age, he loved that sled. It was so light, when it got up to speed, the tail would start to swerve. One problem with it was that he was so small, he didn't get great traction so if he gunned it on top of loose snow, he'd get stuck. Hahaha. Good times.

Those are just a couple alternatives, but if you can, get a bravo

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