Even though the boys came in nearly last every heat, I have to be cliché and say I couldn't have been prouder. Of course they were pretty disappointed, seemingly getting lapped by every rider out there. But, it was actually by design... Not that I'm a cruel father, diabolically undermining my children's affection for the sport they love, but that it was part of the master plan to develop their skills on machines they could quickly and safely master. At this particular event, it was clear to me that they had achieved what I thought was important- being able to completely tap every last bit of performance from those bone stock machines. That meant trying to fly farther, brake later, and turn harder than all the rest of the kids.

My wholesome contentment quickly turned to despair as I faced the prospect of spending untold dollars on modifying two perfectly good four-wheelers into performance oriented race machines. (Like they say- "be careful what you wish for...".) Not that we're die-hard racers, in reality we probably hit less than half a dozen events a year. But that extra power would surely be welcome while trail riding on those tough hillclimbs, or mud bogs, or sand dunes. And unless they start finishing well, it won't be anytime soon they'll want to go racing again. The fact is that they've been riding these quads for two years now, nearly a quarter of their lives, and they're ready for more power. 

And therein lies the dilemma- do I upsize to a 90 or modify the 50? In dollars per hp which is the more cost effective solution, and what about the other nebulous issues? Such as is a 90 physically too big? Or will a modified machine be as dependable? What about resale? 

No doubt I'm in the same predicament as hundreds if not thousands of other dads (and moms?). I just happen to be that freak of nature sort of mentality- an engineer. And before an engineer can jump into any type of commitment, financial or otherwise, a nauseating amount of analysis must first be done. (And besides, we're too cheap to make irrational purchasing decisions.) Charts, tables, cost/benefit analyses, etc are all part of the repertoire that we need to convince ourselves that a given solution is the correct one. Therefore, follow along as we take a tedious but hopefully useful journey on such a quantification.

First off, one needs to consider the government's position on appropriate youth ATV sizing. The youth ATV market basically boils down to two groups of machines as defined by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC): the Y-6 classification which is intended for riders 6 and older, which for the most part are 40 and 50cc machines, and the Y-12 classification which is for 12 year old riders and older and is comprised of 80cc and larger ATVs. As just noted, the primary difference between these categories is engine size. Many of the Asian import ATVs offer a 50cc machine, as well as a big brother 90 version that is virtually identical with larger engine and tires. Therefore, as far as the government is concerned we need to stick with 50s. But what about tricked out 50s that run like 125s? Admittedly, that concept defies the CPSC's intentions but who's reading the small print anyway?

Big Brother's recommendations aside, the two machines are not that different in overall size, the tire diameter being the only feature that makes the machine sit differently. I could have purchased the slightly larger, more powerful, and slightly more expensive 90cc model, and adjusted the throttle limiter to accommodate their skill level. Eventually, the boys would grown into their machines and I'd have saved the expense of having to buy and sell two smaller machines. This approach works well for the trail rider, or recreational enthusiast who isn't necessarily interested in racing. And for sand dune riding, where power is the name of the game, the larger engine size is almost a must.

Which brings up the topic of racing. Most youth ATV classes are divided much like CPSC's categories- Jr Mini for 40-70cc, and Sr Mini for 70-90cc. Some of the Jr Mini quads out there are scary fast, which speaks to the potential of not only the 50s but the 90s in particular. As a father (and husband of my children's mother) it's probably in my best interest to keep my boys off a 50mph quad. Keeping the boys in the Jr class offers them a satisfying amount of competition, and doesn't force us to try to keep up with the high-end 80s and 90s that are certainly still too fast for their abilities. 

So where does this leave us? - how to make the stock 50s competitive and more exhilarating to ride. The strategy here is to find bolt-on parts to give these machines a kick in the shorts. Hopefully for less than $500 we can breath new life into a 50 and give the other 50s (and some 90s) a run for their money. Next month's installment will address this very topic and together with riding impressions and dyno results we'll provide you with the skinny on some hot parts for your mini.