Just back from Durango...the 250 was flawless!!!

[k2rider]

I've had the bike for about 3-4 months but have just been putting around w/ the kids. I basically consider myself an agressive novice so I'm definitely not pushing the bike to the limits by any means but WHAT A BLAST!!! I rode 5 days of single track (a double/quad track) outside Durango and haven't had that much fun on a bike since I was a kid. My kids are really improving on their 1st bikes as well. My wife rode her Dad's "work" quad and is now hooked as well. I'll be looking to get here a 250 quad in the next month or so.

The TE250 ran flawlessly all week. For somebody like me, it is a dream bike. It corners well, climbs well and had more power than I'll probably ever use. Now I just need to brake my mountain biking habits of grabbing both brake levers at the same time...especially since one of them is a clutch on the Husky ?

[WillR]

Don't get her a quad if you can help it. Try everything you can to get her onto a bike. It may actually save her from injury when the quad roles down a hill!

A quad will also prevent her from following you (and the rest of the rest of the kids) into the real trails (tight woods / single track).

Also keep in mind you can load 2 bikes in the space 1 quad takes.

Ever get stuck in mud? With a bike you flip them upside down to get them out of the mud, then lay them on there side to drag them out of the mud hole. With a quad you need a tow truck!

If she already rides a quad, she already understands the controls, add a clutch into the mix and she can ride a bike!

I have a quad (as well as a bike) the quad is good for snowplowing, taking the trash out, bringing in firewood, and moving the boat trailer! One problem I see is they feel like they are going to role over every time you ride across the face of a hill.

Have her ride your 250 a couple times and go from there. As you know they are mellow engines at lower throttle settings. If you’re that worried about the power, you can put a short piece of wooden dowel into the top of the carb slide to limit how far she can twist it. Keep in mind, if she is short/light and has problems touching the ground, if you adjust the rear sag on the 250 to 4” drop for her weight, it might be low enough!

Out here on the "right" coast we deliberately make trails that the quads can't fit down. Having ridden for 35 years now, I can officially say single track is more fun! Plus there are lots of places a "tagged" bike can ride that quads will never be allowed ?

[k2rider]

Thanks for your input. That was actually our thinking from the very beginning about the quads. I have been a mountain biker for 15+ years and love the singletrack more than anything. However, she is an ABSOLUTE girly-girl and feels that the quads are just way more stable. She literally brings up the rear on the rides and acts more like a safety net to make sure the kids get thru OK. I honestly don't think she even uses 50% of the available power in the quad.

On top of that, living out here on the west coast and having 90% of the riding within 2 hours be wide-open desert, she won't see much trail riding. We do plan on going back to Durango in June though. Besides having a great time, we had free lodging and the gas to get there is less than (1) plane ticket's cost on a "regular" vacation. ? :cry: