Looking for advise on a new purchase for my 6 year old.
Atv with reverse and ability to climb big hills for trail rides...looking at polaris 50 and can-am 70.  Availability of modification also...any suggestions???
Thanks-
mcampy  

i wouldn't touch the polaris 50, too many necessary repairs on them due to factory defects.

check out the can am, but be careful some of the can am's I am told have very weak frames.

if it were me i would stick with honda or yamaha. yamaha has invested alot of time in creating a good atv for young children.

the chinese 110cc atv's are well,... lower priced for a reason lets say.
and they are really weak for climbing even small hills, and aren't very stable on turns.

The yamaha raptor 50 is an awesome ride for a 6 year old.
and yamaha reccommends a 50cc-70cc for 6 year olds.

or check out the suzuki quadsport z50


honda offers the trx90cc, but it would be up to you to decide if it was too big for your 6 year old or not.
something to grow into is nice as well. all of the small atv's have throttle limiters so you could control the danger a good bit yourself.

but definately steer clear of polaris, they spent 3 million on settlements due to factory defects causing serious injuries, and have had some of their atv's catch fire, including one report on this site that their polaris caught fire and detroyed half their house.  

Personally between the Polaris 50 and the Can-Am 70, I'd choose the Can-Am...wouldn't worry about the frame issue on the DS 70, it will take the abuse.  I'd recommend also taking a look at Yamaha.  One brand that has not been mentioned yet is Kymco.  They are just being introduced into the USA, but have been building ATV's and bikes for a long time.  If you have a dealership near you, check out the Kymco MXU 50 w/reverse.  They are well worth taking a look at, not to mention they should be easier on the wallet as they are trying to get their name out there.  Some unique features include Saftety features galore, Disk Brakes, DIGITAL INSTRUMENTATION, and a 2-stroke engine.  

there are some machines out there, but to find a good quality atv with reverse for a 6 year old is going to be tough.

if you can do without reverse you'll find a much higher quality machines with yamaha suzuki or honda.
Yamaha has done the research and the homework, and have put out a line of atv's for children 6 years and older that are absolutely great!!

personally i shy away from new atv makers, they have proven time and time again that they really skip out on quality.
and polaris  OH GEEZE don't get me started on them,  they have built atv's for years that fell apart while riding them.

reverse is nice, but honestly if your child isn't strong enough to push it or roll it back then he/she probably isn't strong enough to handle riding the atv.  

CHECK OUT E TON THIS IS A COMPANY BASED IN TIWAN THAT MAKES GREAT ATVS FOR A DECENT PRICE NOT CHINESE JUNK
E TON MAKES A LOT OF PARTS FOR THE ***
IF YOU GOOGLE THEM YOU WILL FIND LOTS TO READ  

yes the E-ton, but it's a taiwanese atv.
they really aren't any better than the chinese atv's made by tao tao.
it'll get you by for a little while but i wouldn't put any stock in being able to climb a hill with it.
plus they are very cheaply made.