2020 Raptor 90
2020 Raptor 90 I might be old, but when I was a kid we didn’t have much in the way of real youth ATVs. There were a few models, but for the most part, the real machines were all adult sizes, and you’d just have to wait until you were big enough to operate one. Note, I didn’t say old enough. At the time, there were not the stricter regulations that we have today. Of course, that probably should have existed, but this is a different story for another time.
When I see today the level of machinery available to children, it makes me happy as a parent because I can give my children great joy and get them riding earlier and with better equipment than ever before. It also makes me a bit jealous that I didn’t have these machines when I was a kid. The Yamaha Raptor 90 and Can-Am DS90 are two youth ATV worth considering. Let’s see how they compare … At the numbers.
Yamaha and Can-Am now represent some of the best ATVs on the market, and it’s not an extension to think they also provide some of the best youth ATVs. Both the 2020 Raptor 90 Yamaha Raptor 90, stylised after Yamaha’s fabulous Raptor 700 sports machine, and the 2019 Can-Am DS90, which carried the DS moniker of Can-Am’s DS sports ATVs, would keep any squad happy. These machines would provide hours of enjoyment and freedom while teaching responsibility and independence.
Because these machines are in the 90cc range, they will have enough power to give your kids a fairly broad smile while remaining so controllable you can keep yourself safe. The 2020 Raptor 90 Yamaha Raptor 90 features a 90cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine powered over 13mm carburetors. An electric starter turns him over, with a kick start back up. The reciprocal tasks are done by a CVT with forward, neutral and reverse transmissions to give your child full range while also staying simple.
The Can-Am DS90 is powered by an air-cooled, one-cylindrical, four-hollow 89.5cc engine that is fed over the Keihin carburetor and rolls out through a simple CVT gearbox. Like the Yamaha, it’s an electric start with a kick start back. Both machines also feature a chain drive axis that matches what you find on a full-fledged, adult sports ATV.
I can speak from experience when I say kids want machines that have the same look and feel from the full-size machines that drive mum and dad. Both 90cc heavyweights hit that. They feature a single A-arm front suspension and rear swivel with a monoshock. The Can-Am has 3.4 inches of cycling in front and 6.3 inches of driving on the back shock.
The Yamaha Raptor 90 of 2020 Raptor 90 has a full 5.0-inch ride on the front shooter to enjoy bumps and jumps. Yeah, I said jumps. You know very well that your kids will end up jumping their machine if they feel comfortable doing so. Out the back, the Raptor has 5.8 inches of the drive on the back shock, which also has a five-way bias. That’s a nice feature because we all know the kids are growing fast, and not everyone’s 10-year-old kid is the same size.
Both machines have full floorboards to keep your child’s feet where they should be and away from the tires. There are also throttle flaps built in to help you control speeds. Don’t let your kids see how the throttle works right away. My son saw me play with it when I got him his machine and let’s just say he was making his own adjustments when he thought I wasn’t looking.
I’ll say it again, kids did it today. These two machines are among the best youth ATV ever offered. The Can-Am DS90, which was reproduced in 2020, comes in Can-Am Red, White/Orange or White Pink color combos and has an MSRP of $2,849. Get into your local Can-Am dealership and see one.
The 2020 Yamaha Raptor 90 comes in Yamaha Blue or white with black red or black magenta graphics. The pint-sized Raptor will set you back $2,899 and they are now available from your local Yamaha retailer.
2020 Raptor 90
- MSRP*
- $2,899 – Team Yamaha Blue
- $2,899 – White
- Engine Type90cc air-cooled SOHC 4-stroke; 2 valves
- Bore x Stroke47.0mm x 51.8mm
- Compression Ratio9.2:1
- Fuel Delivery13mm carburetor
- Ignition CDI
- Starting SystemElectric and kick start
- TransmissionCVT; F, N, R
- Final DriveO-ring chain drive
