2009 Can-Am DS 70
User Reviews
-
Great Quad for a beginner
By Eric Bergman (I am an Owner) on Sep 30, 2012This has been a pretty good first Quad for my 10 year old. I like being able to control the throttle but at this point it is so slow that on even very short hill climbs there isn't enough power to get up and I often have to jump off mine and help push him up the hill.
It has been very ... durable and dependable. Great breakes, front lights, CVT auto transmission, and reverse.
The gas cap did fail when it fell apart into 2 pieces, luckily we were close to the trailhead and the trailer.
It does need to warm up for at least 5 minutes, but I'm used to that with my Polaris.
I have tried riding it too (I'm over 300 lbs) and it actually moved around the yard.
Great starter machine and I would like to see if more parts would get another 5-10 mph.
Rating breakdown
-
Can-Am DS 70
By Dirk (I am an Owner) on Aug 16, 2010What a great beginner quad. My son is 9 and to big for a 50 and to novice for a 90. So the DS 70 has been great. Easy to use, very stable, so far very reliable and great looking. He is having the time of his life. The 69cc provides enough performance to thrill him and not too much for Mom and ... Dad to lose sleep. A GREAT 1st ATV!
Rating breakdown
-
The potential is there for a great machine.....
By Peter Lenton (I am an Owner) on Sep 21, 2009I bought this 70 for my 7 year old son. I will first tell you about what I do like about the machine, then some things I do not like and some experiences to date.
When I was looking for an ATV for my son last January, I found out that Can Am was having a great sale on the DS70 and DS90s, ... with the 70 going for an unheard of $1099!
That got me into the dealership, which sells just about every make and model of youth ATV. I looked at both the Can Am 70 and 90, and found they both had a great suspension, had front headlights, electric starter, and a reverse gear.
After looking at the other models from other manufacturers that looked like they would break if I sat on them (I weigh 240 and the Can Am takes my weight just fine at the stock settings), I decided the Can Ams were the better buy for us, and went with the 70 because it seemed to be logical to start him on the smaller of the 2, as I didn't want it to scare him and ruin him for riding.
I found the 70 to be underpowered for me, but for my son it was perfect! It takes a bit of throttle to get it moving, so it doesn't just engage and start flying right off the bat, which would have scared him and turned him off on the whole thing. It is throttle regulated from the factory via a box on the right side that reduces the throttle response, and from what I have read, it may also be forced down by the CDI box (supposedly you can clip a wire to 'fix' that, but I hate clipping stock wiring as it always seems to lead to a short later on).
It seems to be regulated to a speed of about 12-18 mph, which is fine for a beginner rider, but with a forgiving machine with a fantastic suspension, this can seem too slow to a young rider quicker than you may want.
The tires are great, with a fairly aggressive tread, and the machine is wide enough that one really has to really try to get it to start tipping.
The CVT winds down fast, and the brakes are superb, as the machine stops fairly fast from full speed.
The reverse gear is a very nice thing to have, and is regulated so it's hard to get out of control if one were to freak out and dynamite the throttle while going backwards.
Now for the not so good stuff........
It fired up fine at the dealership (and moved under it's own power), but upon getting it home I found it would just wind out like the CVT wasn't engaging, so back it went to the dealership (Warranty fix).
It was fixed, and it worked just fine, though a bit underpowered (which is a common complaint) which was ok, as it is my sons' first machine and I didn't want to scare him.
He putted around the yard at home for the first 7 months here and there, and when I recovered from a foot surgery we finally went camping and took it out on some trails.
The machine ran good, although at a higher idle that I could not bring down, but after about 4-1/2 hours of riding on the first day the machine died with no spark present, which ruined the rest of the weekend for my son.
From what I can tell on the ATV forums, this is not a common issue, but it is incredibly frustrating and makes one wonder what else is in store for us with this machine.
I would say that the problems I have had don't seem to be common with this machine, with the exception of it seeming underpowered (which can be overcome by changing out a few parts (some Can Am and some aftermarket).
With the parts to make it go faster and with the suspension in it's stock form, this machine could easily be on the top of the list for best youth ATV. Believe me, the potential is there......
Rating breakdown