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Raptor 250
comes with double wishbone A-arm front
suspension with five-way adjustable
preload and offers 7.5" of wheel
travel
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Yamaha also wanted to improve the suspension over
that of the Blaster. “The shock bodies are
the same size as the Raptor 700, but the springs
are sized for the 250, and the valving and dampening
are slightly changed to accommodate the lighter
weight of the machine.” Said Biolsi. We
have to agree that the suspension is definitely
an improvement over the Blaster, and is much more
plush than the competition’s quads. “I’m
pretty impressed with the stock suspension. It
rides really nice and doesn’t bottom out
unless you really sky out a jump.” Stated
our test rider, Joey. Another advantage to the
Raptor 250 over the competition is that it is
chain driven, which allows for more travel, and
the rider is able to change the sprockets to accommodate
their personal preferences and riding style that
cannot be done with some of the competition’s
quads.
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| Yamaha
decided to stick with a sportier chain
drive for adjustable gearing and it also
enables it to have a class leading 7.9"
of wheel travel |
Hydraulic
rear disk brake is also found in the rear,
and the same size rotor as its big brother
the YFZ450 was utilized for excellent
stopping power |
The front shock bodies are not the only feature
that is a borrowed design from the Raptor 250’s
bigger family members. The foot pegs are the
same as on Yamaha’s YFZ450, and the brake
lever is interchangeable with the YFZ as well.
The standard brake lever on the Raptor 250 is
non-adjustable, unless you spring for the Special
Edition Raptor 250, which comes standard with
an adjustable brake lever. Two other features
that have been integrated from the YFZ are the
master cylinder and the rear brake rotor, which
offer a lot of stopping power.
Despite having many borrowed ideas from the rest
of the Yamaha ATV family, the chassis on the Raptor
250 has been completely redesigned from the ground
up and has allowed room for ergonomic improvements
over the Blaster. “The ergonomics are definitely
better. On the Blaster you feel kind of cramped,
but there’s a lot more room on the Raptor
250.” Said Margaria. “The front fenders
are spaced out good unlike the Blaster where your
knees would always hit them. It makes it easier
to move around on.”
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| The
fenders provided plenty of room to move
around on the small chassis Raptor 250,
and the rear fenders can be easily be
removed for cleaning and maintenance |
The
Raptor 250 is intended for younger and
smaller riders, but even riders over 6
foot tall still had plenty of leg room
to move around on the seat |
Another bonus of the Raptor 250 is that you
can remove the rear plastics without having
to remove the air box or the battery box. In
fact, all of the plastics are designed to come
off without having to remove any key components
from the frame, which makes for easier cleaning
and maintenance.
