Which Is Overall a better ATV

[Mr.250X]

I just sold my 250X and looking into a Bombardier DS650 or a Raptor.It seems to me that the Bombardier DS650 is better made with a rotax engine.I want something I can do wheelies ,jump,go fast,and just cruse around on.What is going to be the best quad out of the two of them.

[SRH]

honestly id get a 450r or yfz...they will do what you want ...reliable and quick same price range as a ds and raptor but i think id buy a ds over a raptor if your not interested in a 450...raptors are junk...

[sly400ex]

I'd tend to think the Raptor overall, the DS650 will dominate in the woods though.

[rollie]

DS650 IMO:)

[Tantal]

I agree with SRH, check out the 450's, both the YFZ and TRX are great quads.

[SRH]

Originally posted by Tantal
I agree with SRH, check out the 450's, both the YFZ and TRX are great quads.

i love it when people agree with me

[Tantal]

Originally posted by SRH
i love it when people agree with me

Isn't it a great feeling :D

[Florida400EX]

Well, the DS650 has had almost zero sales in florida, with the raptor having thousands. there are still 2001 left over DS650's at my local dealer going for $3500 OTD!!! they are really desparete.

[chad cavagnaro]

o.k., this is a total non biased opinion. takeing your age and the discription of what you want to do with your new quad, i think you should go with a new 05' suzuki 400. reason: it will wheelie well, it has a good ballance point like a rapter. it has reverse for good trail riding. it is upgraded for 05[check sept. dirt wheels.]
in past articles, it is a good jumper. it is not as expensive as the other two.it has a soft comfortable seat. the yfz and trx are considered full on race bikes and dont make good cruising around, especially the yfz, wich i own. they are stiff suspension, firm seats, and will wear you out on just long trip, trail riding. i know most on here will argue with that, base your decision on what you think would be the best quad for what you want to do, and not what other poeple think is the fastest or coolest. this is only my opinion for what you described you will be useing it for.
the ds 650 in my opinion is huge, ways a ton and in some tight trails is difficult to get between trees. it has a good motor but is sooooo big, same with the rapter. it tends to be top heavy and when cornering takes an extra effort to keep from tipping onto two wheels. the suz. 400 would be a good quad forya. now go get it!!:blah:

you pretty much cant go wrong with any ATV out these days except the craptor..it is junk. The DS650 is IMO better suited for "larger" people through open spaces....you may look to find a used 400ex or z400 around somewhere & test ride one of them.

[Punk'd]

Originally posted by Jumbo747
you pretty much cant go wrong with any ATV out these days except the craptor..it is junk.


lmao.. u just hate those things dont u:p

[Pappy]

ok, would the people in this thread giving advice that has owned a DS or a Raptor please raise you hand:confused:

[MOFO]

Originally posted by Pappy
ok, would the people in this thread giving advice that has owned a DS or a Raptor please raise you hand:confused:


LMFAO!

[chad cavagnaro]

uh, imagine in your head my hand being raised!! rapter.
never owned a ds though. whats the point?:confused:

[MOFO]

Originally posted by chad cavagnaro
uh, imagine in your head my hand being raised!! rapter.
never owned a ds though. whats the point?:confused:


the point is that more people on this board like to give advice on bikes they NEVER have owned or even ridden. They just base their opinions on the fact that if they dont own the quad, it cant be good...or what the magazines have to say about them.

[chad cavagnaro]

Originally posted by MOFO
the point is that more people on this board like to give advice on bikes they NEVER have owned or even ridden. They just base their opinions on the fact that if they dont own the quad, it cant be good...or what the magazines have to say about them.

10-4, thats why i said what i did, in my post about forming his own opinion, not based on what others want him to have. but should base it on facts. you have to get info from somewere.

[ThyJuGGaLo]

today somebody told me that the DS650 sucks for jumping. and when wheeling the aarms just drop because of all of the travel.

don't flame me, thats just what i heard

[MOFO]

Originally posted by ThyJuGGaLo

don't flame me, thats just what i heard

I'm not flamming you, but I have also heard that spankin the monkey kills kittens... and we all know that cant be true with the horn ball kids on here!

you cant believe everything you hear. Dont pass information unless you KNOW personally what your talking about. It will help keep the BS down.

[batgeek]

DS650 sucks for jumping?

i've had one of those 10ft up in the air at Little Sahara :) it is a little *** heavy, but thats easy to compensate for.

[bone705]

imo i dont think the DS is very trail friendly. my friend has one and its gigantic. he does ok in the woods but there are alot of tight spots that he has to be careful with. it also sucks when you get it hung up on something becasue it is a pain in the ***** to pick up. it has excellent suspension and power though. neither him or i can get that thing to do a good at wheeling either.

[batgeek]

thye've kinda fixed that with the newer DS's by using a shorter swingarm.


The 2004 DS line now has a 2 inch shorter rear track (width) for better agility and tight trail maneuverability while giving up just a little of its revered wide stance stability. The rear swing arm being 1.25 inches shorter transfers more weight to the rear of the machine, makes lightening the front end for obstacles no problem, and increases traction too. Handling is also noticeably quicker due to the reduction in wheelbase caused by the shorter swingarm. It feels more nimble and more "eager" to turn than past DS models,

[RedRider04]

the ds is a better dune machine and the rappy will be better in the trails. the ds is way to big for the trails. the rappy still isnt that good of a woods machine imo

i have quite a few hours on a raptor (while it ran)...very little on a ds650.

[SRH]

Originally posted by MOFO
the point is that more people on this board like to give advice on bikes they NEVER have owned or even ridden. They just base their opinions on the fact that if they dont own the quad, it cant be good...or what the magazines have to say about them.

this is what i base my opinion on, ds 650s are pretty reliable and every single guy i know with a raptor has had soem sort of major engine failure, i take into consideration that and say ds 650 because i figure he probaly just wants to ride, i beleive he would be best suited for a 05 z 400 or one of the 450s, light with enough power and reliable, well have to see with the the 05 z but the other z 400s are really nice quads

[2001-400ex'er]

My friend has a DS650 and i love that thing, its a little big but has tons of power and is pretty good at wheelies. The top speed is about the same as a predator and is very smooth and comfortable. i love them but the price is pretty high.

[RedRider04]

Originally posted by SRH
this is what i base my opinion on, ds 650s are pretty reliable and every single guy i know with a raptor has had soem sort of major engine failure, i take into consideration that and say ds 650 because i figure he probaly just wants to ride, i beleive he would be best suited for a 05 z 400 or one of the 450s, light with enough power and reliable, well have to see with the the 05 z but the other z 400s are really nice quads

my buddy has a raptor and it has never failed him mechanically but he is always losing bolts off that thing. they just arent quality like a honda ;)

[TheMachine]

If you want to do wheelies then go with the raptor, but just to cruise on go with the bomb. My dad has one, theyre incredibly fast but too heavy

[MY450R]

dude just get a z400
its prolly the best all around quad
you really cant beat the z in the woodsespecially for making your own trails

[wilkin250r]

I'll admit, I don't own either, but I've ridden them both back-to-back to make a comparison.

The DS650 felt very big, steady, and plush. Kinda like a big luxury car. Nice suspension, plenty of power. But like a luxury car, it just felt big, heavy.

Although you're sitting way up high, the Raptor felt a bit more sporty than the DS650, probably due to the smaller wheelbase. It was really easy to wheelie (almost too easy) and it felt more nimble than the DS650. It just felt more sporty, that's about the only way to describe it.

Personally, I'd like to get a Raptor and upgrade the suspension. Increase the wheelbase and get it a little lower to the ground. I can't really speak about mechanical problems since I've never seen them. As I understand, the early models had some tranny problems, but they fixed that in '02.