Predators

[Arynock]

Are these quads any good, i've been hearing some pretty good stuff about it, but is it all true? j/w

[DESDAK4]

My buddy bought one just about two weeks ago he keeps it here at my place. It has the e-series slip-on and we removed the snorkle and cut a 2x3 inch hole in the back of the airbox and let me tell you this thing flies. Before the holes in the airbox it dynoed at 51.8 HP. I think it is going to be a very hard one to handle with the ole Honda.

Jay
USAF

[jb400exxx]

wow, over 52 HP!!! that is crazy. a guy a friend of mine knows just got one. he was riding with a 400ex and a z-400, they were both in 5th gear practically topped out and the Predator just flew right by them both. so far it seems like a nice fast quad but nobody knows about reliability yet. everybody thought the raptor was gonna be so good at first too, then it has all the problems wit the rear end, and the tranny, but we'll soon see how good the Predator really is.

[DESDAK4]

Yeah i don't know how they will hold upo but I do know it is stupid fast and rides real good. I hope it warms up so I can get a full ride on it.

Jay
USAF

[jb400exxx]

supposedly polaris has been working on making it for 3 years. so if they really have been working on it for 3 years it better be reliable, and have all of the big problems worked out.

[DESDAK4]

On top of that the guys at Rath Racing consulted in about every step of the production so I am sure that will help a ton in the long run.

Jay
USAF

[Arynock]

Alrighty, cuz i went to michigan to some shop south of detroit, on like Belleville road or something, and i sat on a Z400, and i always liked the Z ever since it first came out, and then i sat on the predator and was dazed, it was pretty kewl...... so hopefully if i can sell the ol' dirtbike i'll have enough for atleast a 1.5-2g down payment on a loan for it...
Are there any mod parts out for it really for engine and exhaust??? or no just because its so brandy dandy new.....

i'm gonna have to try removing the snorkle and drilling some holes in the airbox lid when i get mine :P

[eldoexrider01]

please dont tell me ur gonna remove the baffle and think ya got a performance exaust like some of the peope around here. hopefully exriders are smarter than that.

[DESDAK4]

Polaris actually sells an e-series for it and Rath Racing has things for it. My buddies has the pipe, snorkle removed and we cut a hole in the back of the airbox and it helped but he had to go up like three sizes on the main jet and move the needle clip down one notch but, this thing flies.

Jay
USAF

[YZROOSTINYA]

THERE IS A COMPANT THAT SELLS VALVES,PISTONS(BIGGER BORE) and cams for it in the back of dirt wheels on the pages they did the review of the race version, i forget what they were called.

i have only heard good things so far, the only thing i do not like is the twin carb, not sutre if it has twin carbs but i heard it did.

[DESDAK4]

No it only has one carb. I am not sure of the size right off but it does only have one we just rejetted my buddies the other day.

Jay
USAF

[Snad Rider]

You can find a bunch of information on the Predator at atvconnection.com. A friend of mine has had one for a few weeks and yes it has great power and it also handles well.

[YZROOSTINYA]

awesome, thanks i hate two carbs

the yzf 450f only has one and puts out double the hp of a raptor but yet that has two?:(

[DESDAK4]

Well if it ever gets warm enough to ride up here in ND then I will have some nice head to head info of it next to my 400 but from my first rides I would say my 400 just is no match for that thing. It does hand very good and I can't wait to see it in action out on the trails.

Jay
USAF

[forum]

51 hp. hmm that sound a little high. ALthough i do believe you but dyno's are very inacurate. Dirtwheels said it had more power then the ktm520. WItch i do not belive. Im sure its faster then a z400 and has more power. But in my opinion i can't see it having more power then the crf450, ktm 520, or even the yz 426/450's But i could be wrong. we shall see. there should be a few next season at my races. if they are as fast as you say I'll be mad i built this 426, cause up here in canada there are no cc limits.

[oynot400]

The guy that does my machine work has some connections at Polaris. The average hp off the line is 52 hp. Just by installing a pipe and filter, it is suppose to get a 7 hp gain. He knows a few tricks to get it up over 70 hp! Without increasing displacement. He has been trying to get me to buy one and would tweak it for nearly nothing for the chance to play with it. I just have a hard time of letting go of my Honda. :(

[DESDAK4]

Polaris claims 45hp stock and it is supposed to gain 6hp with the slip-on which this one has and now we have opened up the airbox and rejetted too. It was Rath who said it had more power than his 520. I know dynos very but 51.8 is the number off the one at the shop he got it at and was before doing anything to the airbox. I know when I have my Honda paid off it could get a new playmate next to it in the garage.

Jay
USAF

[forum]

A predator my be a prctice quad for me in the near future if all this is true. my buddy wants to buy a quad and race and he said that basically what i tell him is the best he'll buy. and his spending limit with quad and mods is around 15000. so it should be a nice machine

[killerworm]

How would this compare to the ole 250r Jay? No smart***** comments please!!!

[DESDAK4]

I haven't had a chance to ride a 250R but I am sure some of these guys might be able to tell you or you could get yours put together and find out first hand:D


forum
If a guy put that much in a Predator I would believe he would be one very hard guy to catch from first rides on it.

Jay
USAF

[forum]

yhe stock suspension on a 250r is terible. 400ex suspension is 10 times better. a stock 250r motor puts out about 30 hp. But if yor going to race the machine and plan on putting alot of money in it then the 250r is better because its able to race in the 250 class. but if your going to keep it mostly stock then go with the predator. Even with the extra money you save buying a 250r then spend it on mods it still may not be better. the first thing that should be bought is suspension for that 250r. and then you up to the same price as a predator. but your still not as wide or as fast. The 250r is dying out. Unless you have 20000 to spend, then they are unbeatable

[Pro400EXC]

They might have alot of HP,but I hear the handling sucks,and that Rack and Pinion front,isn't really good for quads....

I dunno if its true,but i think John Aren's was talking about it....

Also,how do them Predators match against a C-dale?

[DESDAK4]

I thought it handled awsome but that is just how felt about it.

Jay
USAF

[forum]

check out atvconnection.com for a shootout with the cdale and pred

[lil400exman]

man alive i think when i am going to be done with my 250r it will kik predators *** to me i am going to puch it to a 350r with a pv and high comp i wanna see a predator beat that........................also with my peps and houser suspension i will be unbeatable at the track................................ i am tired of raving 4 stroke stock.........................

[BadA$$440]

The predetor handles AWSOME. Better then the 400ex, 250r, etc.

The good thing about the predato is that its cheap and you dont have to put a bunch of money in it to make it a nice quad cuz it already is.

I was at the local MX track and there was a predator there. He was tearing it up out there, clearing everything. And it was all stock, the dude just bought it.

I hope my dad buys a predator.

[forum]

bad***** your knowledge doesn't seem to be first hand. Meaning it doesn't mean much

[DESDAK4]

I watched about four videos just a few days ago of a Predator beating Banshees stock for stock race after race. I wish I could remember where that was. I am not asking any of you to believe me, that is up to you but on that dyno it was 51.8. I don't have enough time in a day to sit around and make up stuff about a quad I do not even own.

Jay
USAF

[mxracer89]

i herd it wighs a lot tho

[BadA$$440]

Originally posted by forum
bad***** your knowledge doesn't seem to be first hand. Meaning it doesn't mean much

Sorry Im not as smart as you MR. KNOW IT ALL.

I was just giving my insight on them. I was talking with the guy who was riding it and he said it handled better then any bike he has owned ( stock wise ). Sorry for trying to give info, i wont do it again.

[DESDAK4]

It wieghs more than a raptor but you can't feel the wieght at all.

Jay
USAF

[forum]

OO yess. Im mr know it all. You seemed so confident and sure that the predator handled so much better. But yet you havent tried it. Even if you did it would only be an opinion. But instead you took a guys word for it that just shelled out 5-7 grand on it. Unless it totaly sucked hes gonna say its good. Everyone is biased to something they just spent alot of there hard earned money on. no one wants to think they bought the wrong thing. and how do you know this guy even rode all the other machines you listed. People with hand me down knowledge like yours, who sound so sure of them selves, when relaying the relayed(who knows how many times) message, need to start saying at the end of everything they say. "so i heard"

[BadA$$440]

ya, the predators do look a little heavy.

[01TRX300EX]

I also saw a Predator at the local MX track (probably the same one as Bad*****) he was clearing all the doubles and everything, looked really good out there, but thats all I can say about it. The rack and pinion sounds like a great idea if you ask me, it can help make steering easier, and if it works like they say it will, then it will become the new leader in handling.

[BadA$$440]

Were you out there when i was?

When was there there was 2 blasters, 400ex (me), 250r, predator, 2 250ex, and i think a 300ex

And it was like a weekend or 2 ago.

The predator wasthe only one who could beat me.

PS. You going out there tomorrow night? ( 1/18/03) i might be there to race or watch, depends on what i get off work.

[RAPTORAZ]

Originally posted by YZROOSTINYA
awesome, thanks i hate two carbs

the yzf 450f only has one and puts out double the hp of a raptor but yet that has two?:(

The Raptor has two carbs because Yamaha wanted an engine that would have a very broad powerband. If you use one big carb the velocity would be slow and the engine would be sluggish in the bottom RPM ranges. By using two smaller carbs you get good low speed velocity and good top end breathing. As for a CRF making twice the horsepower of a Raptor. The CRF is factory rated at 55 flywheel horsepower. Which is roughly the same as a piped Raptor. However the Raptor makes more torque. The only experience I have to offer about the Predator is I smoked one (twice) pretty bad up Olds hill on New Years weekend. I even paced him through the whoops so as to eliminate rider ability in the race. After the whoops I pulled away rather quickly.

[DESDAK4]

We don't have a raptor around any more to see how it compares in speed but I have raod the Predator and the Raptor and the Predator handles a ton better and sometimes that is worth more than just speed.

Jay
USAF

[jwisniew]

Is it a good machine for jumping?

[stevengates45]

As far as power goes, I got to ride one around Christmas & it seems to easily be able to outpower a 400 or Raptor.

[RED121572]

Youll never see me jumping a 20 ft double. If I get four feet of air, Im happy. Since the suspension is so good, I have alot more confidence jumping my Polaris over my 400.

[bertman]

very good friend just got 1 about 2 weeks ago seems to be a good bike so far , he has had to take it to the shop already once though starter was sticking on , easy fix in and out in 2 days, as far as power and speed , Lined up the pred. my 03 dale blaze and a o3 z400 and kaw 400 , we left the 2 400's and I pulled him a little till the top where we were about the same , handling through the woods seems great on it , I say seems cause I havent ridden it but ridden right next to it, weight , it's a lil heavy which I dont think you will notice that riding it just when you try to lift it ( like out a hole or into a truck ) ... so far I think all the current bikes may need to keep an eye on it if the reliability is good cause it will suprise alot of people being that its the first real sport polaris ....

[raptor_02]

I read the shootout over at www.atvconnection.com they dragged the CDALE and PREDATOR several times. They said pretty much who ever got the jump would win. Also i'd say the Glammis has like 40HP. So I don't think the PREDATOR has 50HP. 50HP is alot on a quad. Example, mags used to say a raptor would gain 14HP by getting pipe and rejett carb. NO WAY. My bro had one and I rode it every day for a while before and after mods. It may have gained 5-8HP but no 14HP. To my understanding 2strokes are the quads that pick up mayjor HP gains from PIPES, not 4 strokes. I'd say a stock Predator has around 40HP in stock form. Maybe a little over and maybe a little less. That's just my opinion

[RAPTORAZ]

I got to race another Predator up Olds hill yesterday. This one was all stock, but the rider was about 50lbs lighter than me. That makes my Raptor two for two on it's Predator kill list. I didn't get to race him with my 416 though. My EX was having some detonation issues. Mostly due to the heat I'm sure. It was pretty warm out there yesterday. I think my 416 would've been very competative though. As my Raptor beat the Predator by about the same distance as it does my 416. Some other observations about the Predator: It got through the whoops very well, and I did see him beat some other stock Raptors, Z400's, and 400EX's up the hill. So it's stock performance is very good.

[13RAZOR13]

sat. i saw a LT500 beat the Pred.(1 Quad) all daywher we drag .but he wouldnt race me in my banshee and the 465 was at home i beat the LT and the LT waas real fasttttt

i would have to say the pred. must be real fast

[Steve-o 400EX]

How many cc's is it?

[RAPTORAZ]

Originally posted by Steve-o 400EX
How many cc's is it?

The Predator is 499cc's.

[Desert Rat]

The Predator weights 415lbs dry. It has adjustable fox dual rate shocks with 10"s travel up front (you can get cans for them for about $190) and 11"s out back with reservoir, braded brake lines, ventilated brakes, douglas rolled edge rims with Maxxis Razr tires, extended A-arms and widened crome molly rear axel. You can get an array of other goodies from the dealer. A lot of good stuff and the local dealer quoted me $5,600 for one today plus sales tax and title fees. Hopelfully going to be parked next to my 310r and 440ex tomorrow night. Got to sweet talk the boss tonight. Dealer told me about 44 horses stock and you can get about ten more with the pure polaris slip on, K&N filter, airbox mods and jetting he would sell me for around $300 more. If the engine holds up Polaris may have hit a home run. Time will tell.