raptor....first ride impressions

[4punksdad]

well I finally got to take a little test spin on a raptor. A guy that rides with us was kind enough to let me test her out..........the bike was all stock except for some cosmetic stuff.

I really liked it. It felt like a more powerful 400EX. It is geared WAY too high but it is seriously fast. It wheelies with a mere jab of the throttle in first gear & pulls hard through the rest of the gears. I tossed it over a few small jumps & it felt comfortable landing.

All in all it is a nice machine. It might have mechanical short comings, but it is in NO way a POS as some people have been saying. It is WAY faster than a stock 400EX, and faster than my slightly tweaked 400EX.

I lost to him one time in a drag race across a dry flat pond, then I smoked him the second time..........both runs were rider error. In the tight woods he is struggling to keep the same speed as me due to the tall gearing. As a matter of fact, he clipped a tree & pinched a sidewall to the point of puncture.

the bike is a force to be rekoned with.........do not under estimate the power this thing produces. It is fast, and it is quick.

I can't wait to ride it when his new smaller front sprocket comes in next week.........

My friend at work is getting a raptor soon, want to see the two go at it.
He's a good rider, so soon as he gets use to it, I'm gonna have to run like a greased pig to stay up.
John

[trx400ex]

My friend at work is getting a raptor soon, want to see the two go at it.
He's a good rider, so soon as he gets use to it, I'm gonna have to run like a greased pig to stay up.
John




why would you do that?, just get on your 400ex, and waste him

[4punksdad]

Originally posted by trx400ex
My friend at work is getting a raptor soon, want to see the two go at it.
He's a good rider, so soon as he gets use to it, I'm gonna have to run like a greased pig to stay up.
John




why would you do that?, just get on your 400ex, and waste him

trx400ex, to reply with someone's quote, simply hit the button at the lower right hand corner of their post.............saves time cutting & pasting text into your reply.

if equally experienced riders are on both a 400EX and a raptor, the raptor WILL win.

The new dirt wheels mentioned the '02 raptor has changed it's gear ratio, strengthened it's rear axle, and other things. That's why I mentioned I'd have to run like a greased pig to keep up. 260 more cc's
is reality, especially when he starts to modify it. I'll just have to get a 416 kit next spring !
John

[86atc250r]

if equally experienced riders are on both a 400EX and a raptor, the raptor WILL win.

Stock for stock, maybe a dragrace, but that's about it.

Raptor's wheelie easy because their swingarm is shorter, yes, I said shorter, than a 400EX.

I race with Raptors every race weekend. Their torque and tall gearing actually help them in the woods, their handling characteristics is what hurts them.

As far as a Raptor being like a more powerful EX, I have to disagree. I have a more powerful EX... I could go into the details, but I've already been there and done that many times, so I'll just mention that if that were the case, the cross country race results around the country would reflect it, yet they do not. Are only poor riders riding Raptors? I think not.

3-Punks, Report to the office immediately - defending Raptors and Banshee's will not be tolerated here, time for your repremand and reprogramming.

If you want a real machine that will contend with a 400EX or 250R in the woods, MX track, or just spirited riding - look toward Cannondale, not Yamaha.

[Leo]

Originally posted by 86atc250r


3-Punks, Report to the office immediately - defending Raptors and Banshee's will not be tolerated here, time for your repremand and reprogramming.

ROFLMAO...

[4punksdad]

maybe I had just a FEW to many to drink that day.........

I have two cousins, with raptors, one is stock with a 12t sprocket, and the other has a wb e-series slip on, and I was surprised that with the 12t sprocket it beats the other by about 5 bike lengths on a 1/4 mile drag. What a surprise!!! for the money the sprocket makes the bigger difference, and yes i did ride both of them. By the way they did beat my slightly modded 400 ex, one by about 5 bike lengths the other by obout 10. But the ex did have about a one wheel advantage up to about 3rd gear swithching into 4th.

[Chef]

Originally posted by 86atc250r
Raptor's wheelie easy because their swingarm is shorter, yes, I said shorter, than a 400EX.

I dont quite agree with this. On our raptor, when i ride it and drag race people it doesn't want to wheelie anymore than my 400 does, but my 400 is also extended a bit. anyways, on dry and somewhat moist/loamy dirt, the raptor gets the tires spinning enough that it doesnt want to wheelie, especially in the sand. it is the same in grass too. as far as just on trails, the raptor flat flies. i may be able to go as fast through tight trails on my quad, but it is close. it doesnt want to wheelie on me in the trails either