Hiya. I took my Raptor to the Glamis sand dunes this weekend, it was the first time I've ridden it. Wow.
Frankly, at first I was intimidated by the thing. My previous quad was a Suzuki QuadSport 230, and the Raptor makes it look like a wheelchair. After about an hour of just putting around, I started opening it up a bit, and thats when perma-grin set in.
This blue streak likes speed. It hunkers down around 50 mph, absorbing the roughs and feels competely stable. A couple of times, I went off the edge of a four or five foot drop at speed, and as long as you are on the throttle at the edge, that baby lands like a cat.
Even without sand tires, I never had any trouble climbing up any of the dunes I tried, though it was my first time at Glamis, and I was told there were much higher and softer mountains out there.
Later in the day, I hooked up with some guys riding Banshees and 400ex's. We did some racing, and the modified Banshee smoked me off the line badly. I could easily catch and pass him though after a few hundred yards, especially over rougher terrain. The only thing the 400 ever saw of me was tails: tail light and rooster tails.
We found this awesome jump. I had about a two hundred yard approach going downhill, then 75 yards or so of uphill that launched us. I was consistantly getting several feet higher and farther than my riding buddies, launching at the top of fifth gear. After a while, I was bottoming out the suspension on every jump, but the Raptor didn't seem to mind. I don't know what these guys are doing to bend axles and arms, but they must be approaching terminal velocity. Also, I only weigh about 150 pounds, so that helps.
Anyway, I'm very glad I bought a Raptor. That was one of the funnest days of my life. If you haven't been to Glamis, go. If you are thinking about buying a Raptor, and don't mind being beat off the line by modified quads, get one. You'll love it.

 

Have you checked your engine oil level? Is it low?

 

Gary,

Why would it be low? I'm sure most of you have noticed, but the oil level changes in the tank tremendously according to the engine temperature.

 

I was just wondering if his new engine used any oil...since he had very little riding time on it before extended full throttle operation.

 

Hey Calvin were you at Olds hill at about 4pm with about 6 other quads? Because I was there, if that was you on that blue Raptor I was surprised how fast it was without any paddles, I was going to race you but you only raced a couple times and you left before I could race you, but anyway just wanted to see if that was you, later.

99 Banshee

 

Nah, I checked the oil, it was fine. I didn't start full throttle runs until I had about 6 hours on the engine.
Not sure if that was olds hill or not. I thought we were at competition hill there for a while, but I'm not that familiar with Glamis. That was probably me. I only saw one other Raptor that day, and it had paddles. As well as it performs without them, I may not get any. How much does it help? What kind would you recommend?

 

Paddles are like adding mega-horsepower to your quad, they make a *HUGE* difference. V-shaped paddles are great esp if you are a beginner because they will let you turn easier. Straight paddles offer the best traction though.

One thing concerned me about your post, you are definitely not breaking in your engine properly according to what it says in the owners manuals and from what the Yamaha mechanics are telling me. The break-in period for this motor is 20 hours, if for some reason you get hard into the throttle during this period you must let you engine cool down to a normal operating level. You could be doing some damage to your engine by running at those RPM levels while drag racing.

Last thing, in case you dont know, Please KEEP GLAMIS CLEAN! Dont leave trash in the dunes or at your camp spot. I am sure you *LOVE* Glamis and are probably hooked for life now that you have been there. So please help us to keep it all clean.

Blake
2001 Yamaha Sand Raptor 660R

Please visit www.glamisonline.org for everything you want to know about Glamis.

 

Calvin, if you could see the freeway next to the hill, you where at Comp, otherwise you where at Olds hill. Olds is much taller and steeper, most people hang at Olds during the day and do Comp at night. On the paddles I went with 20x10x10 8 paddle haulers the same as we use on my girl friends banshee. I'm going out for the first time next weekend so I'll let you know how they do. Thanks for the post, I can't wait to try this new machine at the dunes

 

Amen to keeping the dunes clean. I couldn't believe all the beer bottles thrown around there. I'm not some eco-nut, but come on, have some courtesy.
Anyway, in regards to the breaking in period, should you not use prolonged full throttle inside the first 20 hours? I know what the manual says, but it also says not to jump the Raptor, so I figure the manual is just being overly cautious.

 

Well they are saying that (jumping) because they dont want anyone to use the bike as a stunt vehicle. But *any* engine (esp motorcycle) need to be carefully broken in, so that the motor components wear in properly. Ask your Yamaha mechanic and I am sure he will say the same thing.

I would definitely take you bike in after 20 hours of riding and have the valves on your engine adjusted.

Blake
2001 Yamaha Sand Raptor 660R

Please visit www.glamisonline.org for everything you want to know about Glamis.