my girlfriend is thinking about buying a yamaha raptor 250 sometime soon in the future. i have been reading articles upon articles in dirt wheels, and 4 wheel ATV action. i know that the magazines brag this machine up. right now she is riding an 01 polaris trailblazer and i ride an 05 400ex. which she complains doesnt have enough power for her. however she has never ridden a manual shift/ manual clutch ATV. i figure since it "therotically" beat the 300ex, 250ex, and of course the kymco mongoose 300, that it might be a good starting point for her. she chose this machine on looks over the other 3 machines. we ride mostly fast fire roads, and some tighter rocky, muddy trails. since she hasnt really ridden many wheelers, i dont feel comfortable with her on a machine like my 400, or equivilent(or better). i want to hear from people how this thing compares "in real world applications." roughly what is the top speed of this machine, and the horsepower figures? my girlfriend is 5' 2" tall, so i figured her smaller height/ frame would be a perfect match for this machine. also the price of it doesnt hurt either. thanks for any replies.

 

the raptor 250 i think is a great all around atv for a 250. it's the lightest in it's class and will blow the plastics off any other 250. the top speed is about 55-60 mph stock. i am not sure what the hp and torque ratios are but i do know that for a stock 250 it's got *****! and it will go through anything you take it through.

hope this helps some

 

THE RAPTOR 250 IS A GREAT STARTER QUAD IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO GET INTO RACEING. I WOULD THINK ABOUT A RAPTOR 350 IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A TRAIL/SPORT BIKE AS IT IS A BETTER BIKE FOR ALLAROUND RIDING. THE 350 HAS REVERSE WITCH THE 250 DOES NOT, THE 350 IS SIGHTLY UNDERPOWERD COMPARD TO YOR 400 BUT NOT TO THE POINT IT IS BOERING, THINK OF IT LIKE THE 250 IS A QUAD YOU WANT BEFORE A YFZ450 AND THE 350 IS THE QUAD YOU WANT BEFORE A RAPTOR 700R. THE 350 IS JUST A BETTER EVERDAY QUAD. JUST MY THOUGHTS!

 

thanks for the replies. they do help out. the only reason i dont like the yamaha raptor 350 is because of the chain adjustment. im sure i could figure it out after some frustration. i do realize that reverse is necessary for trail riding. basically price and ease of routine maintenance. i. e chain adjusting. how would these two machines compare against eachother, a 250 raptor, and a 350 raptor. i know the 300ex beat out the raptor 350 (and warrior 350)in a shoot out, however the raptor 250 beats the 300ex. i know it has a lot to do with rider skill, and she isnt there yet. once this snow decides to turn into water we are going to go to a couple yamaha dealers and see what the machines feel like, and what she feels most comfortable on. please give me some more insight on both of these machines. thanks everyone!

 

The Raptor 350 is much better than the 300 ex its larger overall has more power all around better suspension more travel!!! and doesnt even cost much more. The Raptor 250 Beat the 300EX IN A SHOOT OUT the only thing I even see better about the 300 ex over the Raptor 250 is it's slighlty larger farme wise beside's that there's nothing elese left so I would go with the Raptor 250 over the 300EX anyday!!!And if I was you and could afford the lil extra money over the 25o rap id go with the rap 350 is chain adjuster isnt that bad you get the hang of it after a whille I have anyway's..Plus the RAPTOR 350 is BUllETPROOF ive beat mine up hard over time and is holding up great...

 

Everybody here is giving you good information, I have both the warrior and raptor 350, you girl friend is only 5'2, the Raptor 250 will fit her fine I'm shore but the 350 is been around 20 plus years and very reliable and it can be around for another 20 years, there are tons of cheap used and aftermarket parts around, there are a lot of used 350's around I'm shore you can pickup a stock clean late model one for $2500 I did, it has electric start and reverse it has a very easy clutch pull and easy throttle, very wide power band, plus its a good looking machine to, with some cheap mods it can perform and handle with your 400ex,