Need help deciding if I should get this raptor. It's a 2003 raptor 660. Looks in good shape. Yoshi exhaust. Guy wanted 2200. Got him down to $1500. Is this deal too good to pass up? I was looking for a z400. I already own a z400. Just looking for another quad for brother in law. I read that the 660 is tippy and front end comes up too easily. Any info?

 

Not sure what your gonna do with it, but that sounds cheap to me if it is in good shape as far as mechanically. Just ride it and see if it runs like it is suppose to. Small stuff is cheap to fix on it, but if its engine stuff or tranny stuff you can get into some cabbage.
Best thing is to look at where its comming from. Do you trust the guy? If taken care of this bike will last for many hours with no problems, but if it was rode hard and put up wet, it might leave a bad taste in your mouth.
As for being tippy and poping up don't fret that with this bike. I dont think you'll have too much problems with that once you learn how to ride it. The tippy stuff comes from people that want to track race it and compare it to the bikes with lower mounted engines. For everyday trail riding your not going to notice that. As for the poping up, I'd have to say its just because they have so much torque as compared to most others. I personally like being able to lift the front tires to hop over obstacles.
For trail riding, Id say the Raptor is one of my favorite bikes on the market today. Plush ride, good power, reverse, and lots of aftermarket parts.

 

Thanks for the awesome reply. Mostly gonna trail ride. No racing. Here is pic.
http://altoona.craigslist.org/mcy/3482552650.html
Thanks again.

 

Looks like a nice enough bike from the pictures, but pics usually make stuff look better than it actually is. Have you laid eyes on the bike in real life? Sadly some people use pics that don't represent the bike totally and then you drive a long way to get it and end up disappointed.
Of course there are also times when people are honest. Just be sure to ride it and check out the major stuff like smoking, shifting, ect...
If your truely in the market for a quad, then that seems like a nice bike cosmetically. I bought an 01 back in 2006 for $1500 and thought I stole it. The bike had been rode pretty hard, but still gave us years of service with no problems at all. In fact I would still have had it if not for a fire. The Raptors are fairly bullet proof as long as basic maintenance has been done.
Good luck and hope you enjoy if you do decide to buy.

 

$1500 is a good deal if it's in good shape. I like the 660 Raptors, but they are a handful to ride compared to other quads, they just require a little more body english to keep the wheels planted when doing some fast trail riding, but that just makes it more fun!

I have a 2007 Suzuki Z400 for sale if you're interested. I'm in NC a few hours from Altoona. 2007 Suzuki LTZ400

 

At $1500, if you check out the bike and ride it, you probably cant go wrong. Check the oil and air filter, see if the guy has regular maintenance items in his garage for it. I have an 02 660 and it still runs great, although I maintain it. Ridden very hard on rocky desert terrain and Im a big guy, here is my failure list: rewelded frame cracks, throw out bearing went south so put in an LA one way with no problems since and many years ago, had tranny rebuilt from a cracked 3rd gear years ago, no problems since.

That being said, I would have still bought the same machine.