I currently have a 2002 warrior that works pretty well for the riding I do..(hill climbs, woods trails, mud)

Next yr the engine is going to need a rebuild...should I just bite the bullet and upgrade to a Raptor before then?

I'm worried the Raptor may not be as good at hill climbs if the front end is much lighter + the additional power.

If I would keep the warrior I would get some kind of stroker or big bore kit and a cam kit to liven things up a little...try to get near 30hp or so. I just hate to throw good money into a warrior that has a worse suspension...

Basically it boils down to this...my warrior is proabbly worth 1700 and with a new engine i'll have another 1k into it..so figure 2700...

For 2700 I could buy a Raptor...but i'm unsure if the raptor will be as good as my warrior is for hill climbs, mud, woods riding...etc.

 

I ride trails similar to you and the Raptor 660 is much better. Suspension doesn't even compare. I had a 660 that got stolen, and after that I bought a Warrior - big mistake! The Warrior sucked compared to the 660. After 3 years went by I found my 660 still in 1 piece and sold the Warrior. I'll never own another Warrior again if I can help it.

 

I agree. You won't be disappointed with a raptor. They are pretty good rides for what your describing.

 

Plus what's nice about the raptor, is it has crazy torque. so it'd be able to power you up the hills [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

THere has no doubt been a few times where I wished I had raptor power. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] I did upgrade my warrior to yfz450 front shocks...I still have the stock rear. I didn't think they made a very big difference...I like to hit the occasional jump and any softer they will bottom (really hard vs kinda hard) and any stiffer on the spring and the ride quality isn't improved over the stockers...guess the wt and poor geometery of the warrior is the culprit...

Can anyone comment on whether or not they think raptors are "too light" in the front?

I"m mostly concerned with how the raptors perform up hills...I know they have more power and better suspensions. The hill climbs we do require you to make it...or there's a good chance your quad is toast....I hate to "upgrade" only to realize i've down-graded for the dangerous portions of my riding.

You smellin what I'm steppin in?

 

I have a 700, and I don't think the front end is light by any means, I've done my share of hill climbs with it, and I don't think it's light. But I've also got a +2 Swingarm on it.

-Randy