Hi!
I really want to get a Raptor but the magazines are scaring me. I keep reading that the Raptor is too tall and tippy. If this is true what mods can I get to fix this problem? If you suggest that I get extended A-arms, swing arms and axels what size should I get? Who makes the best shocks for the Raptor? What is the strongest and most reliable skid ,a-arms ,and swingarm plates that I can get for the Raptor? Thanks Dan

 

One of the cheapest ways to get rid of the tippyness is to buy a set of Holeshots for the back. The stock tires have soft sidewalls and dont slide very well. I would leave the a-arms alone. I think if your not satisfied with the tires then the axles should cure your problem. But hey, thats just me.

 

I wouldn't say the Raptor is "tippy". Mine hasn't been too bad to get along with. There is some body roll in corners, but upping the front preload helps that a lot. I intend to go with .5-1" more offset on the front wheels when the tires go and put in a wider rear axle (you can get a used banshee axle w/+3" over the Raptor for $120 used!) after the warranty expires. Both of these mods are common to sport quads (except the titanic DS).

Some guys have complained that it is to wheelie prone. I ride mostly desert roads/track and haven't had any wheelie problems. However, I did have my 210 lbs too far forward last sunday, hit a rut, and went for a little flight OTB. By the way, new front and rear fenders are about $240 & $199 respectively.

 

For duning a wider axle is the way to go. I put on a Lone Star Axcalibar axle, and Douglas 2+3 offset front rims. I set the front springs to their softest setting and adjusted the rear spring to its softest setting. This lowered it a little. The handling is night and day better. Way more stable on razorbacks, side hilling, slides better, is less tippy, and more plush. If you are into jumping (which I'm NOT) the offset wheels and spring settings may not be a good idea. I like to ride fast through the dunes, but no jumping. Was at Dumont last weekend and two different guys were killed jumping. Broke their necks.

 

dsdunster, First thing to get is wider rear axle and maxxis razors! This helps with stability alot Next put a TC racing exhaust on it the gains are tremendous over stock. No need to go wider in the front all the mags say that its 2inches narrower than a 400ex well I have both sitting in my gaurage and the front end is the same width as the 400ex if you go 2inches in the rear the rear is then identicall to the 400 which helps alot. I have TCS shocks on order this is suppose to lower ride height 2.5 to 3inches ( I can get you these shocks at a discount if your ever interested!) All in all the raptor is great and its even greater with each mod you put on it. As far as swing arm I was going to go longer they LONestar say that +1 swingarm is what everyone is getting. I think I am going to just stay stock swingarm because the raptor is 72" long as is the 250r and the 400ex so the lenth is good although the r's frame is 1inch shorter and the swingarm is longer where as on the raptor the frame is 1inch longer and the swingarm is shorter this is why you do get some excesive traction coming out of some turns but I am racing xc so stock swingarm and the raptor turns real sharpe for dunes I would probably go +2 although I have no expierance riding dunes this is just what I think would work good in the dunes. If you do any reall steep hill climbing where clutch use is a must the stock clutch heats up and fades quick so I just recieved my barnett carbon fiber clutch but I havent tried it yet but I hope this helps with clutch fade. So keep us posted on your decision and if you need any aftermarket goodies I can help you out on most stuff.

 

All ya prm-atv.com makes the best skids in my opinion by far PRM products hold up great!

 

Had to share this and took me just a short while (2- beers) to see if it worked for me. I read in another post a lowering mod that a guy from Austrailia discovered and liked the ride height. Take the swingarm linkage, the part that mounts to swingarm on the one end and a rod that goes to the frame behind the motor on the other and the shock mounted in between and flip it over. You'll notice when you got it out that it is offset about 3/4". Leave the rod attached and reinstall. Didn't notice any problems with clearance anywhere. It adds up to about 2" lower seat height. I put my front shocks back down to their lowest setting and it seems to set level. With the addition of Works fronts that set lower, I'm looking at one nasty ice/flattrack machine. We don't do much hard jumping here either. It puts more vitals close to the ground but still shows about 9" clearance under the engine. I'd probably change it back for going north trail riding , not knowing what we run into , but it doesn't take long to change it back. Hope this helped.

 

dsdunster,

Here's my two cents on tippiness. I have a Raptor and a Scrambler. Guess what, their geometies are almost identical. Flip my Raptor? Never. Tilt? Ocassionally when I hit a corner too fast (like almost every bike I've ridden). If you want to talk tippy, let's talk about my warrior. I never realized how bad that bike was until I got the Scrambler. It's 2 inches shorter, but also 2 narrower in back and 4 inches narrower in front than the Raptor. But you don't see people complaining about those. I think most people need to qualify their statements and say the bike is tippier than....bike x. Because it is not a bad design. Of coarse, every racer (and many duners) always put wider axels and a-arms on their bikes...so I guess every bike is too tippy depending on their riding style?

-Skrambler

 

DSD,

I have to agree with Digs (see I'm not so bad), I put holeshots on mine and it has a LOT less top heavy feel; nice sliding. For me, axles wouldn't work, because I ride with a lot of Banshees and 400ex guys, so the hills we all form are a nightmare for the ONE guy there that has wider dura blue axles on his Banshee. Just an observation. Ride Out!

 

Hi again.Thanks for all yor info i'm diffenetly getting a raptor.xtreme165 I would be very interrested in a discount for the tcs shocks,but i have to get the raptor first(which is going to take 3-4 months because i have to save for it).Anyways i have couple more questions:

1. I'm going to be riding in trails more then dunes and i was wondering what size swingarm should I get or should i get it all?

2.What size razrs should I get,front and rear?

3.I was wondering if I go ahead and extend my swing arm can I still extend my a-arms the same length as my axl would that make it even more sturdy or would it make it worse?

Thanks,
Dan