Finally made the decision to give up on the Raptor. I am getting my third 400ex (a 2001) this weekend if all goes well.

Why? The main reason for me is that the Raptor has too much weight and handling problems to overcome to make it a serious quad for mx and hare scrambles. I will wait for the next killer quad from Honda unless Yamaha comes out with something that could be competitive in a National MX race. Plus, I am tired of fixing all the little things and losing riding time waiting for parts.

I will definitely miss the fun factor of snapping that throttle and trying to hang on for dear life on some of the hillclimbs. I've been riding one of the 400exs so much lately that I know I am ultimately faster on it when endurance comes into play. It lands from jumps better with the stock setup than my Raptor with Elkas. I put the front Elkas on the 400ex recently (luckily I had to the spare pieces for this since Elka shipped it to me with the 400ex bushings). It lands like a dream. I thought about all the other quads that have recently come out and don't really think that highly of them. I was almost ready to get a Cannondale Blaze when I caught the early rumors of their financial problems. There really isn't anything about the new quads that make them standout. The Raptor was a big change when it came out. That is what I want in my next quad. Hopefully one of the manufacturers comes out with a true mx-type sport quad to satisfy the market of all the people who enjoy riding in circles instead of a straight line. If I move out West, I will definitely put my leg over another Raptor (hopefully a 900cc by then).

Thanks for all the help everyone has given.

/NotuRaptor