Hey Im buying either going to be buying a predator or raptor 660. I dont have the money for the 700 nor am I interested in saving up for one. I dont want any brand bashing please. Im just wondering the pros and cons of one over the other. I do alot of hard trails and sometimes go out to the dunes. Mostly all day rides with friends though. Thanks!

 

Never ridden a predator, i do however own a 2005 Raptor 660. I love it. Comfy ride, awesome power and pretty much unmatched torque. Great for sand and trails. The only downside if you can call it that is they can be a little "tippy" compared to a lower sitting sport quad but honestly it is a very exaggerated issue. Does well on gas so long rides aren't an issue and much more comfortable for all day riding than say a 450. I've had no problems with mine to speak of.

Overall i love mine.

 

Thanks for the reply! Yes I hear they have a ton of torque! The tippy feeling wouldn't bother me because I know a ton of riders do like to over exaggerate a lot lol. I hear the predators a little faster stock but the raptor has better bottom end. It pretty easy to wheelie your raptor? And would you recommend it for some hard wooded riding with a little mud, not enough to need 4x4 though but maybe some splashing.

 

They do have a ton of torque, much more than any 450. Again, i have no idea how a predator compares as i have zero experience with them, however i doubt the difference is much one way or the other and simple mods will fix that anyway.

As for it being "tippy", even if you aren't satisfied with the handling you could always widen it a little down the road, but again people make way too much of this very small issue.

The raptor is by far the easiest atv to wheelie that i've ever ridden. The stance it has combined with its immense torque makes it a wheelie machine. It nice to just blip the throttle and lift the the wheels across bumps. When racing, launching will take some practice as it is a fight to keep the front end on the ground!

Mud/water isn't an issue. I've had it in water above the tires and caked in mud on many occasions. It really does take some good thick, deep mud to get it stuck. Having reverse also gives you a little extra ability to get yourself out. I think only the late model predators (05 or 06 and newer) have reverse. You will love having reverse in the trails. Before my raptor i never had an atv with reverse and swore it was unnecessary, but let me tell you i wouldn't want to be without it now. Might be something to consider. It will do great in hard woods riding, and will take a lot more than a little splashing to get it stuck. I've yet to need mine towed out of the mud.

Here's a pic of mine after some mud. This was after the rain washed it off, but as you can see it didn't mind a little mud

 

Thanks for the very well thought out reply! And nice picture! I'm still really torn. I hear preds come stock a bit faster than 660s and I ride with a guy with a 700r. I just want something that will keep up with him a little better. But I also hear preds dont wheelie very good and have bad low end power:/

 

And I Love the raptors look, better than he predator.

 

Honestly the difference isn't that much. I ride with 700r's, a 700xx honda, bunch of 450s, etc. Yeah if you race him a 700 is going to get you by a couple lengths but you will have ZERO issue keeping up. The 700's really aren't that much faster, faster for sure but it's only a few hp. Exhaust, intake and rejet and you will be the one winning the races anyway. Predator may be a little faster, but even if so the difference is so little that i doubt you would even notice between the two. I honestly wouldn't buy one or the other hoping its just a little faster. Both are wicked fast and will keep up with any stock or lightly modded machine.

I don't think the predator's issue is so much lack of low end (although it will have less than a raptor) but more the way its weight is distributed and its weight for a quad its size. I've always heard they were hard to wheelie for this reason. Like i said, you won't find a better wheelie machine than a 660 raptor.

 

Hey i was wondering which one you ended up buying cause i have the same problem... I was thinking the predator500 cause i seen one for a really good price? Do you kniw if it has any mayor defects? Its a 2007 model

 

The Polaris Predator is a victim of zero experience in the sport quad market on Polaris's part. The handling is atrocious, my Lakota feels more stable and nimble. The power is just never where you want it, it was never where I wanted it anyway, but that could be a simple gearing issue. Needless to say, don't waste your money, if its between a Raptor and Predator, go Raptor. They both have badass names, one is simply built better than the other.