The release date is September, 2000. Judging by that, I think it's impossible to have recieved one.

Combination of reasons
1) have 5 machines in the garage.....4 now.
2) riding in the summer is to hot so it would sit alot.
3) could use the money for other things instead of being wrapped up in the DS (one fast mutha!)
4) wife had a difficult time riding it and griped alot about it...this weighed heavy on decision.
5) and yes the release of other quads info (raptor, cannondale) caught my attention as well.
Sold for $6700
Next quad....taking a gamble on the new raptor

The DS 650 is one nice machine in my opinion and needs to be looked at very, very, hard. I can't really comment on the Raptor as of yet until I actually see it with my own eyes. You will find plenty of articles with plenty of different ratings about the Raptor and that puzzles me....

toss 00 DS650 ($6400)/01 Raptor ($6400)Blk/White
98 Warrior gone

Would any of the 573 people who have voted for the raptor as best sport quad please explain how they came to that conclusion without ever having riden or seen a raptor before.

I think they are just putting 2 and 2 together. Its Yamaha, its new, and it Rated 5 stars in Reviews. Its light, has 45+ REAR wheel HP, is a 4 stroke, and handles and jumps great. The frame is awesome, similar to GOOD aftermarket R frames (rolling chassis). It has reverse, it looks good, and beats Banshees in drags. ( before anyone says it, quotes from testers say - " the Banshee won a few gating runs, but any decent length drag results in Raptor winning every time, even after bad starts.) Remember - Banshee...one of the Fastest EVER quads. A quad that fast, AND with all the other stuff added in..sounds like a no brainer to me. Thats my opinion, but come on folks..you gotta see what Im seeing here ? finally, a quad that Handles, like everyone wants and says is soooo important, plus the torque,Hp, and speed - it sounds too good to be true. Of course people are gonna vote it as best out there, at least for now. I just cant wait to hear a 660 4 stroke, revving to 9000 Rpm, through 5 gear...yow !

If anyone even thinks that this is BS, this is the facts - Not guessing. And rumor has it, that Yamaha is making a last minute sprocket switch, to RIP TOTAL A## outta the hole, and STILL have the fastest top end, probably still in the high 70's.
Just wait and see, the voters who voted it best, might just have voted correctly. Within a few weeks, we will all know for sure. (Maybe, the mags suck anymore).

Later...and hope youve enjoyed my ramblings. But I did answer the question I think.

Cheers.

I haven't voted, but I guess that I need to. Care to guess what I'll pick?

Well, really weibz summed it up, but I'll add my 2 cents. I don't live in the desert, and I don't intend to make a living riding MX. I have had a Banshee and loved the power, but the 400ex flies so much easier over the jumps and handles really good. I have been riding more than once in the woods with me on a banshee and others on a 400 ex, and guess what? Even though the banshee is usually right there with them, they 400ex riders aren't working nearly as hard.

Yamaha has kind of gave us our cake and let us eat it too! Imagine, a quad that has what is arguably the best frame to every come out on a stock quad. Handling comparable to or even better than a 400ex. Power greater than a Banshee or DS650. Electric start and reverse.

What else could you resonably ask for with the sticker price that it carries?

The one thing that the magazines ALL agree on is that it handles like a champ. The race results don't scare me because the are all generic without hard facts, and the facts that they do give don't add up.

Okay, that was my rant for this post. To all those who still have a quad to ride, have fun and be safe.

Wow, I must be in the Twilight Zone, because I could have sworn this is the Bombardier forum. Is this really the Yamaha forum?

Get a clue, buy a vowel, watch your step, get back on the short bus...

I think a 80mph quad better have some width for stability and weight for strength.The Raptor is lighter but you will pay for it at the end.Look at used Quadzillas,TRX250R,LT250R and Tecate 4 the major promblem to look for is always cracks all over there frames.I think the 660 will put it's chassy right to hard work.Light and strong?You can not have it both ways.

weibz, Where did you see a dyno run of the Raptor showing 45+ HP?

I'm not convinced yet that the Raptor has more HP than the DS650 until I see a dyno run of the motor.