ok, first off. this is not intended to be a versus thread asking which one is better. i don't want everyone getting their feathers ruffled and screaming that the raptor is junk and that the bomb is the hold grail of quads. before i go any further , let me explain the situation...

a bunch of friends have started buying quads/sandrails and are going out to the dunes and OHV areas to play around. i bought the 700R and the TRX 250 for my wife and i. a friend of mine is also looking at quads and absolutely loves the new 700R (the new suspension really does make a night and day difference when compared to the 660). however, he does not want to get the same bike that i have if he can find a suitable alternative. now from what i have read, the DS 650 and the 700R are very similar but i (and my friend) would like to gather as much info about them as possible before he decides to buy one. 7k is alot of money to spend on something you are not able to test drive before you buy.

so now that i have given you guys a bit of background on the situation, iwould like to ask you guys a few questions...

as i understand it, the DS 650 and the 660 were very close in acceleration/top speed when stock. i may be mistaken but i believe i read somewhere that the DS 650 actually had more power but it was off set by the extra 100lbs it hauls around. how does a stock DS 650 compare to a stock 700R? please don't tell me that you slaughtered some poor rappy owner and all you had was a pipe, carb, cam, head work, turbo, nitrous, jet pack, etc. or vice versa. i want to know how they compare stock to stock.

how do these two bikes (remember we are comparing the DS 650 to the new 700R, not the older 660) compare in terms of handling and comfort? from what i gather, the 700R handles better but the DS 650 has a better ride and you are not as sore at the end of the day.....basically like riding on a sofa. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

lastly, are there any known quirks about the bike that a new or prospective owner should know about? i hate to ask questions that i'm sure have been asked before but i seriously could not find answers to my questions that were not in the context of which bike was ultimately better. even in that respect it was ultimately useless because the yamaha guys would say that the raptor was the best and the bombardier guys would say that the DS 650 was the best. if we ever saw a DS 650 riding around we wouldn't be hesitant in asking for a test drive but unfortunately we have yet to see one that isn't on the showroom floor.

thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide.

 

I cannot compare to the 700R as I have not ridden one, nor had the chance to run one with equall mods or when I was stock. What I can tell you is that this baby is powerful, fast, pulls my fat a$$ everywhere, and at the end of the day I feel like I was home watching football in the ol lazy boy. The suspension and overall clearence of the beast is outstanding, and I do not believe I would go to anything else. And if your buddy is a "bigger" guy, he will really be happy with it.

 

I own both.

Stock to stock the 700R is faster on the race hill, it is easier to throw around on the tight trails and it does everything very well. It is the most comfortable Japanese sport quad on the market and it is almost as quick as the knife edged YFZ450.

Getting off the 700R and getting on my DS is like getting out of a honda and into a Mercedes. The DS feels solid, smooth and stable. The DS has a significant ride comfort advantage. The bars are high enough that you can stand up through the whoops without bending over (much). The seat is second to none and the suspension is incredible. I can take my DS and hit a long whoop road in 3rd or 4th gear flat out and it just soaks up the bumps. My 700R gets scary at much slower speeds doing that little manuever.

How old are you guys? If you are already 40 or plan to turn 40 while you own these new quads, buy the DS. Your body will thank you.

Ron

 

LMAO Jetpack.......That was funny. I sold my Predator cause I wanted something more comfortable. I now have a DS and not for the speed/handling, I bought it solely for the Seat and Suspension...........I like the Caddy ride.

The 700R is a nice bike from what I hear. The DS is made for us Larger sized guys that don't care that's it's carrying an extra 100lbs, so am I....LOL

What your buddy needs to do is to go to a dealership with lots of bikes, sit on them and check them out. Then see if you can borrow/ride others toys to make an opinion. The Fastest to the top of the hill doesn't mean it's the best bike out there. If that were the case, there would only be one quad/car/truck made.

Good luck, but he really needs to find out what the important features are to him. Straight line speed, woods, mud, desert, dunes, suspension, weight, etc.

 

DSNUT - i'm 26 and my friend is 28 or 29 (can't remember which). but i can definitely appreciate what you are saying. i don't bounce back as quickly as i did at 18. i'm sure this condition only get worse with age.

AZpredator - he is mainly looking for a bike that is comfortable, stable, fun to ride, powerful enough to hold it's own, and dependable. basically a jack of all trades. it doesn't have to be the best at anything, but it would be nice if it were good at everything.


thanks for the info so far. please keep it coming as i'm going to send him a link to this once he gets back to work.

so far it sounds like the DS 650 might just fit the bill. he is also interested in the polaris predator but i think at this point in time is leaning more towards the DS 650 if he decides not to get a raptor.

 

Yea fuzzy, allot of it has to do with the type of riding. I ended up getting the Predator because I still like acting like a kid and doing some MX and jumping and stuff. I bought about a month before the 700's hit the floors, and have asked myself "what if" on more than one occasion, but am very happy with it for the type of riding I do. I would do too much of that stuff on the DS as it is heavier and not really it forte. Unlike AZPredator there, I'm more of a ride hard for 30 minutes and take a break kind of guy vs. the 100 mile trail ride. If what you are talking about doing is mostly duning and running the hills or doing some long wide open trail riding, you guys are definately on the right track with the 700R and the DS. The DS will also mod up very well...the 700R is limited because it's new, but there is some pretty good stuff starting to come out for it.

For the record, I'm 41 and feeling every day of it...regardless of if I ride or not...

 

I have ridden the 700 and own the 660 and a bomb. If you want to race on a tight cource or want a bike you can throw around I would go for the 700. But when I rode the raptor and then got back on the bomb I was sure glad I owned the bomber they are alot easier to ride because they are more predictable in the rough stuff and they are a big bike that is very easy to throw around and you don't feel the weight as much as one might think. I hope you guys run across some one that will let you take a bomber for a ride for a while and then get off it and jump on the 700 so your buddy can make a good choice for himself.

 

come to my house and you can test ride the x all you want. it all depends on what a person wants and likes.

 

And just for the record, the bomb can be jumped and ran through some good tight trail runs. And I tell you what, you can jump that bomp all day long and the landings are spectacular [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Stock, in my opinion the DS is good at everything. Then add a pipe, or end cap, and a new air filter and you will never look back.

I would like to check out that 700R one of these days, just to compare for myself. I have sat on one, and still felt like it was too small for me. But that is just my perception on things...

 

Since you're down at Redlands why don't you come out this weekend to 4SW. You will finds lots of DS's and I'm sure more than a few kind souls to let your friend test one out.
If that doesn't work out for you then I would be glad to meet you up here around the 29 Palms area, maybe out at Johnson Valley, and let you guys get some seat time on an 03 and a 2000. Just make sure to bring along that 700R so I can see what all of the fuss is about![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

PM me and we can hook it up. Just let me get recovered form this weekend...