Knutz,
Cool, on what days do u usually go. I usually go on weekends or on fridays.Next time i go, it will probably be sometime in the summer and i will be riding my friends red 2001 400ex because i sold my raptor today and i need to save for the ds(I'm only 15 and my mom or dad won't help me any more they said if I happen to sell the raptor then its your responsibility to save for a new quad.) So it will take probably till july to get the money saved up and get my brand new ds.


Thanks,
Dan

 

demonic660R,
How are you doin? I am only 16 and I have Raptor and I really love it. I never have a problem with it since mid of Oct. I am wondering what is wrong with your Raptor that you don't like. Why do you dislike your Raptor? If you have CA Raptor model and I will understand that you don't like it. Do you have any Mods on you Raptor? If not well try to put pipe on it and IT WILL REALLY WAKE UP BIG TIME!! because the factory pipe takes away alot of ponies for some stupid safety reasons. But still I can't image that DS650 would be faster than my Raptor. My Raptor is totally stock but only beauty Well I am just wondering why you are selling your Raptor. But keep in mind that DS is little more money and plus if you buy the pipe for the Raptor I am sure that you will love it! that's my opinion. Please no flames. Hey DS owners I think your machine is really sweet and my 2nd quad next to the Raptor would be DS!!
Anyways, I would love to race a stock DS over the summer. Any DS owner in PA around Erie?? Just feel free to post if you want to race with a Raptor.
Thank you
Hava nice day and ride SAFE!

Wolverine16
99 Wolverine
01 Raptor

 

The DS won the Roof of Africa rally, too, using Ron Wood stage 1 parts...

 

check this out,with very few mods(listed below)i hooked the bomb to a pot belly Ford tractor, which was broken down,just to see if it would pull it.i was in the driveway at my landlords house which is gravle.starting at the BOTTOM of the hill which is probably 25-30 yards long,at about a 20% grade,we hooked the chain around the grab bar(which was wraped in a towel so we didnt scratch it) eased out on the clutch untill the chain was tight and then eased on the gas and out on the clutch,the tires started to spin slowly,i gave it more gas and before i knew it the bombs tire spin slowed down and up the hill we went with the little pot belly Ford tractor in tow.yes,i was cheesen pretty hard when we reached the top and just relized what i had done.i just wished i had bet some money on it.SO,if anyone asked you if the bomb has bottom end i can most certainly say yes without a dought.

 

No they dont the only thing that will help is to get a 400ex and solve all your problems

 

I seem to have gotten a pair of really stiff front shocks compared to what everybody else says they have. I just put "Works Steelers", $335/pair, now I can see the front A-arms move. I don't know why these shocks were so stiff, but you might check the one you buy to see if they are stiff or soft. These stiff ones really suck.
They just beat the crap out of me on our rough rocky mountain trails here in New Mexico.
I like the Timmy boy upper A-arms, I thought it handled like crap before them and a shadetree alignment job. It was toed out about an inch! I have it toed out an eighth inch, but I hear the Baja DS was toed in about an eighth. Castor is near max, even with the shock angle, slight camber.
The XCT's are great, I put a 14 tooth countershaft sprocket on to compensate, and I did not cut anything away to make them fit. I don't know what these guys are talking about. I think the 22" rears fit just fine. I havn't messed with a pipe yet, more low end would be welcome, first gear is pretty tall for some of the rough sections out here.
I was surprised how much I had to do to get the DS just right. I thought it was more "ready" than a Raptor would be, which we are getting for my son. I already have the durablue axle and nerf bars for the Black and White Raptor, which we are expecting in the next couple of weeks.
So, what problems did you have with the Raptor? You can tell us. Real experience is not bashing.

 

why would i buy a 400EX? i dont want to go slower.

 

Chop, I agree.
If any of us who own DS650s had wanted to go slow, we've had since 1998 to buy a 400ex, and the vast majority have not. I think that fact alone, most of us have passed up the 400ex for 3 years and bought a DS650 instead speaks volumes for our lack of desire to own a 400EX.

 

Hi everyone,
I'll tell you the truth my raptor was in the shop 6 times out of the four months that I had it. Three times with leaking gasket and electrical problems,once because the transmission locked and the other two times one I fouled my spark plugs and the other I had to replace my clutch. I also popped a few tires but I don't blame that on the raptor. I also almost killed myself because the front end came up unexpectedley and if it wasn't for the soft sand and my helmet I probably would have broke something. Now you know why I didn't like my raptor. I am excited to be getting a more stable reliable and more powerful quad the ds650.

Thanks,
Dan
PS
I have a couple more questions for ds owners.
1. Is the timmyboy upper a arms the only way to get rid of the bumpsteer? I was thinking about getting an alba steering stabilizer would they help any or should I just spend the money and get the a arms?
2. What are the best v-shaped paddle tires for the front and rear? What size should I get for front and rear? Which ones offer the ultimate traction?
3. I heard that white brothers is making the slip on muffler and do you know when it will be available?

Thanks again,
Dan

 

Dan

Apologies if you were offended by my un-intentional wheelie comment. It's fair to say that most of us have been bitten by the machines we love, but we get back on again, and laugh quietly once the bones have set!

In answer to your last question about exhausts, have a look at the Custom-X thread, if you have not already. I have one of the "new" model that is being talked about, and it is positively Feral.
I do not have the spark arrestor though (don't need it in Australia). The exhaust note is very nice, it barks!! Regarding noise, I have not tested but it is quieter than a Husaberg FC600 by a fair margin. Responsiveness with the re-jetted stock carb is awesome.

Look at the dyno tests for all the pipes you are considering before laying down the dollars.

I have pictures of the exhaust on my website.