I'm in the market for a quad and it is between a Raptor or a DS650 Baja. I was woundering how you all are making out not having reverse?
what is the good points aout a DS650 and also what are some bad points??????
Thanks

 

If you have a chance ride both the raptor and the ds. It also depends on what kind of riding that you will be doing. I liked the ds alot better because of its size. If you are a larger rider, like myself, it will fit you really well. The raptor felt smallish to me.I haven't even missed the reverse thing. You just have to plan a little bit ahead. I can't really think of any bad points on the ds once you get the suspension setup for your weight and the toe adjusted on the front end. The stock rear tires and wimpy chain roller,probably are the worst things on the stock ds-650. Great reliability! no problems so far with my 01. These are not a problem though on the new Baja ds650. You won't go wrong with the ds! Happy quad hunting! We would love to have you join the fellow ds'ers! Great folks!

 

Hey fungus where are you riding this weekend. Lets hook up and ride.

 

I have both, and I think that 3TV has given you the honest truth about both quads. I was most worried about lugging around the extra weight. The Baja is about 70 pounds heavier than the raptor. But I have not really noticed it.

I have a piped, jetted and K&N filtered raptor and my baja is stock. I raced a friend of mine, with me on my Baja and him on the raptor. It was strictly a drag race. He is about 70 pounds lighter than me also, so I was expecting to get beat easily.

From a dead stop, he would jump out about 2 lengths until I hit second and then the Baja would real it in and we would be about even, this is only about 150 yards. Now, from a slight roll (maybe 3 mph) we would be dead even until I hit about 3rd and the Baja would start pulling away.

I was very impressed that the stock baja would pull the raptor with mods. I also never revved over about 6500 rpm on these races. I like this bike very much and would highly recommend it.

I would say the only down sides, would be the extra weight and the fact that they are not as popular (probably due to advertising) as the raptor, so there are not as many companies making aftermarket goodies yet.

Hope that helps you out
Bat

 

They are both excellent machines, but I disagree that if you're a large person that a raptor feels too small. Personally I'm 6'7" and 300 pounds, and I fit on my raptor just fine thanks.

If you're going to ride woods, get the raptor. It's hands down a better quad (at least imho) than the DS for woods riding. It's easier to move around on the trail, it has reverse, which is nice on the trails. You don't have to have reverse, I rode banshees without reverse for years, but then you constantly have to be thinking about leaving enough room to turn around. not pulling up to trees, etc. I use my raptor reverse alot, but then again i don't plan ahead so I don't have to use it. The raptor is just an easier quad to man handle on tight wood trails. Plus who wants to push 480 pounds up out of the way all the time in tight woods?? (not me, I'm a lazy ***)

If I was riding on sand, I'd prolly get the DS650. I mean the DS does stand for Dune and Sand doesn't it?

Yes, I own 2 raptors, and yes I am raptor bias. If I lived out in sand country, I'm sure I'd be bias another direction.

I think the most important thing is to get a quad that suits the BULK of your riding the best! Sand, open trails, and tighet wooded trails all require a different setup if you ask me...

Last but not least.. buy something, have fun.. don't argue about who has the best/fastest quad.. it's all BS.. personally, if you ask me.. the winner at the end of the day is the guy who goes home with the biggest smile..

 

Well said Brad, I was not trying to start a whose is faster type thing, I think they are pretty equal in the speed department.

I would agree that the raptor is better suited in the woods type trails and it is probably better on mx tracks.

I live and ride near dunes and travel to them as much as possible and other times I ride pretty much in the desert.

It is well said that the winner at the end of the day is the guy with the biggest smile.

Match the bike to your type of riding and get out there and have fun.

Bat

 

THanks for all the replys

 

Do you like your Sportsman? If you like the size and the handling of the Sportsman you will like the DS better than the Raptor. The Sportsman is big, the DS is bigger. The Raptor is smaller. Size matters. Especially with these two quads. One is big. One is small.
......The Raptor can be upsized with A-arms and axle, the axle a must. The DS cannot lose weight or acquire reverse.
......Power is even, how much more you want depends on you, there is plenty of stuff out there. They are both great quads. They both need a few mods to dial them in. The choice is yours.