Which is more smooth???? and which take the best beating iam guessing the ex.

 

Pesidents Day weekend, I spent several hours riding a friends Raptor. The Raptor has a mushy feel, with LOTS of body roll. Where the EX has a more solid, planted feel. If I had a Raptor, it would have to be widened 4" and have aftermarket shocks, minimum.

 

damn.... I'm really curious about the Raptor... to the point where I may purchase one...

and if I do (since I ride a 400EX now) it sounds like I'm going to be impressed with the power, but dissapointed with the handling, huh?

I didn't think I'd be that dissapointed, if at all, since I don't race MX or anything.... I mean, my EX is set up as soft as it will go for trail riding... so I was thinking even a more plush ride, more power, narrower stance for tight trials, and reverse would be right up my alley..... no???

 

They are about the same...neither ride very good at low speed. The Raptor rides a little worse after increasing front shock pre-load too cure the body roll thing as well.

 

DSAPP, I have owned a 400ex and loved it. I have a very close friend with a raptor which I have ridden countless times. I am a jumper, and since you said that your suspension is set at its softest for trail riding, then I am forced to assume that you rarely jump at all. If this is true, then all of your assumption about the raptor being great for you are dead on. You will have more power, a VERY plush ride, and reverse. Not only are the 400's shocks more stiff, they fade very quickly when ridden hard. So after 6 months of riding, if you push it hard, the 400's shocks are likely to be extremely harsh and the raptors will still provide that mushy feel that trail riders love and racers hate. And even though, mod for mod, the raptor will never handle as good as the 400ex or LT/KFX 400- if you like the way your 400 feels right now it is easy to reach that level with a raptor. Just slap on a +2 axle and get a steering dampener and you will be able to handle with the ex's and z's. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pro-raptor or anything, but it sounds like you would love one and regaurdless of my Honda-Red Blood they are good machines.

 

even though my shocks are set soft... I still love to jump....

mostly smaller jumps... some small doubles and tabletops... but mostly trail oriented jumps.. 2-4 feet high, to landing on the flat ground

 

You are a Raptor man. My friend pushes his VERY hard on the trail and he jumps about the same as you are talking about. Oh, I guess I should mention that the trails that he is on are out in Las Vegas, so we're talking about nasty, rocky, washed out trails. He was the 2nd person to get a Raptor in Vegas and after all this time his shocks still feel super soft and they shouldn't bottom on the jumps that you are talking about.
Even though we are talking about Raptor vs 400ex suspension, I have really been wanting to say this for a while now so here goes, maybe I'll stir the chilli.

I firmly believe that the Honda 250r will never be topped. However, they are old and new is nice. Therefore I believe that the Predator is an excellent machine. I feel like it will turn into a very competitive racer because of two reasons
1. It is a good and effective design with a strong, smooth powerplant.
2. It has sooo many things on it that people long for but can't afford from the aftermarket, i.e.- widened a-arms, widened axle, steel-braided break lines, and yes- even the basic shocks are aftermarket quality. You can rebuild them, re-valve them, add tripple rate springs to them, and even add reservoirs to them. The only other quad to offer this are the Cannondales, and now the Cannibals don't have the Ohlins and they were the only remotely affordable ones for most people, plus you have the troubles of the bankruptcy. I really like the 'Dales alot and I don't think their will be another quad like it ever built again, but IMO I don't think even the Moto handles as good as the Predator.
With all this said, I feel that because the Predator comes stock with so many racer options, is a good solid design, and is VERY affordable- it will be a VERY strong competitor in the future and it is the best quad on the market today.
For those of you that stuck around till the end- WOW! You must either really love this sport or you're really bored.

 

a stock Predator weighs almost 100lbs. MORE than a stock 250R...... that's a BIG difference, not in the favor of a racer

Predator: 415lbs. + 30lbs. for gas, oil, coolant = 435lbs.

250R: 328lbs. + 10lbs. for gas/oil premix = 338lbs.


PS... how did this go from being a Raptor VS 400EX thread, to a Predator VS 250R thread??? lol

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Sorry about my little soap box. The suspension is what got me thinking about the Predator.

I wasn't saying that the Predator was better than an R, and I deffinately wasn't saying it weighed less. What I ment by saying that the 250R would never be topped was my opinion that there would never be another quad made as versitile as the 250R.

Oh and the heavy Predetor thing, I really didn't think it felt any heavier than a Raptor. Maybe if I thought a quad that wasn't prone to constant wheelieing felt heavy, then I would say it felt heavy compared to a Raptor.