Thanks all, you have cleared it up any issues I may have had about the little rappy. In my head/heart I had rather go with the Yamaha or Honda, and to tell the truth the recoil starter and dated styling is killing the TRX90 IMHO.

About the mag shootouts, its one thing to win a 2 day contest, but what I want to know is will the thing start a year from now and can I find parts. That is why I posted here to talk to some actual owneres of the raptor. The thing around where I live is some of the other brands, Dinli to be specific, are only sold by a dealer around Christmas time, after that, they are gone till the next season.

Thanks again

 

My pleasure and I knew you had positive things to say about it.

Im sure it did. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

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

 

My son has been riding an 04 raptor 80 for over a year now and I love the durability. True it is not the best MX racer, but on the trail it wil hold its own. The motor is very torquey and has no problems going through the rough stuff. Also, I keep seeing 30mph as top speed, I clocked my son doing 42mph on dry pavement with a bone stock quad. It does ride alot better if you add wheel spacers or offset wheels.

 

Darn, I missed my opportunity to weigh in on the mini Rappy... Others have already expounded on the durability. That front end is pretty much indestructable. It also is a littl elarger than many of the mini's in it's class. Power wise, it pulls my 6'4" 300 pound butt around. You can remove the restrictor plate (Plastic) from teh air box for a little more power. And you have found the raptor 80 racing website. Some really good accessories there.

What I like about the machine is it does not do anything stupid. It is predictable, wont' get the kid in over their head when learning etc. What it is not is a racer. Leave that up to other machines. Besides, I am not a fan of kids racing any way. I admit it.

I would however suggest you get the wheel extenders.. but I do that for all makes and models. Wider equals safety.

Bottom line, the raptor 80 will be a excellent choice. And will without a doubt last through many kids if taken care of....without any trouble.

 

I too have to agree that the Raptor 80 is a reliable machine but like all brands it has its share of faults but I won't go attempting to pick them out. Should you decide to go with the Dinli or other Taiwan brand, parts are readily available in both stock and performance year around and some dealers will drop ship directly to your door.

 

I should have thought of you too DB, Sorry about that. MWQ

 

Since you have both. Is the Raptor really faster than a stock Dini? I have a hard time believing that. Surely not quicker? Those 2-strokes get off the line pretty fast.

42mph! Wow! That's almost as fast as a 250ex!

 

We don't own a Raptor, just agreeing that it has it's place but in no way am I saying it's on the race circuit, and no I don't think it'd be faster than a stock Dinli and definitely not faster in race form no matter what you do to the raptor.

I guess what I'm saying is if someone wants a yard cart or medium trail quad, the Raptor would be ok. Past that it seems pretty inferior to the Tiawan brands.

 

I guess that is the price you pay when being one of the first in the market.... (remember the Raptor 80 is an update on an older model) The technology has passed it by. BUT, and this is a biggie... the machine has a long history of reliability, and parts are available almost everywhere.

Yes it is not a racer and we all admit that. It is a good learning machine though, and tough enough to withstand many novice riders' first foray into the ATV realm with their tendancies to hit trees and such. The machine plainly is the M1 TANK of ATV's. Not everyone judges a machine's value by it's top speed. Some value reliability and not having to constantly be working on it to keep it running at the top of their list.

The cheap machines coming from China, Korea etc may be faster.. but when considering parts availability, the ability to have onsite local repairs etc... there is something to be said about choosing major brands. The situation is getting better I admit... but there is a long way to go with some of the models.

Bottom line... the Raptor 80 fits it's own little niche quite well. If that is where your riding fits in... it is an excellent choice.... If you want to race it, I'd look elsewhere as there are other machines more suited to this type of riding.

I think the Utlility version is something to look at too.... and could be the real value leader in the mini class.