I have XC raced an 03 pred, a Raptor, a YFZ and am now back to an 05 TLD Pred. My buddy owns the raptor and we will switch quads and ride for a while. To be honest, the YFZ if freaky fast....but, all that horsepower wears you out racing and just wasn't all that enjoyable for a long trail ride, especially with those stock shocks and seat. Had to stick an extra $5k into that yfz to make it decent and then it was unreliable for me. Anyway, bet. the raptor and Pred. Pick one, see which dealer treats you better. Both machines are very reliable...I just went with the pred cause I don't have to stick a lot into it to race it. IF I had extra money to widen a raptor, I would race that too!! For trail riding...both are awesome...I really couldn't pick one over the other, they have a fun powerband. Sit on both, find a dealer or a buddy that will let you try them out and pick one. They are 2 close and equally matched machines and you will be happy with either one....no matter how much the mags bash the polaris...They are both a blast!

 

Are you just looking for a quad with reverse? If not, do yourself a favor and look at the 450R. It was down to a Pred adnd R for me. The price was only $50.00 more for the R.
But, I would pick the Pred over the Raptor....just my opinion.

 

Don't forget to consider all that the Pred comes with right out of the box. I personally would get the TLD Predator.

 

Yep..it basically came down to which I could get the better deal on.

Although the pred fit me better (5'6..160lbs....ding) and came with more options..I still couldnt imagine myself on anything but a Yamaha...I took the plunge and am happy with my desision[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Four trannys, two broken swing arm bolts, blown front shocks, two broken one way bearings for the starter, and three sets of rear axle bearings.All of which has gone on my best friend 01 Craptor.Thats not all, the axle is bent , the lights fall off,the steering is wide(not a tight turn)and the thing is tippy.Everyone of the tranny's was some kind of the next years fix and i know people who had a 02 ,03 and a 04 all with tranny problems. To top it off my friend has only put on 250 hours on the yamaha since new.It is always broke.My pred has had it's problem but not like that. the most major was i broke the frame on my 04 pred,but, polaris covered it. that is something you will never get out of Yamaha. it is a crime how yamaha has treated all the raptor owners with tranny issues. As for more problems i had with my pred--- the front brake line has broke twice but, polaris fixed it. the front wheel bearings got sloppy (NOT BROKE,SLOPPY). i broke the plastic throttle and the seat latch broke but was easy to find a fix.

It is a hit or miss , some quads just come from the factory better then others, you never know, and every quad rider knows they all brake sometime.
good luck with finding a new quad.

I know that if I was to buy a new quad It would still be the Predator--it's the best bang for the buck,hands down!!!!

 

overall looks and style. check out the new limited edition predator, there is supposed to be an all-white pred. available.
there was a shootout in I believe the atvsport mag. where the predator took high regards.

 

With all the premium, and race ready features for the price the pred is hard to beat, you would have to go to the 450's. And thats at a cost.

Jim

 

test drove a predator today. the dealer had a used 03 raptor that they let me take to compare. the first thing I noticed was the starter on the raptor was really rough and clanky. I couldnt say enough about the Poo. I was abit nervous about taking a turn aggresively on the Raptor. the Poo felt like my banshee on the turns. I thought the raptor was a bit quicker out of the hole but im not to concerned with that. climbing a hill i felt the sensation that the Raptor wanted to role over backwards. didnt feel that on the predator. I deffinatly hugged the ground better. I think the predator is the one. thanks for the imput. ow ya.., sorry for the spelling. Im spoilled with Microsoft word at work.

 

Good choice! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Congrats! Let us know how you like it after the first ride!

And, BTW, the Mags aren't bashing the Predator much at all...in fact Dirt Wheels (which is probably the best quad mag) rates the stock 05 Pred number one on the trails (Raptor #2). Those of us who ride it in the sand know how good it is there (again it beats the Raptor). Predator used to be a well kept secret....but the secret is getting loose!