I was just woundering how good teh raptors are??
I have drove one, only once for a short distance, It had tons a *****, and good top speed. I also knwo to stay away from the 01's because of teh trans. But can you guys help me out on what to look for, and maby tel me the good and bads of a raptor, If i get it i would liek to race a little MX and the rest pitting

 

Lots of potential for mods. Plenty of torque, speed and lighter than most in its class. Much lighter than the (atv bash warning) VFORCE AKA the Boat anchor. Great for jumping but easy axle bending. If you like looking at the sky in first , second and third I would recommend it. About the only downfaults I have seen personally is the reverse rev limiter sucks but can be altered for less than 30$, ground clearance isn't so hot if your on trails. The trannys are better now but I have noticed these beasts run really hot. I have a lot of friends who have them and we work on all of them. Nothing major in $$$$ has been an issue if your responsable enough to maintain it and drive with a good head.

 

well said dirtrooster, very good machines. And can be extremely reliable if you maintain them well. I do think i have bent my axle though, nothing major but might be the bearring going out that cause a minor wobble. Replacing them soon though. Also you can get a reverse rev limiter bypass for around $15 on ebay. A cheap and 10 min. install job.

 

Most raptor owners have never had a problems with their axles. Are you sure you arent thinking about the z400? Reverse rev limiter can be bypassed with a piece of wire and electrical tape, for free.

Very reliable when stock. once you open the engine up, it gets a little trickier but thats the same with any machine. new exhaust and filter will really wake the bike up.

 

Thats what I was thinking.... Are you guys talking about the Z-400?? Cause this is the first time I had heard of axle problems. 01's will give you problems as you know. But 2002 and up are great. And freaking fast, take it from all of us. The Raptor is very powerful, and its known for how much torque is has. It climbs hills like there not there, and is very light compared to its 600+ competitors. Lighter than DS, and the V-Force, weighing at 397 I believe? Where as the V force and DS are 400+. Maybe someone knows the exact weight of the two, I dont want to cause false information. I jump my Raptor all the time. Just jumped the Raptor 52 feet the other day. And yes, I brought my BS meter [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Its an amazing bike, and highly reccomend it.

 

most deff the z you are thinking about

 

I am sorry to start it but I currently am looking at a Durablue axle because I want to get rid of my spacers. Here is what they have to say in thier disclaimer. Thats one of the reasons I posted it. Sorry for misleading you.

Qoute from
http://www.durablue.com/axledisclaim.html

Yamaha Raptor and Polaris
These two models have the same problem. Each bike is heavy and powerful (the Raptor is especially fast and used for extreme activity). Each has a very small, inadequate diameter axle. This is a combination that spells axle problems. The Raptor addressed its “small axle” problem with its very short axle. The result was a very unstable machine, however.

In general, wider axles create more leverage (loading). Using a shorter axle, while giving up stability, will increase axle life.

Sorry again

I love my raptor and have had no problems except one due to my own making. I hope you buy it to come here and post with the rest of us. You will then understand just how much following the Raptors have. Reminds me of Jeep owners in a way. Dedicated to thier kind..

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

I quote kawasaki this time VFORCE a whopping "Dry weight: 516 lbs. " AKA The Boat Anchor. My buddy jumps this thing like a raptor. Tie rod bent and busted plastics. Bent bars and bumpers too. Sorry to bust on them but they are way to heavy to be whipping around corners or jumping like the raptors. I seen it on top of him too. BUY THE RAPTOR.

 

If your looking to buy a bike, the raptor is the one to get! I've had a few different other bike in the past which were all grate but nothing compares to the raptor. I havent had any probs with it at all since i got it 2 years ago. You just have to take care of it. The raptor has more power then what you need, if you were to get another bike you would have to add more parts to it just to make the bike as fast as the raptor. But if you are looking for other bikes that are nice, not as fast but are low in price here are some that you could look up.

From what i've heard:
Suzuki 400's are nice, rides good...price is good...jumps and lands easy...smooth driving.
Honda 400's are about the same.
Perdator's are kinda like a raptor and ride smoother, i dont know to many people that have one.

I had a blaster and an arctic cat once and they were good bikes but didnt have the power. I guess it all dependes on what your looking for and what you want in a bike!

 

Yamraptor is right but i heard the z's are a bumpy ride and 400ex have less power then the new 400's Z,KFx,dvx

 

raptor over any of the 400's. There too slow and they all look alike.