Hey, I guess it just comes down to personal preference. Your right, the yfz does have stiff suspension and it does beat you up, but it also works. If getting air out at the dunes is your thing, I dont know whats really going to be better then a yfz or banshee. Alls I know is my yfz does much better in the sand then my raptor. Its heavy and soes not fly like the yfz. Plus, the yfz's suspension will actually take the shots that the ol raptor dosnt.
As far as just cruising the dunes, well, I cant disagree with you, the thing will beat you up. But, if you ride the pace that the bike wants to go ....FAAST, then it gets better.
I like the ***** that the raptor has for woods riding and long trail rides, and for technical hill climbs that you have to go really slow up. But other then that the yfz is better at everything.
I always thought that the raptor just didnt have the revs and power band (close to that of a 2-stroke) like the yfz. Thats half the fun out there in the dessert, for me anyways. I dont want to track around, I want to have revs and carve the crap out of things and have explosive power.
It all comes down to riding style, and it sounds like you have the right machine for what you like to do. I love the raptor, it just wasnt doing the things that I wanted to do, or it wasnt doing them good enough. But there are prices to be paid for that, and I will never have the low end ***** of the raptor, or the cushy ride. I was prepared to give that up though, for the ultimate in performance.'
The raptor will always have its place, for my riding styles, as will the yfz. I feel bad though, cause the raptor sits at home a lot more now, while I am out riding the hell out of the yfz

 

I'm also seriously wonder how far you can mod a YZ450 out. I know its fairly new, but is it even possible to get it the hps up to that of a 686? I'm not sure... and I know you like the cliches of the "ultimate in performance" and you consider the YZF450 to be "better at everything" other than slow riding and hill climbing, but I can assure you there were no YZ450s carrying our quick pace and if they tried in the dunes they would fade off after about a half an hour. The YZ450 just wont let you keep up that kind of pace for that long a period of time. Its not exactly user friendly. It is a good flyer however I will grant it that. But the raptor isn't that bad either. The raptor isn't perfect mind you but out of all the YZf450's out there that we tried to ride with they were usually seen jumping going in short circles or drag racing for very short extents. It just seemed that when we followed the 450 guys they hall ***** to get to a position in the park and would be panting by the time they got there. Then we would just sit there waiting on them to ride again twiddling our thumbs. When we ride we usually ride for a few hours at a time non stop at a pretty fast pace and take it from me I just don't think many people can keep that up on a rough riding track oriented ATV. By the time they finished they would be puking up their lunch. On the opposite extreme thats why the Bomb does so good in the dunes. I look for extreme high speed, hp and endurance riding, and and also a good flying machine. I can promise you one thing though, if I ever do decide to buy a 450 the first thing I would do is replace that seat with one like the one I have on my banshee.

 

I have the raptor & love it but it does not compare to the yfz stock for stock the yfz will crush the raptor. power to weight on yfz is incredible.suspension is superior.anyone who says different, well.....[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Don't worry. I won't say different..[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Ok everyone this is my first post. Im the one that was riding the 450. ANd for everyone that said i need to learn how to ride. Well lets just say ill put my riding skills up against most. And ill hold my own. Yes my 450 was brand new. We did some more racing yesterday. ANd we were pretty much dead even. It came to who ever got the jump got the win. Some you all need to relax and learn your quad isnt always the fastest in the world. And for the people that said yfz will murder the raptor. Well lets just say u are mistaken. Now i just cant wait to get a pipe and filter on it lol. I cant let a craptor stay up with me. LOl jk. He also had a pipe and i was stock. Rember that all.

 

San bandit. The pipe ands the filter i dont tihbnk would make that big of a diffrewnce. I always thouht that a yfz was the beat out there. Can you make a raptor have as much handles as a yfz with new shocks a arms and all that junk?

 

I've found the YFZ with the cam mod to be a very quick machine, but have yet too be very impressed by Sparks 470 that they recently did. When I went to China wall at glamis to see the 470 running, I thought this thing was going to run like a raped ape, I was truly expecting to get the snot shocked out of me. The YFZ ran numerous times, but I didnt see much of a difference, granted, I was dissapointed. The reason I dont think I saw much, was from the factory, everything is already punched into it. Look at the piston already, 11.9:1, 39MM FCR's, 5 Titanuim Valves, look at it! You have a tricked out bike right from the show room floor, thats why the YFZ's are known to thump. I have more than enough seat time on the YFZ, I have many relatives and friends that own this machine.

The YFZ doesnt have as much potential, you have almost everything in the stock trim, If the Raptor has the same components the YFZ does, hoooooya, it will not be the slouch of a quad you guys are thinking of, thats why you see 686's beating YFZ's, cause there almost summing up exactly what the YFZ has punched into it. The good running 686 that raced the Sparks bike didnt see any loss, only lost once of the 7 from a fatal start. You guys have an eye hurting fast machine, im not arguing, but majority of that speed is from what you have from the showroom floor guys, once you run into a good running 686, your in for a harder race than you are expecting. THIS is what they mean, when they state the 660R is detuned.

 

Amen bro.

 

It makes a big difference on the YFZ over stock.

 

Oh?