I want to modify my Raptor strictly for MX use only... I was told that yours is just for MX use also... Could you give me any pointers on what to start on as to modification wise... What is the first thing I can do to my Raptor (I already have exhaust and K&N)... Basically what is it going to take to have a bada$$ MX Raptor?

 

Roostin...you should take Ridley's advice. He has already built one Raptor for strictly MX.

 

Yea that sounds reallllll good but do not get durablue need i repeat do not get durablue they do not offer a true lifetime warrety and rpm is stronger for the raptor.. do a search and see why durablue is so horrible.. believe me it suck S A$$ sorry 4 yelling

 

I have to agree about the Durablue X-33. I didn't have one on my Raptor, but I did have one on my other '92 Quadracer and it was rode hard on MX. The X-33 does hold up very well, plus the weight savings is very nice. Overall I was very pleased with it.
RoostinRappy, listen to Ridley, he's steering you straight here. Your best option is to set up your quad to handle well. You can have the fastest motor in the world, but if it doesn't handle well you will just be killing yourself out on the track. Setup is the key!
If I were you the first things I'd do is get an extended axle, +3" A-arms, good shocks, and tires/rims w/ beadlocks. Once you get it setup and can ride it to full potential, then start on motor mods. Try to make your Rappy as comfortable as possible, that way you won't wear out as fast when out on the track.

 

Sorry it took me a while to see this. The previous posts are all very good, handling before HP is the only viable path for a MX Raptor. Ridley knows his stuff but he's a little YFZ biased at times, I'd be very surprised if there is 80lbs difference between my Raptor and his YFZ. I'm going to weigh my Raptor as soon as it's all together, I'm hoping it's not over 400 lbs. Except for having Ti bolts made for the upper a-arm and swingarm, every bit of extra weight has been stripped from my Raptor (coolant resevoir, fan, thermostat, wiring harness and connectors, switches, airbox, lights, hard lines, etc.)

+2 a-arms and 3/2 Hiper front wheels will be right under 50". If you go to +3 a-arms, you won't be able to run Hipers unless you change the front hubs to a Honda bolt pattern. Hipers only come in 3/2 for the Yamaha bolt pattern and you need 4/1 offset with +3 a-arms. Not a big deal if you do it right the first time, somewhat spendy if you don't:-) I highly recommend the Hiper wheels if you can find the $$. I use Holeshot tires all around but would also look at Kendas for the front, the front Holeshots are not tough enough to handle running over another quad. I have 18" in the rear and 19" fronts, lower is better in my opinion even if the 19" fronts make for a rougher ride. Long travel is cool but not absolutely required for MX if you invest in high quality shocks.

A +2 swingarm is perfect in my opinion. With the stock swingarm, the Raptor rear end doesn't want to stay planted in the rough stuff and a +2 swingarm REALLY calms it down.

I have a LS rear axle and wish I would have bought the RPM so I could get the rear closer to 50". I haven't had a single problem with my LS axle but I'm not a pro and don't do many doubles. I saw a Durablue (not X33) snap on a triple at Buds Creek, I sure am glad I wasn't riding that quad. With the LS Axcalibur and max-offset Hipers, my rear is right at 48".

I have Elka long travel quad-rate Elite front shocks. If there are better ones made, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I am thrilled with the performance of these shocks but at $1200, they aren't for everyone. I had the Quad Shop rebuild my stock rear shock with Elka SSD components. It didn't have enough adjustment to keep the rear end planted until I got the +2 swingarm, then all was good. If I were to do it over, I'd get the Elka linkage and a new Elka rear shock.

Other things not previously discussed:

1) New hubs - My front hubs didn't last. I used front wheel spacers for a while, that probably helped eat the bearings. Figure out what front end you will run and buy your hubs accordingly (Honda vs. Yamaha bolt pattern). Stock rear hubs will not stay tight on an aftermarket rear axle. I like the Durablue rear hubs, they have a steel spline insert and do not work loose.

2) New bars and steering stem - The stock steering stem is made of silly putty. If you race hard, you are going to wreck. It only takes one roll to wipe out the stock steering stem. Put some money aside for a new one, you'll need it eventually. I thought the stock bars sat too high for MX, I wanted to lean a little more forward and down. If you've got the cash, I highly recommend the Fast Flexx bars. They are tough and the rubber bumpers eliminate all hand shock from downhill braking bumps.

3) HP - My personal favorite:-) If we use round numbers and Ridley's weight difference, a 340 lb YFZ with 50 HP is 6.8 lbs/HP. To equal that power/weight ratio, a 420 lb Raptor will need 61 HP **just to keep up**. Since you'll be in the open class with a Raptor, you'll be racing against 70 HP Banshees. Be prepared to drop cubic money into the Raptor engine if you want to be the fastest. I know handling has a lot to do with it but on a bigger track, power/weight can't be ignored. I suspect a lot of MX riders ditched the Raptor for the YFZ before the engine builders had high HP packages available, it makes a world of difference. With my Craycraft signature 686, I could reel in YFZs at will if I was in 3rd gear. With my new high RPM Craycraft 727, there won't be an open class quad that will touch it in any gear.

4) Chain, sprockets, sprocket hub - If you beef up the motor, the stock sprocket hub won't last. Eventually, the splines in the sprocket hub will grind away and it will spin on the axle. Along with a new sprocket hub, invest in a good chain and sprockets. MX is very hard on drivetrain parts, especially landing under power. If you break or throw a chain, you will probably break the engine case, the design of the Raptor case saver leaves a lot to be desired. It seems that everyone who throws a chain breaks the upper case saver boss, not very good at saving the case from damage in my opinion.

5) Stamina - You will work harder to ride a Raptor fast, it's not easy wrestling a big machine around the track. That said, I think a *****-to-the-wall MX Raptor has the potential to be faster than any other quad (not quicker, faster). It's a taller machine and you need to use more body english in the turns to keep up with the little fat kids that ride YFZs without moving their *** off the seat.

Hope I helped!

 

Ubetrun what is the track like at budds creek?? Ill be heading down there on the 15. Just curious what its like since it will be my first race. I have practiced at a local mx track but havnt raced yet. Hope its not too difficult for a newbie.

 

Best track on the East Coast as far as I know. It's waaay bigger than any other tracks in the area, you can run in 4th through some sections. A few doubles, 4 or 5 tabletops, and some wicked hills with 180' turns at the top and bottom. There is one triple but I've only seen motorcycles make it successfully. They rotate the direction of the track every year after the MX Nationals, it really screwed me up the end of last year. It starts pretty soft in the morning but ends up hard and rutted in the turns by the end of the day. If you're just starting MX, you will love Buds Creek. Ride your own pace and have fun. It will take you a few times at Buds Creek to memorize the track, it's big. There are lots of folks there just starting, don't be too intimidated. Bring about $100 if you don't have your ATVA and District card yet.

Another good track is virginiasportspark.com, a tight little outlaw track with some nasty jumps and a nice whoops section. You don't have to do all the jumps, just stay to the left and you won't get a quad on your head. Nice folks there and the ambulance is only a couple hundred feet away:-)

 

Thanks for the info ubetrun. Sounds like ill have a blast. I already have an atva card i just have to get a district card. Are u gonna have your rappy out there??

 

I was hoping to start racing the beginning of this month but I'm not ready, shooting to have it all together and dialed in by the end of this month. Too much fishing and work, not enough progress on the Raptor rebuild:-) I'm almost ready now, just spent the last 2 days working on the Raptor. I still need a spocket hub (coming next week) and the Craycraft 730 (coming within 2 weeks - I hope). I've uploaded today's assembly pics on My Page. As soon as the camera icon is under my name, they're approved.

 

All in good fun and the same offer stands for you to ride my Raptor. I'll be honest with what my project weighs and dynos over the next few weeks. If I was really serious about lb/HP, I could easily knock 30 lbs off the total quad/rider package:-)

I might head to the Bedford PA dirt drags before Aledo in JUN, that's pretty close to mid-way if you're interested in a little side bet. They run 500 foot races at Bedford.