Just got the sept. issue of 4wheel atv action. In this issue they drag race the banshee and the raptor at two different distances. One just long enough to reach high gear , the other long enough too wind out high gear. All races were run on pavement. The times for the short race, banshee 8.80, raptor 9.79 Long race banshee 11.82 raptor 11.38. It also says that the Raptor seems perfectly willing and able to pull a higher gear- 2or 3 teeth higher on the counter sprocket. the banshee could probaly only pull one tooth more on the countershaft.

 

If that's the case, then I think Yamaha must have goofed on the gearing. It's said that first gear is too high, and the banshee must be pulling a humongous holeshot!! Unless Yamaha redoes the first gear ratio, putting a bigger counter sprocket on the Raptor to achieve higher top speed will make this problem worse. It's obvious that the Raptor produces more top end power, because it overtakes the banshee at higher speeds, so the holeshot thing is a bummer. I would have expected no contest on this one. Did they say if they had drag raced it against the DS? It's supposed to be faster than a banshee too. I hope this is not the way the production bikes will be, or I'm going to be a bit pissed. I had hoped the Raptor might be equivelant to a piped banshee, but it doesn't look like it. Looks like the aftermarket will be doing a brisk business with pipes and other modifications!

 

From another review on the quad they were saying it was hard to gate (start) because they hard a really hard time keeping the front end down so they would need to pause for a second before they can get back on the gas for the front end to get down. This would be ESPECIALLY true on pavement. Dont worry Yamaha wont let us down on this quad. On the flip side to be completely honest is there ANY quad out there that will run with a piped, ported, etc Banshee!? Im not sure about a Quadzilla but there arent many out there that will run with them! I mean come on a twin 2-stroke? And the Raptor is going to be a single cylinder 4-stroke. If you want a dune runner get the Banshee. =-) Or if your like me and want a FAST woods bike and love those 4-strokes get the Raptor!

 

That's a pretty big holeshot.....the Raptor must be coming on hard to get by the Banshee (and the Banshee is fast)in the final timed race. Based on this information, it does look like the Raptor has more HP, but it looks like it is geared to be easy to ride without the power coming on too fast. I wonder if a simple sprocket change would remedy this situation? Overall...this is good information....thanks for the input wurm!

 

Do they not give any speeds?

I have a hard time believing that they both go into high gear at the same distance, but with the raptor a second behind. From what I understand, at 8.8 seconds into the race, the Banshee would be, at that speed, close to 90 ft. ahead of the Raptor. That's a whole lot of distance to make up and pass the Banshee, who is still accelerating, in 3 seconds. If my figures are correct, at 20 mph, you cover about 29 feet per second. That means that the Raptor would have to be running 20 mph faster than the Banshee for the remaining 3 seconds in order to make a pass like that.

What's with all the crap comparisons and reviews we are getting with this quad? Who's hiding what? We need some more info on this.

Yes, I too am a little pee'd if the Raptor turns out to be slower in all aspects except top end than the Banshee that I just sold, but I still think we need to stay the course and see what turns out.

 

2 more questions.

Would Yamaha allow the magazines to test a product that was inferior if they planned on making it better at a later time? Isn't that what first impressions are for? If all the magazines come out with results similar to this based on prototypes, wouldn't that hurt sales even if Yamaha intended to correct the problem?

Secondly, has anyone ever tried calling Yamaha Motor Corp at 714-761-7300 to see if anyone there is willing to talk about or give any further details? I just tried, but they're not open yet.

 

I havent tried calling the Yamaha Corp. But another thing and trust me in not trying to diss this bike cause I myself have one on order. But reading your last post got me thinking! Im sorry but these reviews just DO NOT make any sense! How could this thing be a good trail bike without having much lowend? Do they just say this because of the good chasis and suspension that ALL the reviews seem to agree on? Heck if thats the case im just gonna drop a tooth! That should get me some low end back. Oh well I still think this is gonna be a heck of a 4-stroke! But yeah that "high-end" drag race DOES kind of show that this 4-stroke must have some HORRENDOUS mid-range to be behind the Banshee and then catch up and be ahead in the end! The whole test sounds pretty hoaky though so im not gonna take it to heart.

 

Bash...since we are not given a speed...how can you determine that the Banshee is 90' ahead of the Raptor? Assuming top speed? Also, are you considering that the 2 atv's started from a standing start to an unknown distance? The first test is probably the best they could possibly make the Banshee look for the comparism. Remember, they do not want the Banshee to get totally smoked and kill sales. I wonder about the Raptor out of the hole though....the Banshee is usually not a holeshot winner (from my experience).

 

Also....what's up with only racing the Banshee? Wanna know the answer....the Mag people will milk the Raptor as long as they can. When they test the Raptor with the DS....the results will be confusing then too. By the way...I don't usually hate ATV mag's (I love them!), it just rubs me the wrong way to see totally different opinions and facts that are not true (example: ATV Sport-the Raptor is down on HP compared to the Banshee) when comparing quads.

 

Gary, you nailed it. The mags are trying to milk this thing. Obviously they have the equipment needed to do a proper test they just don't. People are dying for some good solid info but they just won't give it. Personally, I hate the ATV mags.