stay away from the 01 raptor. compare 2 of the same year 02 or newer

 

There is nothing wrong with the 2002 and up raptor transmissions. That one guys friend probably just smoked his from bad maintenance or bad riding, which can happen on any machine.

On that note, avoid the 01 transmission like the plague. Unless the price is a good 800 under its actual value, its not worth it. You will need that much money to replace the trans.

Go with the bomb or find another raptor to look at.

 

I have the 01 tranny and I gotta tell ya...I ride it hard and miss second once or twice a ride.....and I use my reverse all the time and have never had a problem with it....Thats not to say I would not have a problem in the future........I am however going to an 02 conversion ...I will keep the 01 gearset as a back up.

 

ds has more power and suspension, raptor has lighter weight and better handling. it comes down to what you want out of the quad. as for 01 raptors, only buy an 01 if its a really good deal and test drive it first to make sure it shifts good.

 

well said!

 

I just got a job at my local yamaha dealer called big 4cycle and the retail value of raptors really sucks monkey ***** i mean their absolutly horrible we had one for 2 years (an01) blue book price and lost 1000$ on it! the ds is good you would be happy with it