I have a raptor ordered but i keep on hearing great things about the ds650. I like the ds650 cause of the size since i am a larger rider 6'7" 240 lbs! But I like both of them and will probably end up buying both of them but is there anyone else out there to help convince me on which one to buy first! thanks

 

Power wise since i have never ridden a Raptor i cannot speak for it but i weigh over 300lbs and the Ds is a nice soft ride when jumping and on most terrain i can smoke a slightly modded(pipes,k&n) banshee in a 300 ft race due to traction i jump ahead but at the end they are comming up the size is nice for tall people on the Ds also.

That is what i know so far as soon as i get my raptor i can let you know how it stacks up in power and ride and FIT for the large ones

Mike

 

I have never ridden either but from what I have seen of the DS running around here it looks like a nice quad. Problem is that it is HUGE. It's fast, generally faster than a Banshee stock for stock but seems to perform poorly on sand hills. It's kind a wide for woods riding too. Hey, if you got the cash then get them both and give us all a good comparison. I honestly think a Raptor and Banshee would be good in a garage. The Raptor and DS are too much alike in a lot of ways.

 

Zoinks- At 6'7" 240#'s I think you will lean to the ds. I'm 6'3" 270#'s and have a DS the fit & feel is perfect for me. I rode my buddies EX and it felt like a kid's toy. I think the raptor is about the same size as a EX.

 

base your buying on where you ride DS=DUNE SPORT
good in sand, Raptor= good on trails and fire roads. suspension is excellent on both but due to the weight of a DS it is a victim of gravity. Id rather jump with a Raptor, even if the DS has 2 more inches of suspension The 100# weight difference uses those 2 inches and more, If you wanna race either will take some cash to modify. So its up to you, sometimes you might just do better to pick a color you like than to argue which one is better where.

 

Yamaha raptor..
the ds perform's better on fire roads then any fourwheeler ever made..its wide, power to slide, and perdictable...they even gave it a notch over the banshee. It probably is a good dune machine (i havent ridden mine there yet), but the rev limiter looks like it could be a problem in the soft sand. The DS is able to jump 10-11 ft w/out bottoming out..and that is on a flat surface. I think the raptor is able to pull 7 or so. That 3 ft means alot. The thing is guys..the ds weighs so much more then the Raptor..so if the ds can beat/or even hang wiht a raptor in a drag..it means taht the DS is making WAY more horsepower. Example: If the ds is 25% heavy'er, then it needs to have 25% more power to keep up.
And another thing..the WEIGHT of the mahchine effects 2 things. Accelaration..which the DS has PLENTY of. and Jumping. But 12" of suspenson soaks it up like nothing. With the weight however you get more of the power to the ground, and dont have to worry about "bouncing" over whoops as you do on a lightter machine.

Just what i think

Ds650 stock

 

Have you ridden both yet, I have. you cant tell me which is better because I know. If i didnt like my raptor better I have a dealer that has the DS also, he said i could make an even trade on a 2000 ds if I didnt like my raptor, I took the DS for a few days of riding a month before my raptor came in and there is just no where around here it will go except on the highway. The trails are too tight and twisty, it gets jammed in half of the trails on the mountian because of the width, and yes it has suspension but I could bottom it out on big jumps, Yes it is fast and maybe faster on top but. Acceleration is the same except the raptor has a more pronounced hit in power. I think the raptor will out jump and outmaneuver it on any trail or fire road. Im not saying its not good. but if this guy is going to ride on a trail or fire road he should pick a raptor. Ive ridden my raptor everywhere on the mountain and have not bottomed on ANY jumps including the one that bottomed the DS. I had the option to take either and lets just say they can keep the DS on the sand.

 

Give me a break man..no dealer is Going to LOAN you a fourwheeler, and if they did, i feel bad for the guy that bought that ds you were "loaned". The ds650 is a big machine, but if your going to buy a "trail" quad, then you shouldnt even think of buying a ds650. The Ds650 is a motocross/sand machine, and Yes at first i hated it on the trails, because of the size, now i'm use to it (just like eveyrone gets use to new machines) and i can hit most trails taht are wide enough for it. It just takes time to get use to the width. That is also a load of crap about the raptor not bottoming out and the DS did. Even when you say the raptor has awesome supension..you cant get around that its ONLY 8 in. or whatever it is..so even if it rocks it still is only 8 and will bottom before 12 will. If you did manage to bottom out the DS what did you have the supension set for? i bet you didnt even know you could change the setting. Sounds to me like you are very stuck on the raptor and you need somone to ride with you (somone good with a ds650). The ds has more potential than you think it does. When you say the raptor has a more "pronounced" hit then the DS..i seem to recall ATV sport saying "the raptors "HIT" isnt as hard hitting as the Ds650's". SO who knows where you pulled that one out of. Before this raptor came out, i remember all of you raptor owners saying how the raptor was going to walk all over the ds650..now things are starting to get alittle shakey for you guys who own them...Now I hope i dont hear you say "well the raptor is way better on the trails" because if i do, and if any of us cared, we wouldnt have bought the DS. And if Bombadier cared, then they would have shortend the A-arms, and the axle, and probably brought it down a few inches ( the seat)...so now what?

 

300exSTER,

I pretty much wanted to avoid this topic, but I had to say this. Who were you bashing about the "pronounced hit" on both the bikes ? I cant recall a mag saying it has more "hit" than "anything". Personally, I rode one, and yes they are fast...but their is no "hit" at all. Steady pull..yep but definitely not a hard hit. My definition of hard hit, is when you come down a trail in 2nd or 3rd, and theres a log...so you hit the throttle to lift the front over. I dont see the front comin up on the DS. Just my thoughts.

 

weibz

Atv sport magazine, i dont know what issue, if it means that much, find it. The ds isnt ment to be a "drifter" now is it, otherwise dont you think that the ds would have moved the weight towards the rear of the quad? wouldnt that be the Logical thing to do? And you learn the power and where it comes on and where it drops off, you CAN drift the front end of that beast. Like you said You rode one..but i bet for about 20 min at the most.. it took me 2 weeks to get use to the ds, and now that i am use to it..i love it. I wasnt BASHING either machine, i love them both. But when you say the "HIT" where are you talking? I'm talking about 1/4 throttle then jam it to 4/4 throttle, that is a pretty big hit if you ask me. If your talking about put it in gear and give it hell, then no you probably wont feeel a big hit. I admit the ds doesnt have a huge hit, but it is however a hit.