Maddog is right, all you have to do is search. But I'll give you my opinion anyways since I'm here.

I have an 02 raptor, and I too made the jump from quadracers. Though I may be an anomoly here (yeah, right) but I can't leave anything stock because it just doesn't perform the way I want it to, or I realize that I can ride harder than a stock machine will let me.

Anyhow, both my quadracers and my raptor are heavily modded. The raptor is fun in stock trim, but you will outgrow the power. As for the 400EX, I have ridden several, and you will outgrow the 400 much faster. However, parts and upgrades are cheaper for the EX, as are purchase prices.

In my opinion, the 400 handles slightly better, but not much. If the 400 had the power of the 660, it would probably not handle as well. Being that you are going at much slower speeds, this probably creates somewhat of an illusion in better handling.

The 400's are also air-cooled, which is a definite downside. The raptor is liquid-cooled, but has a somewhat undersized radiator. It is fine for stock, but once you make some upgrades consider that as well. The raptor can be tippy, considering its narrow stance and tall ride height. However, for recreational riding you'll be fine.

There are a few differences in the 01 and 02-05 raptors. The 01's had remote reservoirs for the rear shock, a weaker axle, and transmission problems. The complaints about the starter will be found on all model years. I myself have never had a problem with my starter.

Both machines respond reasonably well to upgrades, though some might argue the 400 responds better. I have a friend with a CR450R motor in a 400EX chassis that is unbelievable, but that's a nother story.

As far as things to look out for, I would watch for little things like bearings, seals, bent axles or frames, and cracks in the 400EX. On the raptor, watch for the transmission making any noise (01), and broken chain adjusters.

I mainly look in cycle traders for pricing, and I haven't seen to many raptors around $3,000. If you find one that low, chances are it was abused and in tired shape. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the replies, that's kind of what I was looking for. I didn't know if the problems were as serious as they were made out to be or if they were primarily happening to the heavier modded engines. I probably wouldn't do much more than a pipe, I'd rather concentrate on the ride such as shocks vs the power.

I'm really looking for something stronger than the 400EX but I don't want a racer like the YFZ or the TRX 450's.

I guess I could have done a search but every one I've used on other sites hasn't been as beneficial as I had hoped or maybe I'm not entering the right keywords. Sorry to have pissed some of you off. Forgive me as this isn't a daily visit for me.

 

I wasnt pissed, I just wanted you to know that people have seen this topic a lot and many dont care to reply over and over again and that was probably why you werent getting a bunch of replies. And that you could search and get some good info too. No hard feelings, hope you got the info you needed and good luck on your purchase.

 

I could tell you weren't pissed and I knew the subject had been an old one. I understood where you all were coming from as I'm a regular on another forum and I understand, the same questions are asked again and again. My attempt are being a smart *** garnered some response and was just that, me being a smart ***. I should apologize for that and I do apologize.

I did some searching and found one thread in particular but to be honest with you, no one has spoken specifically of the questions I asked. BUT, I haven't delved too far in the search yet I'll admit.

One thing I was wanting to know specifically was if the 01 trans were guaranteed to fail and were a time bomb or if the failures were only on those that were being raced (ie heavily modded and/or ridden hard) Is there an automatice price deduction for that reason or not?

 

Is it guaranteed to fail? No. There are plenty of people on here with 01 raptors who have never had any transmission problems. That said, the majority that I have run acrossed online have had issues. I believe there was a thread in the Yamaha forum that asked all of the owners of 01 raptors w/o trans problems to chime in, there were quite a few. My friend has an 01 with a stock bore build and he just replaced his one-way last month, but hasnt had any tranny problems.

There is, however, an automatic deduction for this issue. The reality is that the 01 transmission is a liability and the quads are worth less because of it. The rule of thumb is that it takes about 600-800 dollars on average to swap an 02 trans into an 01. If you can get the 01 for at least that much less than a similar 02 model, then its a deal. Otherwise its a smarter choice to go with the 02 or newer.

 

Don't do it. LOL

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