I'm ready to ditch my Quadracer of 86 vintage and move up in the world. I have narrowed my decision down to a 400EX (relatively inexpensive) or an early model Raptor.

I'm somewhat aware of transmission problems on the 01's, right? What do I need to look out for and what should I expect if I find an 01 that hasn't had it upgraded?

I flipped through a few pages and notice something about starter problems as well, can you fill me in on those?

I'm looking at recreation riding, maybe visiting some sand dunes, nothing major, and there's a half *** built track that is local that I would ride it at.

Can you guys fill me in on what I need to know about the Raptors? I'm very knowledgable in the sport, but not about the Raptor specifically. I am mechanically inclined as I rebuilt the top end of my brother in laws 400EX.

Speaking of which, I really like the feel of that 400EX, how does the Raptor compare? I never have been comfortable on my Quadracer.

Thanks for any and all help you have given this potential Yamaha owner.

BTW, is the low $3000 range in the ballpark? Been watching Ebay and it seems more like the mid $3000.

 

Well First off would like to say that I have an 01 Raptor and it has the orignal tranny and it has never had a problem and neither has the starter. I have ridden the 400ex and personally feel that the seat is to wide and hard and makes it feel a little unconfortable furthermore the acceleration is totally different on both machines. In my opinion the raptor has a much smoother feel to its acceleration whereas the 400ex doesnt really start accelerating until you push the trottle in about a 1/4 of the way Regardless both are fun machines and like the Raptor lotz more not jus cuz I own one Iam always looking for a better machine but YOU need to expirence both, test drive a Raptor before you buy it and make sure it is the right one for you

 

I can't believe I have gotten so little help here guys. I thought you all knew more than this.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

 

go with the raptor, alot more HP

stock o1 raptor, no problems here.

the problems arent as great as people think, its mainly for people who have motor work done or alot of mods.

 

I had a 400ex and loved it, but i think you will get board with the power. Throw a leg over the raptor and take it for a spin, then make an educated decision. Some will say the raptor is tippy and others will argue that point so in other words you wont know until you try it. They are both great bikes so good luck in your decision.

 

put er this way,

when i hopped on my raptor from the warrior i nearly made a mess on the seat because i had a friggin woody that thing was so awesome! the raptor just kicks your ace big time.

go with the 660, my buddies got the 400 and liked it, but only 1-2 years and they are already trying to get rid of em.

 

Semi-stock raptor here and 2001 tranny and starter [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Great bike, very powerful, my friend victor has a 416ex with oversized valves and DMC full exhaust + K&N and its pretty fast, but it doesnt compare to my stock raptor! dont let all the tranny b/s scare you its too overated! go with the raptor, i too went from a 86 Quadracer, and beleive me, you'll be very happy [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I think you will definitely like the Raptor over the 400 EX. The power and torque is great!! As for the problems, the '01s do have issues. This doesn't mean all of them will though. As you have read in some of the replies above this, some people haven't had any problems....yet. The gear ratio, especially between 1st and 2nd are different in the '01. They upgraded the tranny in the '02 and up. If you can do the work yourself, you should be able to do a complete upgrade for around $500. The bad side is if you don't do it before it breaks you run the risk of breaking more in the tranny (such as the case) and costing you alot more. The starter problem still exists in the raptors. The one-way starter clutch only has one spring in it. The after market ones have three if not four and is built a little stouter. The fix (from a Yamaha tech) is to always use your choke when starting the Raptor up cold. What causes the starter problem is a lean backfire. This puts too much stress on the starter clutch and then it goes out. If you choke it, you don't get a lean backfire and it works great. You should be able to pick up an '01 for $750 - $1000 under the other years. (the cost of having the tranny fixed) I hope this helps you, just remember, you can buy a lemon from any year.

 

any quad is going to have problems with it, some are bigger problems though.

look at it like i always have, if it has a motor, its going to break, its going to need maintanance, and its always going to cost you money.

just some break very often and some dont break often
some need alot of maintanance and some dont.
some cost you loads of cash and some cost you next to nothing.

go woth the raptor, if you dont you will be looking in the next year or so for an upgrade anyways.

 

Thats because every single question you asked has been discussed here dozens and dozens of times. If you used the search button you could answer just about every question you have and a few more you didnt even know to ask...