Most likely it will be a raptor. After the blaster and banshee are removed from the lineup the remaining sport quads will all bear the Raptor badge except for the yfz.

 

Chances are it'll be a four stroke air cooled motor swapped out of one of their trail bikes, like the TT225 or the TW200. You won't see the high strung 250 YZF motor in an entry quad (however cool that would be).

 

I don't think you'll see a YFZ250 either, but I think you guys are forgetting what the Blaters of yesterday were capable of. Entry level quad? Ok, if left stock, it could be called that. But they could easly out perform its bigger brother (the warrior/ raptor350) with just a few mods. (theses things can crank 40 hp and more) So does that make the Raptor 350 a entry level quad also? I believe if they build something to compete with the Z250 and 250ex they would be taking a major step backwards and wouldn't fill the open spot in their line up at all. Its going to have to do better than that or people will look other places. PLEASE,PLEASE, no auto clutches !! NO Shart drive !! And no less suspension !!

 

It would solve the problem if they would just update the Warrior/Raptor 350.

 

I consider the blaster to be a 100% entry level quad when it's stock or close to it. As far as power, it's mild enough stock for a beginner to learn on, but powerful enough to have fun with. But there's so many things that need to be modified or replaced for it to compete with the next step up in sport quads that I can't call it anything other than entry-level. It was never intended to be a high performance quad. They might make the new one a 300 4 stroke, or just tune a 250 so it's a little faster than a 250ex, but i'm not expecting to see another high performance quad added to their lineup.

 

Now a lot of you are saying that the blaster will become a auto clutch. I think it will be a 250 4-stroke with a clutch.

Do you ppl think the new "blaster" will have reverse? And stay with the kickstart or electric?

 

My speculation is that it will have all the features the z250 and 250ex have, including reverse, electric start, auto clutch, and maybe even a shaft drive. Yamaha never made a sport quad with an auto clutch or shaft drive, but if they want to compete in the same market as other entry level quads they may have to.

So basically my idea is they will make a copy of the other 250's on the market, and market the rap 350 to more advanced trail riders who are looking for a little more performance, a bigger quad with a more comfortable ride, and a manual clutch.

Hard to say though, yamaha can be unpredictable at times. All the other compaines (except polaris) quit making 2 strokes in 1992 or earlier, yamaha has always been the oddball when it came to market coverage, so they might do something completely off the wall and new, who knows?

 

I agree for the most part with you recon. However yamaha has always differed from the competition. I think it will have reverse and electric start. But like you siad the dont make a shaft driven and I dont think the will have it shaft. And kids will still race and now they kids will have 250's and 300 (newer quads) and the chain will be better for the track. I like chain or shaft any day on a sport quad. And yet again they may offer two models one shaft one chain. The only solution is to get some spyies.

 

My opinion is that if Yamaha decides to put any motorcycle motor in the Blaster replacement, it's gonna be the TT-R250 engine or the TT-R230 engine. I can't see them putting the YZ250F motor in it seeing as how it's so high strung. I guess we'll just have to wait and see with our fingers crossed.

 

SO, let me get this right. Yamaha is going to step backwards with the new Blaster/ whatevertheycallit and make it more like the slower, less suspended, and less mod friendly 250EX and Z250? Boy now that makes sence. And I geuss your going to also tell me then that the Raptor350 / Warrior is NOT a beginer quad although the Blasters performance is similar? (just in a smaller frame) All the while it can hang with it, and the 300ex's. Then with basic mods (Like the mods listed in recons sig but for a blaster) will out perform them? Am I missing something here? Take one of the better selling quads of all time and make it worse just to fit in with the other brands?

IF, and thats a big IF, Yamaha wants to compete in that class, they have the 250 four stroke, auto clutch, shaft drive motor already. (used in the Timberwolf's and Bear trackers.) But why step backwards? Just to compete? I sure hope not. And is that how they were thinking with the YFZ450 and Raptor? The most logical step would be forward. Build something to rule over the other 250's and make them step up their game. Something that is a good machine right from the start, then could be modded easly to run with the bigger quads. (Just like the Blaster can now)

I've always been a Yamaha fan. And I sure hope they decide to push the replacements to a point that the other brands HAVE to stand up and take notice. That helps all future quad buyers, no matter what brand you like. It really doen't matter what my opinion is, because Yamaha has had quite some time to think about all this and I'm sure they have got some plans in the works. Only time will tell.