i am selling my warrior tomorrow and getting either a 400ex or a raptor. Either way its gettin set up for only trails and gonna be modded to handle tough long trails that are sometimes, tight, steep, muddy, rocky, or snowy. Is the raptor or 400ex better for trails, i dont care much aobut top speed cause how often do you top it out in trails, i do liek accel though.

steve

 

The honda EX handsdown for trails, but the raptor700 will smoke it. The EX is way more comfortable to ride on doing trails, imo

 

Well I couldnt disagree more, but I think he is talking about a 660 Raptor anyway.

To me even though the 400 ex is a upgrade from a warrior its not a huge one. I rode a warrior for a couple years and tried out my buddies 400ex when I was thinking of a new quad. The 400ex was nice and it was a better ride but it wouldnt of taken long for me to grow tired of it just like the warrior. I bought a Raptor 700 and couldnt be happier and all we do is trail ride. When I got the 700 we traded (400ex guy) for a bit and I couldnt wait to get back on the 700. He has since upgraded to a YFZ 450 because he tired of the 400.

I would go with a 660 for the extra power and make some mods to make it handle the way I wanted.

 

If you have the extra money go for the raptor, if not get the 400ex.

 

I agree, you should go with the raptor

 

The 400ex is by far a better trail machine.. Can a Raptor be made into a great trail machine? Yes it can, but it is expensive.. Without knowing what you are finding in either machine if you were to purchase used, or how much money you want to spend.. It is really hard to answer your question..

If you are buying new or nearly new, I would say buy a Raptor 700r.. nothing better for the trails.. Personally I would never own a Raptor 660, the 700r is that much better..
Now if you are going to be on a budget, then find you a good used 400ex and you will not be disappointed... One other point to ponder... If where you trail ride doesnt have much elevation changes, and you find a real good deal on a 660 with lots of suspension work,, ( a arms, extended axle, extended swingarm, and shocks,), then get it...

Just some of my opinions with the limited info you provided so far... hope it helps

 

I just got back from a week in the fish lake nat'l forest here in utah. With us were 3 rhinos, an 06 450 hfc honda, yfz's, honda ranchers, and a few others. We were camped up near the top of a mountain. Our riding was all over , 18 miles north of fish lake. going up to the top, were some snow still set, two rhinos , starved for air or fuel or whatever, had to turn back. The honda 450 hfc struggled but not too bad. My raptor 700r ran as good up there as if I was riding on the beach in california. EFI, friends, you can't beat it for trails or dunes. And I am absolutely sold on having reverse. Trail riding can place you in situations that wil make you wish you had reverse if you don't have it now. The ground clearance on the raptor was plenty for all the trails I was on, and there were plenty of streams, burms, rocks and ruts I rode on. No problem. And when I got on open gravel, 5th gear 60 on the dirt was thrilling, and scary.

Go for the raptor. If you can't afford it, save up. It's worth waiting for. Hands down, my raptor outperformed every machine up on that mountain. I will be taking it to the dunes in a few weeks, and it is no slouch there either. BTW, mine is basically stock. I can keep up with my friends on yfz, 450 hondas and most all other 4 sttrokes. It doesn't suck up near as much money to make it a performer as people say. less than $1000 and you can pipe it, chip it, and have a K&N air filter set up. You can boost to 15+ HP. Add that to stock hp and you have one of the fastest ATVS around. Only the $15000 ATVs with major engine mods are going to beat it.

Enjoy. Get a Raptor 700R!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

id say go with the 400... its a better trail bike. i havent ridden a new 400 but i have ridden my friends 02 and u can ride faster threw trails. raptor gets kinda tippy, expecily on steep long hill climps, the nose likes to come up. i love my raptor but for what ur doin the 400 sounds like the best way to go. when ur cruzin threw the woods at a slow pace theres kind of a gap between 1st and 2nd, like a few mph range that reves out first gear more than i would like or just makes it want to bog in 2nd gear. and for the people that say the raptor is better im sorry, maby theres a reason y u see alot of 400exs in gncc racing, and not many rapotors, ive yet to see one

 

One thing to consider is Trail Riding is a very general type of riding. All trails are not created equal and there are many different types of trails. So peoples statements come from the trails they ride the most.

That said I give the 400ex the edge in handling and the Raptor 660 the edge in power. So what you would rather have is the question.

Not to get off your choices but if looking used I would buy a Predator over a 400ex or a Raptor 660. I ride with a Predator and it makes a very good trail machine (for our trails anyway). It has very good power.

I almost went with a 400 class quad coming off my warrior and I am glad I didnt. They are good quads but if your tired of the power from your warrior a 400 class quad is only going to help for a short time. I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone thats went to a 450 class, big bore or a predator that would go back down after having the power. I always thought the 400 where plenty but after buying a 700 I realize what I was missing. My buddy that went from a 400ex to a YFZ 450 feels the same way.

 

I own both, I have a piped 400ex and a 62 horsepower 686. Both have stock suspension and my 400 ex beats the raptor everytime on trails becuase I cant turn fast enough. Granted my raptor kills the 400ex out in the open or sand dunes. If you have enough money you can upgrade the raptor suspension and make it a great trail bike. Stock for stock I prefer the 400ex for trails (400ex has been more dependable and is much easier to jet also)