This is coming from someone who races bikes and has a raptor. I honestly was dissapointed in the amount of power the raptor has (stock). I had a yz400 and that motor had twice the power of the raptor I feel. Dont get me wrong I do like the quad alot but it doesnt feel like a 660cc machine to me although it does run alot better than the 400ex but I think those are very slow to me! I dont know maybe all those years of racing MX bikes has spoiled me but I can honestly say it doesnt have the power that I expected! I have been holding this back but I know some of you other raptor owners have to agree with me so lets here it, the raptor is a great machine but it doesnt feel like I think a 660 should!

 

I feel the bike has plenty of power, I just think the gearing should be different. A motor can have all the power in the world, but if you can't get it to the ground in a decent fashion, it's hard to judge the power output.

However, my opinion may be bias, as I only weigh 110 lbs, so I can barely keep the front tires on the ground in any gear.....

On another note, I think that it is great for a stock bike, after all, if Yamaha released a 660 thumper with 60 plus horsepower out of the box, we might have the 1980's 3 wheeler ban back in our laps. I will say that just like any other bike, after market parts can and will make the bike what you want. (Of course it will never have the snap of a 125 dirtbike with a turbovalve.)

 

It's true, Yamaha held back when they could have sold a 60-hp quad off the showroom, but when you compare it to other quads, including the DS650 (the only sport quad comparble in cc), the Raptor is on par for quad performance in the 650-660 range.

Quads weigh twice of what a bike does and have much more mass to spin (4 wheels compared to 2). In order to get comparable performance to the bikes that you're used to, you'll either have to go to a big bore, high-compression Raptor or a big-bore or stroked Banshee. Even then, the bikes will still smoke a quad on an MX track.

 

Ya kinda. I'm just gonna throw an exhaust,etc on it and it should be fine. Then to handling and cosmetic. That 50hp's should do me good for a while. I hope!

 

Do you think the 426 motor would of been a better choice for the raptor? More power etc....

 

Personally I think its perfect. The only quad I`ve owned with more power was my old LT500R. I will probly get use to it soon tho, Then put a pipe on.

 

If they put the yz426 motor in, then it would be very similar to the Banshee instead of the versatile quad that it is.

 

the reason they went with the 660 instead of the 426 is if you made the 426 more torqie wich would have to be done since its in a quad, it would have been down on horsepower. would have only been running like 36 hp with not even close to the torque of the raptor. it would have been better for racing thjough i suppose since you could race it in regular classes instead of in the open only classes. just cross your fingers cause yamy is still supposed to be making a yz400 powered quad plus replacing the blaster with a yzf250 powered quad. cant wait to see all the new bikes coming.

 

The 426 would have been a bad choice. Everyone assumes that since the bike is a rocket, so the quad would be also. Comparing it to the 660 (in theoretical detuned quad form), the 426 would be down on HP and especially torque and would be harder to ride fast (very similar to the Banshee).

 

A yz400 and yz426 are highly tuned from the factory, the Raptor is not. Also, in order to equal the acceleration of a yz400 or yz426, your Raptor needs 2X the HP of those bikes because the Raptor weighs 2X (I don't know the weight of the yz426 off hand, just as an example). You need a highly modified motor to run with a dirtbike in the flats.