I hate to go against the grain here, but I WOULD be very nervous about buying/riding a Raptor 660 as your first...
I am little older(43), but a friend of mine who is my age did the same thing you are talking about doing...
He sold the '03 "Craptor" as we now refer to it after about 6 months...He had numerous accidents and numerous
problems with the bike...He traded it for a Polaris Predator 500 and has been much happier and a much safer and confident
rider ever since...For my 2 cents, I didn't much care for the Raptor either..My biggest problem wasn't the "tippy-ness",
but too much power...I found it real hard to keep the front end on the ground when you we were riding in
elevated tight trails...Not to mention the fact I popped a wheelie (did not intend to) in 4th gear going about 45-50
miles an hour...After that, I never asked to ride it again..I'm not in any way saying the Raptor is not a good bike, but
for a beginner and a older beginner at that, I would definitely say stay away...Just my .02 and take it for what it's worth....
Good luck with whatever you purchase..You will find if you like riding, it will be very addictive...I know it has been
for me...By the way, I didn't start riding until I was 39...Wish I had started earlier cause I just can't get enough of it...

 

Hey 4wheel4food.. thats exactly what I am afraid of.. those unexpected Wheelies while riding.... Thanks for your message.

 

He's right.....

I can't tell you how many Raptor 660s I've seen for sale by older riders who just could not handle the power.......

In a way older is good (smarter) and in a way older is bad (less daring). It is harder to find the limits of the machine when you are too scared to test them, but at the same time you need to test them in order to be safe in all conditions you may encounter.......

The thing about the 660 is that is has a short wheelbase all around, and a massive amount of torque. The front end wants to climb to the sky, and I've seen/heard of many newbies looping out and ending up on their backs very quickly. This is especially dangerous when climbing hills....

To be honest, I would NEVER recommend a newbie no matter what age, stepping over a 660 and making it their ride, unless they are a savvy off-road rider who has been on dirt bikes or sand buggies or something in the dirt. This happen very quickly on a trail in comparison to the road......

I would personally look into a Honda 400ex ........ You can find a great deal on a used one, or even a new one is not super expensive...... They handle awesome, are easy to ride with a smooth broad power delivery, and they have enough power and speed to keep you happy as you get better and more experienced..........

But like I said eariler, a lot depends on the rider. If you are smart and willing to put the time in to really learn to ride well, the Raptor660 can be a fun machine....

 

Im 47, I must of had a brain freeze and bought a red and white 05 660 raptor a mouth ago. Its has a after market adj. rear axle and every think else is stock and its for sale or ill trade for a 350 raptor, the 660 are for young expert riders only, I been riding dirt bikes since I was 8 and the 660 is to much for me and not fun. I have a 1988 warrior that I have for 12 years that I wanted to up grade and now I think at my age the 350 is perfect size and power for the woods.

 

Was this a stock raptor? Doesnt sound like it....

Tuurbine,

You can fix all of the problems he listed by changing your front sprocket to 1 tooth bigger. It will "calm the gears" down quiet a bit for about $13 US. You could also set your throttle screw in a bit so you can not give it full throttle if your that worried about it having too much power. If the raptor is in stock form and you take your time you will be fine on it, the quad will let you know when your riding out of your limits. As long as you listen to it you will be fine.

I bought my banshee as my first quad having ridden a quad once before when I was 19. A banshees power hits MUCH harder than the raptors. I took my time and was very careful and im fine. Ive never been in a serious accident, only hitting trees and stumps at low speeds. (knock on wood) Look at my pics of how im riding now...

 

No matter what ATV you decide to get you may want to check into taking a riding safety course, these are usually offered by local ATV clubs and last about 4-8 hours on a weekend day. Also, always wear your gear (i.e. helmet, goggles, gloves, and boots).

Good luck with you choice and welcome to ATVing, you will get addicted after your first ride[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Traded my 660 in on a new 700....best move I ever made. I am not a fan of the 660, as I thought is was an ill handling slug. Too much horsepower is never enough, and the 700 is way better in that respect, and MANY others. Oh well, just my .02 worth. Good luck. (just for my opinion, I also think you should get something else)

 

if youre too scared of real power just get a big red or something.

 

Tuurbine,

I would tend to agree with many one here that say take your time and learn how to ride the Raptor 660. I am not sure how agressive you will become a year from now, but if you buy something smaller then you might want to be upgrading very quickly. Trust me, you are going to want more power if you buy something small; it's just the nature of ATVing.

Additionally, just because you have a machine that has a lot of horsepower does not mean that you have to use it. Take your time and practice. Start off easy and get used to the throttle, putt around your yard or riding area and get used to the way it responds. Next practice braking, this will obviously be very important. Next move up to shifting and learn how to keep the power to the ground. After you get these basics down you can start testing your limits in very small incrimental steps.

When I was teaching my kids how ti ride I would have them practice all the things I mentioned above until I felt that they were comfortable enough to go on a trail. They still made some mistakes on the trail, but I was there to point them out to them. I think someone mentioned that you should go out with an experienced rider, I would also recommend this as he or she can point out any mistakes you make during riding. Also take an ATV safety class and make sure to wear your gear.

In summary, get the Raptor but learn how to ride it. Also, try not to be scared, but rather have respect for the bike I think that's where a lot of people make mistakes. If you are scared of the machine you will tend to ride really tight and respond to situations very quikly and that could lead to problems.

Hope you make a choice that works for you.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Jeff

 

the 660 is a good bike but yes it is light on the front end. I like it for that reason but Alot of people loose it on a 660. Start slow and stay off anything over a 45 degree slope for at least the first season. If you can I would recomend a raptor 350 or a worrior..... same bike. 6 speed manual and only about 20-30 horse and so low geared you really got to work to roll it. But all in all I like my 660....right now I'm putting a 11:1 piston and stage 1 cam in it.....[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]