So the deal right now is that I have a brand new 2008 Raptor 250 SE. I just bought my baby (the raptor) about a month ago. First quad, so of course I was stoked and not used to the power.

I took it out to 2 different tracks. One was too big but the last one is definitely the best. I ride there from now on. But I couldn't help but notice that every there was riding bigger ATVs. Now, don't get me wrong here...I am 20 years old and currently in the AF.

So, was the 250 maybe a little too small to start off with?

I'm feeling a little slow with it. Especially when I put it up against a banshee. Course, its a 350 2-stroke but it blew me apart! And when I go for a double, I have to wind it up all the way into 5th gear!

The 250 (Rappy Jr) is an AWESOME quad, no doubt about it, but is it the right one for me? I want bigger and I want faster but I do not want to be sewn together by something that tore me to pieces.

Should I just mod the raptor (I know there's not a lot of mods yet, but I can wait) or should I consider a bigger toy?

And which one is better for riding in south alabama, through the mud and woods but can blow people away and send me through the air easily on the track? Which one is lowest maintenence and which is the best overall?

Keep in mind that I am a small guy. I'm 5'6"-8" and about 150.

 

Hey welcome to the forums. Ya, I think at your age you could handle a larger quad. The 250 is small and a good starter quad but don't have a place on a track. The Raptor 350 is also a good starter quad. It's a little larger but up against that 'shee you still would have been killed. The 450's are the track machines. They have great power and awesome suspension. The 450 is a race machine and wants to rev and go which makes it a little unsuitable for trail riding where the 350 can handle it.

So with that in mind get the one that is suitable for you. 450 great and lots of fun for the more open riding but if you do much slower trail riding look at the 350.

 

i whould get eather a 400ex or a z400

 

If you're not happy with the 250, then you won't be happy with the 350 either. Get the 450 and you'll never out-grow that.

 

I completely agree with Raptor450.

 

Once you start wanting more you won't stop until you have the most.

 

If you can aford it get the YFZ! Especially if you ride on tracks alot.

 

The raptor 350 is sort of a joke, yamaha doesn't have any excuse to be using the old outdated design of the warrior anymore.

I'd say you're definitely going to be better off in the long run by getting a better machine, i'd avoid the 450's altogether as they're not the best trail machines. They definitely don't mix well with mud or any kind of slow riding, they just want to go fast.

I'd direct you towards a suzuki z400 as a great all-around machine, or something like the raptor 700 or one of the outlaw 525's if you want to really go fast.

As far as reliability goes, just about any machine on the market now will be very reliable, it's just a matter of keeping them properly maintained. Any quad will give you trouble if you neglect it and abuse it. Some require more maintenance than others (mainly the 450's require more periodic maintenance).

I'd say that right now a raptor 700 or z400 would be your best option if you're worried about the cost at all, as they're more common and it'll be easier to find a good used one. You can get a z400 in great shape for around $3,500 now, and i've even seen the raptor 700's dropping down close to $5000 lately.

Then if you get one of these bigger machines and you start getting bored of it and want some more power, they're much more cost effective to modify than a 250. You can easily dump thousands into a 250 4 stroke and it'll still be struggling to reach the level of a stock 400. Or with the raptor 700 you can gain an easy 12-15 horsepower with exhaust, intake, and an efi controller.

That's just my 2 cents.

 

Here is my two cents. If you want power and you like to mod out buy a banshee, if you want a quad that is fast and wont cost like a banshee will buy a yzf 450, also you might want to seriously consider the ltr 450 which in my opinion is the best racing quad on the market, and I can back that cause I own a banshee that is all modded out that costs me a ton of money all the time, and I also own a yzf and my little brother owns a ltr 450.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: recon99

The raptor 350 is sort of a joke, yamaha doesn't have any excuse to be using the old outdated design of the warrior anymore....

</end quote></div>

I kinda disagree with ya there man. It is a rock solid and proven engine. Yamaha updated the suspension with the raptor didnt they? It's also Yamaha's best trail quad(sport side) with exception to the hybrid wolvy. I know some say 700 but dang them things are hot. I like the air cooled machines.

Look at Honda. The 400EX is still a super popular bike and they hardly touched the suspension on the thing much less the engine.

I guess what I'm saying is that alot of people look for what they know to be good machines when purchasing a bike say, for there kid. I think thats what Yamaha aims for with the Raptor 350.

In Bama's case if your doing track riding or may want more out of your bike one day go for the 450 with no doubt over the 350. You didn't say anything about being open to other machines. If you are open it all depends on where/how you ride.