I bought mine because sometimes I want to just cruise and sometimes I like to rip. The Raptor fit's that bill perfectly. Best of both world's.

 

Bash had it right. Reverse, big power, and very good handling. My raptor isn't the best at anything, buty it is pretty good at everything. If I mod much, it will be to uncork a little more oomph and make the platform just wide enough to handle it. I ride on a mild ATV track, open farm roads, some dunes, and forest trails. I am entering a desert Hare Scramble in March (emergency room or bust!).

I would have looked harder at a DS650, but the weight and lack of reverse just didn't do it for me. A 400EX didn't have the power. A banshee is a 2-stroke (got out of that with my YZ). There was a lot of hype, and I think the magazines got versions a little hotter than the as-delivered folks, but I am still very pleased with my new baby and I think we should support Yamaha for hanging in there when everyone else wimped out on hot rod ATVs.

Also, I don't think anyone should rag on scramdaddy for this post - it was a legit question .

 

I wanted a fast quad. I am used to riding a 9 second 1/4mile bike so slow just wouldnt get it. I didnt want a fast quad for bragging rights, just because I like to go fast. Reverse was a MUST
so the only choices I had really were the Warrior or the Raptor. The Warrior is nice but just not fast enough for me so I chose the Raptor. To me buying a quad without reverse is like buying a car with only first gear. Sure you could drive it around but wouldnt it be worth paying a little extra for some extra gears. Now, I could have chosen a Polaris Scrambler but I also wanted to get some serious air. 2-strokes werent for me either because I have to be able to putt around with my little girls riding with me. I am not sure why people are having so much trouble with their a-arms and such. I hit a tree with the left front tire the other day going about 10 mph,hard enough to pick the a$$ end up and sling it around and I have no bent a-arm. Go figure.

 

Wanted High performance quad and I wanted reverse.
Raptor was the only one! I looked at 400ex and ds650 and were really nice and I especially like the ds650 but no reverse so I went Raptor.

 

Because it is the only high performance quad with reverse and the design.

IronBear

 

For my riding style, I needed a faster trail machine with handling at least as good as the 400ex I had. I don't do a lot of deep muddin' or extremely slow 4X4 only type trails, so the Raptor was the only choice for me. Reverse is nice, but was'nt necessary for me to make my purchase.

 

The question is why not? Despite all the bad reviews by people, I love my machine and have had only one problem with it, bent rear brake disc.Plastic swingarm protection, go figure.

 

i ride in the woods,badlands,forrest roads,hay feilds,and this summer going to take a few trips to the dunes in utah,anyway i bought a 96 warrior new,looked at a scrambler then and wasnt shure about durability,anyway i like riding in the woods and mountains so i wanted something with rev. and something i didnt have to jet if i was going riding at 8000ft,warrior seemed to fit the bill.then i got bored with the power,handeling,and found myself botteming out the susp. alot,so when the ds came out i thought cool,until i saw how big they are and no rev.,yamaha built the quad every agresive,power hungry,dont want to put a ton of mods on,can ride anywhere well,person was wanting,so i bought the first one in the state,the more i ride it the more i like it just the way it is.i do however wish they would have put thicker sidewalls on the tires,a littel stiffer suspension in the front,a touch more power,and widened it about a inch,but im the type of guy that would mod a weed wacker if i thought i could make it better so no big deal,also i ride with a guy that has a 2 shees,2 warriors,blaster,00 400 scrambler that is big bored,ported,piped,carbs bored,reeds,clutched.i have rode it many times and this is my take,he is a very good rider and in the woods with me one my raptor i can look over my shoulder and hes always there,unless i get him stuck between two trees,he-he,anyway out in the open i stomp him,but from what i rode the polaris modded its not all that bad just seemes heavy and bulky,kinda like my warrior does now,but the polaris is a kick on a frozen pond in 4x4 spinnen cookies,the only complaint he has is hes broke alot of parts,2 chains,bent the axel,bent the steering stem,cluth buttons,ect.but in the snow,or woods ridin thats the quad hes usually on.

 

CAUSE ITS THE BIGGEST, BADDEST, MOST FEROUCIOUS, and it will blow your house DOWN!!!


Raptor 2001 Blue
White Bros E SERIES