Some of these replys are from people who, obviously, have never ridden the Raptor. The Raptor definately revs higher than the 400ex and even feels like it has a powerband like a two stroke. For someone, hmmmm..... wonder who again, to say that it does not rev quicker than other four strokes could not possibly have ridden it.

I ride with a group of three 400exs and one 440ex and none of them can get off the line with mine, and only the 440ex stays with me after his is revved out!

Man it sure is nice having five valves. If a four-stroke will rev out quick enough too powerslide without slipping the clutch it would be the raptor not the 400ex. The 400ex powerslides better because it is wider. period.

Its like the Blind leading the Blind around here.

According to a November issue of an ATV "rag" the 400ex has a "35.5 Keihin CV". The Raptor has a "33 Mikuni BSR". Hmmmmm... I wonder what that CV stands for.

Where do "they" come up with this stuff.

 

Softening the suspension even further will only cause worse problems by allowing the weight to transfer to the back. Ever see the heavy street drag cars with the super springy front shocks? It's so the front end can come up fast and come down slow, therefore allowing the weight to be applied to the wheels with power. Since the back end is the narrow part of the Raptor, transfering even more traction to it causes more problems when trying to slide the back end around.

I just got my Lonestar installed today.. It a +4 and make a world of difference even with the stock tires.

 

According to a November issue of an ATV "rag" the 400ex has a "35.5 Keihin CV". The Raptor has a "33 Mikuni BSR". Hmmmmm... I wonder what that CV stands for.

Hmmm,

Do your research before tearing into someone, only makes you look like an inexperienced fool when you can be proven wrong when being so arrogant.

While you're right that the carb on the EX is a Keihin 35.5, it is certainly not a CV (do you even know what a CV carb is?). The Raptor has *2* Mikuni BSRs, which *ARE* CV carbs (just like our Quadrunner 250).

In my experience, the Raptor was slow revving compared to my EX. My EX didn't have the torque the Raptor did, but it certainly did rev faster and had MUCH better throttle response.

Who am I to challenge you though, with all your highly accurate info straight out of a magazine.

This crusade you're on is both amusing and pathetic. You expose more about yourself with each post.

 

Get out your check book my friend, you bought a narrow quad. You need to buy + 2 a-arms, + 4 axle, and all new tires and wheels, then you can probably use the power you have. Dirt wheels just did a run down on what they had to do before they could even do a review on it.
Good luck, I hope you get it way you want it.

 

First off, I make no claim to be a pro or racer, BUT, I put Holeshot 20x11x9s on mine and it slides a LOT better than with the stock tires. Might want to try that and invest the big bucks later...One step at a time...the Holeshots won't hurt you, even with wider axle and control arms later, so, what the hell, try it, it may be enough for you. Ride Out!

 

All this talk of slow revving carbs on the Raptor is news to me. When I first got my Raptor I actually noticed that it revs very quickly especially for a 4 stroke (heck at least I thought so). I have limited experience on 400ex's but the few that I have ridden didn't seem to rev any quicker than the 660R although they are very nice engines with great power for the displacement.
I'm not out to start any wars or call anybody a liar but that's the way I see it.
One thing I have noticed about this Forum is that the word "Raptor" is quickly turning into a dirty word and it seems that nearly everyone has an un-natural dislike for the machine. I wonder why?
Just like any other quad it has it's strengths and weaknesses. Since I am not brand loyal and narrow-minded I will reserve my final judgement until I have more seat time on mine as soon as the snow melts.

To Gabe: How much time have you had on Raptors and have you been on more than one? Just curious because I do value your assessment because you obviously know how to ride (judging by your pics) and you seem to know your stuff and are able to back it up instead of talking out your other end like many do. I sorta wonder about the possibility that it may have been a "bad" Raptor you have ridden (maybe not tuned quite right)? I can say a few negative things about my Raptor like it's a little narrow and tippy and wheelies too easily but slow revving just honestly never came to mind. Also I have noticed about you that some people either love you (have their noses up your butt, which must get annoying) or hate you and bash you at every opportunity. Me? I'm neutral, kinda like Switzerland

'01 Blue Raptor '00 Trailblazer '99 Scrambler 400 4x4

 

Raptor certainly isn't a dirty word. It is people who own Raptors who act like someone further up on this post do that create the problem. The you own a Honda so you must have no clue about Yamaha mentality is getting old. I had a 99 Warrior and I put a lot of motor mods into it and I learned alot about motors. my dealer (best friends) did all the work for me and we tried a carb from Alba that didn't have an accelerator pump, it pulled harder, but you couldn't gun it, you had to lay into it. I had them yank it off and I kept the stocker. I know what it is like to have carb problems and it sucks. As for the Raptor vs 416Honda. As soon as the weather gets better, I am bringing it down to race their demo Raptor. By the way, they sold me my Honda, they sell EVERYTHING except Honda and they HATE Honda, but they like me and they did the 416 kit and all my work. It should be interesting to see what happens. 86atc250r has a few more mods than me, so his should rev quicker than mine. We will be racing 300 yards on cement and then shutting down on gravel. If I remember correctly, should be just shifting into 5th by then. I know that a Raptor will smoke me top end, but that is not what it is all about, unless you ride it on the street or in the dunes.

 

One thing I have noticed about this Forum is that the word "Raptor" is quickly turning into a dirty word and it seems that nearly everyone has an un-natural dislike for the machine. I wonder why?

It's not the Raptor, it's the children that continually bombard the forum with posts about how it dominates every aspect of everything, and go on a rampage if someone disagrees with them. I'm with you, it, like any other ATV has it's strong and weak points. Some people don't like to hear that.

To Gabe: How much time have you had on Raptors and have you been on more than one?

I'll admit, I've only ridden one - stock. A friend that also has a Banshee and a 310R owns it and likes it. I'll also admit my EX is warmed over. I just don't like the feel of the CV carbs on the Raptor, the throttle response is poor and I was surprised that when given more throttle it didn't seem to affect it much. I was expecting something much more explosive, much more powerful than my EX. Explosive is not a term I would associate with the Raptor's power delivery. That, combined with the tall gearing is probably what gives me the feeling of a slow revving engine. I will also say it is very torquey, obviously more so than my EX, but it just didn't seem to have the instantaneous RPM building throttle response my EX has. My EX also likes the high RPMs, the Raptor seemed to like lumbering along thru the mid. That combined with the throttle response is why I say my EX feels more 2 stroke like.

The rest of my observations are based on what I've seen at riding areas, dunes, and at several of the races I've attended. I've been keeping a close eye on every Raptor I see, it's best to know the opposition when racing.

Brand loyalty is a funny thing. Personally I own machines from Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki. The Yamaha and Suzuki are dirtbikes. I started on Yamaha dirtbikes years ago. I do like my Honda's (all 3 of them), but if another manufacturer (Suzuki, Kawasaki, Bomb, Cannondale are all promising) comes out with a quad that I like the specs on, feels good, is designed well, and I can turn better lap times on & have more fun with, I'll buy one.

Also I have noticed about you that some people either love you (have their noses up your butt, which must get annoying) or hate you and bash you at every opportunity. Me? I'm neutral, kinda like Switzerland

I get a kick out of it all. Some of the funniest reading has been posted lately. I have been here quite a while and have posted a lot of messages, that does expose ones-self to some criticism sometimes, it's all part of the net. Take the good with the bad.

 

I have to put my 2 cents in on the carb thing. Gabe gives a good point on it not revving quickly, technicly speaking, if you know what a CV carb is, there is no possible physical way for it to rev quickly. CV carbs are being used widepsread for there eficiency and there low pollutant output. CV carbs work on vacuum, or lack of vaccuum, just because you have put the throttle to its max, doesn't mean your carb is giving your engin 100 percent. It will, as soon as it can lift the slide all the way up, which takes a few seconds. Kawasaki uses these carbs on there high performance jetski, why, just for emissions standards, not for there performance. The first thing a PWC racer does on one of these if they race in the superstock, is to replace them with conventional carbs. I have raced an Ultra 150 in the stock class for 2 years now, and I get killed off the line just because I cant replace my carbs and stay in that class. Motorcycles use CV carbs and they can get away with it, because a, they use a carb for each cylinder, and b, they have a short stroke and they can rev high and fast no matter what feeds the fuel to them. So, now that I have said that. You need to widen your quad front and rear, get some new tires, and if you want to maximize your acceleration, which I am sure the 660 is capable of, you can replace the carb. Feel lucky, you have only one, my ski has 3, that is a big dent in the wallet.

Good luck on you mods, hope you have fun, and no matter what, I am sure you will have fun on your quad.

 

1st things 1st..lets eliminate the word jiggy from your vocabulary !!!!!!




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