Hello All,

Im looking to get back in to riding after about a 8 year break. My question is about the raptor 350. I've been looking at getting a new atv for a few months and I think the only way to get the wifey to let me get one is to get one under 3000. Ive seen a couple of brand new 350's for under 3000 on ebay before so I'm looking towards buying one. My question is I've been looking everywhere for a good review of the atv but cant really find one. All I've really read is it uses an older engine off of the old warrior I think and that its a good machine....and thats it. What I'm trying to get at is you never see a shootout on it or anything. Kinda like its just out there being overlooked. Is it being overlooked or is it just an ok machine? Thank you for your time!

 

Well it depends on what you want from your ATV....... my Wife loves her Raptor350, it is comfortable, reliable and handles reasonably well. The power is smooth and not scary at all, but it will get up there close to 60mph, and it has enough torque to pull up any hill. For the money, they are a good machine.

No it won't out perform too many other sport machines, but if you are looking for a reliable cruising toy with some spunk it is a good choice. That 350 engine is not a power beast, but it is as reliable as anything out there. And with a few easy mods (exhaust and jetting) it wakes up to a respectable bit of power.

The suspension is basic, but it works well on the trails. It can be set up to handle smaller jumps, about what the power can handle. The handling is predictable but not spectacular. It will not do anything strange on the trails, and it will soak up anything the trails can throw at it.

One thing I would say is that it is a bit smaller than most of the full sized sport machine, but if you are under 5-8 that won't matter. Much taller and you might feel a bit cramped so I'd sit on one before you buy.

If you have to have brand new, in that price range, you cannot go wrong with the Raptor350......... If however you can go used, you might be able to find a 400ex at some dealer still in great shape. In which case you will be getting a much better machine all around. I've seen used 400ex machines out there for around 3k-4k...just some food for throught......

Good luck!

 

Thank you for the info! I'm 6 foot so I'm guessing I need to sit on one and see for sure. I used to own a 400 back in 2001. The only thing is it left a bad taste in my mouth from the previous owners mishandling of it before I bought it. It had wobbly suspension probably from a bad rim or two, definately had been wrecked in a few creeks judging from the oil when i changed it, and then right when i sold it the engine blew up on my friend that bought it. I'm looking on ebay to buy and it really scares me to buy anything used after that experience! But overall I liked it while I had it! I've seen a few kawasaki kfx 400 that LOOK in good shape on ebay for under 2600, its just that feeling of getting screwed again! Thanks for the help!

 

My only $0.02 is that i would be very wary of the automatic trannies on the KFX as if it is abused you will have major, expensive problems where as a clutch kit is cheap and relatively easy to do it yourself.

 

sorry double posted on accident

 

Well I've talked to the old lady and we discussed it and I think I talked her into letting me get one thats about 4000 or less. So now I just need to get an idea of which one is best for trailing! For some reason you cant get a cheap Z400 anywhere really! But theres a few thousand 400 EX's under 4000! I've seen a few 2005 raptor 660's for sale for about 2200 and 2300 on craigslist. Any suggestions on what to get gentlemen?

 

Either the 400EX or the 660 would be an excellent choice. I prefer the 660, but they can be a handfull to ride and control. The 400EX is fast but a little more tame, and are very reliable. You can get Raptor 700's now for less than $4000, that would be better than the 660 or the 400.

 

Ok, then that brings me to my next question. What are the differences between the 660 and 700? Are there any articles or anything like that on the differences?
My thinking is that since its freaking cold as christmas for a couple of more months that maybe by April I will get one so I'm thinking that the prices might go down a few hundred more dollars on say maybe an 07 raptor or something similar.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: heremy8

Ok, then that brings me to my next question. What are the differences between the 660 and 700? Are there any articles or anything like that on the differences?

My thinking is that since its freaking cold as christmas for a couple of more months that maybe by April I will get one so I'm thinking that the prices might go down a few hundred more dollars on say maybe an 07 raptor or something similar.</end quote></div>

The 700 is vastly better than the old 660.

Power wise, the 660 was a torque beast, but the handling is not very good. They are a bit tall and tippy. As well they are wheelie monsters and not easy to keep the front end down on.

The 700 was totally redesigned, and is ergonomically closer to the YFZ450. It handles much better than the old 660, plus it has EFI which is a nice bonus. The Raptor 700 might be the best all around sport ATV on the market.

As far as the KFX400 you saw, they are identical to the Suzuki z400. Kawasaki just slapped some green or orange plastic on it and sold it as a Kawasaki. But they are actually z400 machines with different plastic. And they are excellent ATVs. They have excellent handling and suspension, and a fun engine in stock form. A few mods, and they can absolutely scream.

I also would not worry about the 400ex leaving a bad taste in your mouth. If the previous owner abused it, you cannot blame the machine. The 400ex is one of the best all around sport ATVs ever made, and if taken care of will give you endless years of quality performance. If you can find one in good shape they are excellent, and in some people's opinion the best trail machine ever made.

 

Thanks for the info! I guess I'll try my best to get a raptor 700 or if I cant find one for a good price then I'll just buy a new 400ex and not even have to worry about it being abused. Everybody has been VERY helpful! I guess now all I have to do is figure out what to get the wife. She for some reason got in the mood to buy an atv when she saw the Polaris RZR S, but I decide we might as well buy 2 four wheelers and a trailer and almost another car for the price of one of those things! So ladies and gentlemen, what would you say would be a perfect four wheeler for a begginner? A honda 250?