I would go with a decent exhaust, air intake system, some tires, aftermarket handlebars with a bend that works well for you and a steering stabilizer.I can't speak for how well it would work on a Raptor 350 or if they even make these parts for a Raptor 350, but on my YFZ450 I've noticed some very good gains with a Lexx exhaust and Fuel Customs Intake (FCI).For the money the Lexx and FCI give you a noticable gain that you can feel without costing a fortune.

A steering stabilizer, tires and handlebars will make the quad more fun to ride and you can also switch them over to a different quad if you sell your Raptor as long as you keep the factory parts.

My YFZ has ran a little over 81 MPH with the stock gearing and 20 inch rear tires in the 1/4 mile at a NHRA dragstrip with those parts and a Dyna FS ignition.The Lexx exhaust has a decent exhaust note without being obnoxiously loud like most pipes for the YFZ that I've heard and the quiet core doesn't really hurt performance to the point that without being on an NHRA dragstrip with timers I couldn't even notice a performance difference with it in or with it out other than the noise level.

 

Thank you for sharing WaaHeHe. The 450 is a great machine, and has more available parts compare to the 350 from what I can see. I do want to get a intake and exhaust system for my 350 but it just seem like it's not worth it. I mean it's going to be a fast 350, but it won't keep up with the 450/660/700 raptors. That's like throwing intake, header, exhaust into a honda civic and expecting to beat a stock chevy vette Z06.

 

For a little extra intake/exhaust flow on the cheap, go on eBay and get the billet exhaust tip with a stainless steel spark screen, that replaces the stock baffle and really opens up the exhaust flow, it runs 35 -45 dollars. I don't know if the Raptor still runs that awful greased foam seal air filter we all learned to hate on the Banshee and Warrior and Wolverine, but if it does, get the clamp on filter adaptor, it will allow you to run a nice foam or K&N type clamp on that will seal up and work better than stock. then you can either put some holes and foam plugs in the lid, or remove the lid and put an Outerwears screen on top...WAY more air flow, then jet up 2 or 3 sizes to make up for the intake and exhaust flow. Now you have a Raptor that sounds meaner, has a bit more get up and go, is still very close to stock, so reliablilty is still good, and will have only spent about 200 dollars or so, depending on how good of deals you find on eBay. The Banshee shock upgrade sounds like a good way to go, plenty of good used shocks on eBay, and the key to ride fast is to be able to control your quad, all the go fast parts in the world wont help if you can't keep your quad under control, so suspension mods are a good place to start.

 

Great advice right there. I don't want to talk you out of modifying your machine. Addressing issues and improving power and handling is fine. Mods do little to nothing for resale though, and sometimes if you have big plans it is better just to start off with a different machine is all.

 

Thank guys!

On another note. Being the idoit that I am and not doing my research before buying my first quad. I just noticed today while I was washing my raptor 350 that my front and rear tires are smaller than stock spec.

Rear - 18x10-8
front - 20x6-10

Shouldn't they be 21x7-10 for the front and 20x10-9 for the rear?? Hmm.. Should I try to buy some stock rims/tires back or just leave it alone? What are the benefits I wonder??

 

The former owner had visions of granduer, thought he was an MX star, so he put the little "track" tires on it. For a MX track, it won't hurt much, it effectively drops the gearing (unless he regeared it, count the sprocket teeth front and back, and see how it compares to stock) making it accelerate quicker from the corners, it does lower your already low ground clearance, so if you trail ride, you are gonna hit more stuff, and it also slightly drops your top end, so if you do a lot of top end runs, you will find yourself at the back of the pack with similar quads. Craigslist and eBay are full of good used or new Yamaha tires and wheels, you could get another set, or see if someone wants to trade stock ones for your "track" set up.

 

Sorry 95wolv. I don't know what a "granduer" is? What is stock on the gearing? I don't believe he changed the gearing just the rims and tires. Would it feel better with stock rims and tires?

 

Granduer is just a fancy word for "he thinks he's a hot shot, but he's not"....sorry. I dont know stock gearing, most of the time is is around 12 or 13 tooth front and 38 tooth back, but don't quote me on that. The front won't make that much difference, the smaller tires will make it corner faster, they won't "roll" like a taller tire might, and it will feel quicker, but you will rev out sooner in each gear, like changing the sprockets to a lower gear ratio. If you ride in twisty trails, you may like it, but you may find yourself getting hung up more with the lower ground clearance in back, if the trails are rocky or rutted. If you like to run it flat out on long straight runs, you will see a drop in top speed, as the smaller tires will act like a gear drop, better acceleration, but lower top speed. Try it out and see how you like it, then see if a buddy will let you bolt on his 20" back tires and compare them.

 

I run either 18" or 19" rear tires depending on the track and 19" front tires on both of the quads that I race.The advantages to going with smaller aftermarket tires are the different softness/hardness compounds that you can choose from, different tread patterns to help with side bite/straight line hookup, help lower the center of gravity and a shorter sidewall won't roll over as easy during hard cornering.The OEM tires are designed to work in a wide range of enviroments and have good tread wear while aftermarket tires can be more suited to the type of terrain you're riding on and help with faster lap times at the track.

If you find yourself hitting your rev limiter in 5th gear you can always go up 1 tooth on the front or down a few teeth on your rear sprocket to give you more top end speed.A bigger front sprocket gives you more top end while a smaller front sprocket gives you less top end and a smaller rear sprocket gives you more top end while a larger rear sprocket gives you less top end.

Here's a link to a gearing and tire size change website.I don't think they have a Raptor 350 in their data base yet but it can give you an idea of how gearing changes alter your speeds in different gears on YFZ450's and TRX450's.
Gearing Commander: Motorcycle Speed, RPM, Chain & Sprockets Calculator

My Polaris and Yamaha with 18" rear tires and 19" front tires and my Sportsman with 20" rear and 19" front tires.

 

Great info guys! Makes great sense. I guess I'll just leave that set alone and pick up another set for the dunes. Do I need the skinny front with no threads on them for the dunes? I see some folks have them and some folks just leave the AT front alone and just pick up a set of sand paddles for the rear. What's the difference between the straight paddle and the one they call the shark paddle? Also what's a good size tires and runs for the rear in the dunes?