Ok, so I decided to keep my Raptor 660r SE. My question is, NJ is opening new ATV/ MX Parks with tracks, trails, all the good stuff. My Raptor is completely stock with the exception of ITP Holeshot tires on the rears. Any mods needed for the tracks ? (Jumps, hills, whoops) ?

 

Depends on how much air you wanna get, and how fast you wanna go through the woops. A stock Raptor will fly a few feet in the air and not land too hard. If you plan to clear 60' doubles, then it would be better to get some aftermarket extended a-arms, better shocks, and an extended axle, which all could easily cost $3,000 or more. I personally wouldn't dump that much money in a Raptor, they are not really intended for motocross like the YFZ450 is.

 

Thanks for the reply man ! But yeah theres new ORV Parks opening in NJ, I plan to just go out and have some fun on the tracks and trails, nothing fancy, NOT trying to race or get 50' in air, just enough to go off some jumps, whoops, maybe a couple small table tops. Plus should i soften or stiffen my front suspension preload for the track use ? Or leave it as it is, which is stock settings ? And if i do adjust the front preload, should i adjust the rear shock as well ? Thanks again man

 

Typically you would stiffen the shocks for MX. The stock machine should be fine for what you wanna do with it. I never did like jumping my Raptor 660 very high because it seemed very unpredictable coming off the jump.

 

Ok, so you think keeping it stock will be fine for just going out on the track to have some fun, hitting the jumps- (not too much air) ?

 

Yeah it should be fine. The Raptor is made more for the trails than a track, it's kind-of heavy, narrow, and has a higher center-of-gravity compared to a yfz450. But you can still have some fun on the track. If you really start pushing it, you'll find it's limits.

 

Ok, good to here last thing, since you own a raptor 660, what is the daily maintenance I should look after ? Anything I should do before Summer riding season at the new ATV Parks ? Also, how often should I check the valve clearances. Quad has 30 hours on it

 

Well I used to own a Raptor 660. ATV's have a bad habit of losing nuts and bolts, so it's good to do a visual inspection to make sure nothing is loose, and take a wrench and go over the quad to check and make sure everything is tight. Also check the chain tension before every ride, a loose chain can pop off and bust the cases which would make for a bad day. Of course check the tire pressure, oil and antifreeze before every ride.

I would check the play in the axle bearings, in the a-arm bushings, the front wheel bearings, and check the play in the steering tie-rod ends before the summer. With only 30 hours on it I would expect everything to be tight.

I'm not sure how often Yamaha specs to check the valves but I would check the valves maybe twice a year depending on how much you ride. If you don't ride much then once a year would probably be fine. I never have maintained my machines by the book (who's got the time and money?) I never calculate hours that I ride, but back then we rode almost every weekend about 4 hours each ride. I bought my 660 new in '03 and rode it for 2 years before it was stolen and, not saying it was right, but I never checked the valves and never had any problems. I got it back 3 years later and had the valves adjusted then, the crooks had rode it until the valves got so tight it wouldn't crank.