There's a guy on another forum that states he already has the July Dirt Wheels with the big sport bike shootout. He says the Raptor wins and the Cannondale breaks. I'm not questioning this guy, I just want someone to confirm this.

 

I normally don't get mine until the beginning of the month before the cover date. I'm expecting two weeks.

 

Got mine yesterday. Only scanned the article quickly but yes it`s true !!!

98 Scrambler 500
00 Trailblazer 250
See my pic`s at http://www.picturetrail.com/riskracing

 

Tis true.. very true.. I got mine 2 days ago.

I don't have the article in front of me, but I did read it. The winner overall is the raptor, and it never places below 2nd in any category, and thats out of 5 quads.

The quads are:
Cannondale fx400
Honda 400ex
Yamaha Raptor
Yamaha Banshee
Bomb. DS 650

The banshee came in last out of the 5 overall, but it was a stock, and stock pipes SUCK. They did say the Banshee would win if you were going to modify a quad for the dunes, this I would tend to agree with.

Other things I remember.
The DS650 was to wide and to heavy for the trails.
The cannondale was the fastest on the top end, but they didn't seem overly impressed with it beyond that.
The honda is underpowered (go figure) but it has the best suspension.
The raptor just flat rocks, BUT they did mention so possible mechanical problems including the drivetrain. (They didn't mention 2nd gear by name, but we all know that what they were talking about)
The Banshee is just flat out out-dated.

Of these 5 quads, only 1 had reverse, the Raptor, seems to be a nice added feature that I use alot.

I'll read and post some more when I get home
Brad

 

How could the 400EX have the best shocks when the Cannondale uses top of the line Ohlins. Seems to me they where payed off to put down the dale. Doesn't surprise me one bit though.

 

SaMs0n,

I agree, the Ohlins are much better than what comes out on most factory quads, but they (DW) seem to be rating overall suspension, not just the shock alone. From what I've read, several people who own or have ridden the FX say that the stock shocks are too stiff for anything but hardcore MX.

If that is the case, it's very possible that the 400ex suspension actually worked better and seemed to suit the bike and riding conditions better even though using inferior shocks. However, you'd think that they would have given the FX shocks credit for being able to be revalved to suit the rider and bike.

The only thing else I have to say is GO YAMAHA! The Raptor is finally getting some credit.

 

Actually, they say "The Cannondales Ohlins shocks are the closest thing to pro level racing suspension"

They said the EX handles the best, not that it had the best suspension. They also say " It takes some cubic dollars to bring the engine to life.The powerband isn't the most exciting in the bunch, but it does offer enough excitement for weekend warriors. A low tech, air cooled engine that puts out the least amount of power in the group. Unfortunately, it takes a substantial investment to get it up to racing speeds.

 

Any new info or Spy Photos on the new Yamaha Wolverine or Predator 4x4, IRS, 660 SuperSport/utility??

 

Did anybody see the StarTrack TS300 LC picture in the june dirtwheels? Pg.10. 300cc 2-stroke, I tried searching the internet for some more info on it but couldnt find anything.. They say "the 300 pumps out between 60-65 HP" It looks pretty sweet, sounds too good to be true? Anybody know anything about this?

 

They said the motors are made by TM racing, which puts out good power, but in years past, the reliability was an issue. They were addressing the problems, but I never heard anything after that. I am under the impression that TM supplies engines to GAS GAS. My first reaction to the quad you are talding about was that it looked like the GAS GAS prototype without the "nose job" front plastic. The similarities are striking as they both look like a motorcycle seat and tank.
I would also bet that it is going to have frame problems in the pivot area. This machine, while encouraging and probably very fast, may not be the hot ticket for a long term relationship BUT, I will be interested in its release. I could quite possible be wrong on all my assumptions and it could turn out to be an awesome machine.