I'm looking at possibly buying a Raptor this coming year. I have owned a few bikes... to include 400ex, quadracer, and a highly modified 250R. Alot of the guys I ride with own 250R's. So I'm wondering this... how much money would it take to including the price of a Raptor to equal the hp and performance of a X pro $7,500.00 250R?
Are we talking that it would cost 7,000.00 for a Raptor, and then 3,500.00 in mods? I'm also looking at +2 on swing arms and such so I can beef up rear and front suspension from 9" to 11" of travel for dunes. And is vary feasbile for this kind of money to get say 55hp out of a Raptor? Or is it better to just go with a used $7,500.00 250R, (310R) (330R) but in excellent condition? Any suggestions?

 

I think the other thing you should consider is the reliability of the 4 stroke over the 2 stroke. Meaning if you ride a lot you will be doing a couple of top ends a year on the 2 stroke. Plus they both have different types of power. I had a 250r and sold it to get the raptor. No, I don't regret my choice even though I miss the 2 stroke sound some times.

 

Just the opposite of chasman, I traded my Raptor for a 250R and I don't really miss the Raptor. The Raptor was a great bike and was fun to ride, but the R is just addictive. It's more of a rush to ride and feels more like a high performance quad than the Raptor does.

I would think it would take quite a bit to modify the Raptor to beat a highly modded 250R. Mine is only 250cc, but has been ported and polished and it could beat my Raptor. When you start adding more cc to the R...watch out!

 

$800-$900 and you can send your top end off to Trinity for hi-comp piston, cam and head work. They are claiming close to 65 HP.

If you're up to doing it yourself, you could probably get the new piston and cam for less than $450.

You probably know what the rest of the items cost or close to it, so you can go from there. Don't underestimate the handling of the Raptor, it's just the rear axle and the seat height that messes you up. Zero Preload shocks can take care of the ride height while getting you closer to the suspension travel that you are looking for.

 

Thanks, for the comments...
I went and screwed my mind up even more when I went and read about Cannondales fx400. 20lbs lighter than a 400ex, 10 more hp, liquid cooled, and they claim it is the closest reving thing to a 2 stroke you can buy.... And now they claim that it can probably take a Raptor too. Sounded great until I found out how much the freakin thing cost... $7,500.00 holy cow! Do they realize that is almost an $8,000.00 loan payment? Vary scarry! Not to mention that includes no mods or expense of aftermarket shocks. I'm thinking for the same price you can probably pick yourself up a nice used Raptor completely mods.. or a vary nice decked out 250r w/ after market everything. With the Raptor's ride hight... is this a problem with cornering .... what if you swap out.. to +2 a arms? Has anybody tried this yet?

 

I did not care for the ride height of the Raptor, but it sounds like it could easily be fixed. If I were buying a new sport quad, I think I would go with Cannondale. Remeber, it already has a lot of the good aftermarket stuff on it and it was designed to be raced, whereas the Raptor was designed for aggresive trail riding.

 

read the july issue of dirtwheels and see what they have to say.....raptor ties cannondale in MX. Go figure!

 

cctman,

Well as far as taking the Raptor, wait until you read the newest Dirt Wheels. They ranked the Raptor above the FX and while some will say the the FX should have beat the 400ex according to their scoring method, you can hardly dispute it as a biased opinion when they reported that the FX400 engine starting flying apart!

I don't think BirdofPrey really gave his Raptor a chance. If you want to get very agressive in the cornering departent, you can go with a wider axle and if that is not enough, you can flip the rear shock linkage (it's a free mod) and lower the rear about 2.5" or if you just want to spend money on it, you can go with self-sagging or zero-preload shocks. Look to shocks to lower the front also if you feel it's needed.

The guys who have put the extended a-arms on their Raptors have claimed exceptional handling. If I remember correctly, Dirt Wheels did and article on the DS and Raptor set up for racing and they said the the Raptor with extended suspension components handled like a full on aftermarket race bike. I've heard the same comments for the man who runs Custom Axis and also Allen at CT Racing. Both men say that for a factory bike, the Raptor is unbelievable when you get the suspension adjusted for the type of riding that you do.

I'm not knocking the FX400 or the legendary 250R, but you have to remember that most likely, winning versions of either will have aftermarket suspension components as well.

Weigh the pros and cons of each:
250R:
2-stroke power hit
great handling, especially when modified
Unlimited mods
More frequent, but easy rebuilds
No reverse
Newest you'll be able to get will be 12 years old


FX400 (as reported)
Good power, similar to a 440ex
High-tech electronic engine management and fuel injection
Handling very close to a 400ex
No reverse
A few hundred produced, reports of engine trouble already.
Not much room to mod engine, few mods available yet

Raptor
Awesome power even it its low state of tune
Lots of room to improve over stock power
Vendors are supporting it with all kinds of mods
Decent cornering ability with everything else being top notch
Frame geometry loosely based on aftermarket racing frames
Reverse
Great for whatever kind of riding you do
Several thousand produced, a few reports of transmission trouble

Of course I'm biased as well, so don't put too much stock in my post alone.

 

Even though this really isn't a straight question, What kind of money do you think it would take if you buy a stock used Raptor realstically and try bumping to 55hp range, and 11 inches of travel vs. other bikes same set-up?