In case any of you may have missed it, this message is now posted on the Yamaha ATV website! Looks like it will only be a short while more before we find out what the new Yamaha will be and how the Raptor, Banshee, etc. shape up for this year.

Raptorfish
2001 Raptor (Blue)
FMF Powercore IV silencer
GYT-R Front Bumper
GYT-R A-arm skids
GYT-R Frame skid plate
GYT-R Swingarm skid plate
PRM Desert Grab bar

 

Thanks for the update.I anxiously await the news on the raptor 4by4
Bearman

 

If you are REALLY nice to your dealer, he may let you have a copy of the 2002 brochure. A year ago this week, I got my first look at the 2001 Yamaha Brochure with all the Raptor pictures in it. I also paid the deposit the same day.

 

Cruz3....I done the same thing thing a year ago too. Glad I did. The 3 month wait was tough.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img]

 

Hmm... I wonder...

The Warrior, Banshee, and Blaster are all being sold with 300$ worth of apparel/accessories...

This isn't perhaps some sign that at least these three quads are going to either change or be dropped from the lineup. Ya know, like an effort to help the dealers get rid of them? If its not something like this, why wouldn't they offer this deal for all quads around the same price of these three?

Anybody else thought about this?

 

My friend just bought a 2001 Banshee 2 weeks ago. The dealer told him that they won't be making them anymore. However, he told him the same story in 1998 when he bought his "Final year" Banshee. The dealer also told him that the Raptor could kill a Banshee in all categories when my friend was looking at them last year. This year when he found out he was thinking of buying a new Banshee the story changed and the Banshee is now better than the Raptor in all categories. I love listening to crap like that.

Campy, maybe you are right, but if you ask me they wouldn't have to do anything like that to sell a quad that will be terminated in the next year. I bet if they announced that there were no more Banshee's being produced, it would encourage more people to buy all the 2001 that are left over. Just like in the story above. However, you may be on to something if they plan to IMPROVE one of the quads listed below. Let's say they take the Blaster and throw a 1000cc 4cyl engine into it (obviously I'm exagerating). I think that would overshadow any of the 2001's for sure.

Good theory though. Later.

-Josh

 

when was the last time yamaha had more then 3 new models in one year. i dont think ever. i might be wrong. but i think they will keep the warrior and banshee because they are really good sellers. but the blaster, i dont really know. i thought i heard some talk of changing it to a 250 4 stroke. but i guess we ave to wait and see.

 

I think they would drop the Warrior b4 the Blaster

 

If I'm correct the Warrior is the best selling "sport" quad of all time. They will not stop making them. I could belive that the blaster would be converted to a 4-stroke seeing how the trend is to get rid of 2-cycle engines.

 

The Blaster, Warrior and Banshee have been virtually unchanged since the late 80's, what makes u think they are going to change one of them now?? ATV's aren't like cars where they keep the same model and redesign it, they just make new models. Everyone was waiting for Yamaha to do something in the sport category for 2001, and did they redesign the Banshee? No. They made a totally new machine, thats usually the way it goes. I expect the sport category for Yamaha this year to be virtually unchanged from 2001 with the new sport/utility machine being the only MAJOR change in the entire ATV lineup.