Let me start out by saying I know this topic has already been posted MANY times. However, I would like to hear, if possible, any unbiased comments from banshee and Raptor owners regarding the differences between the two machines. I'm particularly interested in riders who have owned BOTH quads(Raptor and Banshee).
I was the owner of a 94 banshee, which was awesome, but how does it REALLY compare with the Raptor. I really liked the topend and pull on my "shee". Other than Toomey T5's my banshee was bone stock.
So, how does the Raptor measure up? Whats the acceleration feel like? Does the Raptor pull hard through ALL the gears? The majority of my riding is a mix of dune/trail. One more thing, I have ridden a Raptor in the dealers parking lot, needless to say, I couldn't get a true feel for the bike.

Thanks,
Jimmy in Or

 

I have not owned a Banshee but have ridden them. The Raptor is just ...different... On the Shee you open the throttle and feel the rear end breaking loose and you basically catch up with the wheelspin. (or so it seems) The Raptor puts it to the ground as you throttle up. You get more of a pull however a less abrupt pull. The Banshee is pretty exciting to ride and if you're a hard core duner I'd still go with the Banshee. That two stroke instant on power is the hot ticket for duning. I ride alot more trails than dunes and the Raptor is definitely a more versatile ride. I have drag raced Banshees at Sand Lake and beaten a couple and lost to several. My Raptor is completely stock as were the Banshees I have beaten. The piped Banshees had no real contest from me. For dune climbing power the Raptor will climb anything you point it at, even the tree holes at Sand Lake. The Raptor also feels more like a dirt bike when you sit on it, taller in the saddle but very comfortable and when you learn the machine it does not seem to be any disadvantage. Power on the Raptor is very addicting. It is somewhat wheelie happy but it's all the more fun, roll the power on and sit back the quad does the rest for ya. Bought my Raptor down in Roseburg OR, alot cheaper than the Portland area!

 

I ride a 2001 Banshee and my friend rides a Raptor. We have raced in dirt,sand and street. We both ride each others quad all the time. I like the feel of the Raptor its fast and comfortable. It has alot of power, you don't realize how fast your going sometimes on this machine. It definately is a better all around quad. But if you want true terror than go for the Banshee. In an all out race the (both stock) Banshee will pull the Raptor by about 2-3 bike length's. But as far as ridability is proposed its the difference from a truely great handling quad(Raptor) to a tornado on wheels(Banshee). No joke. After you pipe and jet the Raptor it definately hauls. It smokes 400's,some 440's and some Banshee's but whats great about about the Raptor is that its great at everything(not the best), but great. But remember if you want something thats scary then don't dismiss the awesome power that you can tap in the Banshee. A few cheap mods and you'll smoke alot of people. The only trade-off is that its very abusing to ride. It takes alot more effort to ride a 2 stroke than a 4 stroke. Always clutching, shifting, reving,etc.. In the end you be happy if you buy either of these 2 machines. Good Luck[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I'm gonna get beat for sying that, but the Raptor engine is boring compared to the shee. My friend has a Raptor (stock except an LSR axle), and I banshee with pipes and K&N. My banshee feels a lot faster (actually, it is -acceleration and top speed-)...whe I ride the Raptor, it's like "when does the power come on??" There is a ot of power (just stand up and pull the handlebars to fell the front end lightening), but you hardly feel it. I really prefer my banshee, as long as I'm not wheelying (the Raptor is an EXCELLENT wheelie machine for me...not daring enough to crash my buddy's machine, so I don't even get close to the balance point, but I still lift easily and almost under complete control).
The handling is excellent, although the high fenders give me the feeling the machine is very tippy, but suspensions are very smooth and dont seem to want to bottom (not juming high/hard enough, and I'm not heavy -70kgs-).

But again, the engine isn't impressive...I'm not bored with my shee engine after 1 year, and after a couple small rides on my buddy's Raptor, I don't have all that fun...the novelty thing is wearing out.
This said, I love riding his Raptor whe my #$%$#%^ banhee decides he's worked enough for the day and pisses oil and stops shifting (it should be definitively repaired though). I don't thn all banshees are like mine...always problems!! Should stop one day!!...but the previous owne was a heavy moron and damaged it quite...banshee+poor maintenance=troubles. and vs a brand new Raptor + picky owner, I don't stand chance.

But when it works, I prefer my banshee over the Raptor...even if I enjoy riding it, I wouldn' buy it.

 

i own a banshee and love the power it produces. while i was riding the rapter i was wondering where all the power the magazines talk about was. yes its a fast bike but it is way over rated. id buy my wife one, but i wouldnt pay that much for one. id rather buy an older banshee or 250r for her. if i was you id go with the banshee

 

I think part of the problem with people asking "Where is the rest of the power?" on a Raptor is that most (not all) but most that say that are coming off a slightly modified Banshee and jumping on a stock Raptor. If I came off my slightly modified Raptor and jumped on a STOCK Raptor I'd be saying "Where is the rest of the power?" too, so its all relative. However the 2-stroke hit can be deceiving. I was riding with someone that had a moderately modified 250R and after he rode my Raptor he thought a drag race would be very close, however when we did race I easily beat him every time.

Getting back to the original question, I have owned both, had a 96 Banshee and sold it for the Raptor. For my riding types (fields, trails, gravel pits) I am 100 times happier with the Raptor, it is definately a better all around machine.

 

660R01, I agree with you about the power being deceiving. I have ridden a DS650 and Raptor and neither one felt very fast to me. But when we raced the DS650 beat me and the Raptors got me on the holeshot and beat me too.

 

As usual [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Zorro and I are in dissagreement! (Whats new??) Since riding both I must say that for the trails and type of riding we do I prefer my Raptor. (what a shock?!?!) The power is smoother and it has torque. The Banshee is "on" or "off". I would suspect that for hill shooting and duning the Banshee would be way more thrilling because of the wheelspin and super-modifiable power. When my buddy gets his powervalved system up and running now that will be some amazing power!

So you think my Raptor is boring eh Zorro?? No more wheelying priveledges for you my friend! haha... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]