Well I would like your opinion on what I should get I narrowed it down to the Raptor or the DS (and please only suggest one of the 2 quads) Now I do alot of trail rides and my rides are about 100 miles long, a little mud, some jumping, wheelies, and hill climbs!!!
The trails are not that narrow down here so I dont have to worry about size!!!

 

I say 2002 Raptor with the updated Trans ratio's it should be awesome.
If it was last year and i knew what I know now I would DS or 400EX.
But I still happy with my Raptor after all the mods and some gear ratio
changes. Later

 

Hey Mudmunster,
Well i don't have either of these quads but i would probably buy the DS for the area you say you'll be riding in.The reason i say this is because if you'll be riding 100 miles the DS seat is really comfortable.(I have sat on them both at dealers)The raptors seat is pretty narrow and in my opinion would be the most uncomfortable of the two for 100 miles.Another thing is you said you don't have tight trails so you won't need the reverse.The only down side to the DS is it weighs more.Here were i live i would probably go for the raptor because i have a lot of tight trails.Well i hope this helps a little and have fun with whatever you choose.Later.

 

Lately the DS650 was marked downed to $5999.00 at a local dealership. Great deal that I wouldn't refuse if I were in the market for another atv.. not!!!! Then I called about Raptors in Mississippi & there going for $5799.00 OTD!!! It boils down to the rider and what they want out of their atv. If you can... ride both and make your decision on which one feels best. Myself, I wanted the best quad available and that my friend is the Raptor 660R. Want proof.. pick up some previous issues of Dirtwheels, ATVAction, & AtvSport!!!! Raptor is 3 for 3 guy. To be the best you have to beat the best of the best & according to those magazines the Raptor won every shoot-out!!!!! I'm no way putting down the DS650, because it's one-hell of a bike. I'm just giving you facts with solid evidence to back it up without all that hear-say!!!!!


j/t
01 Raptor Blk/White[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
01 GSX-R750 Blue/White[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

Like I said before GO FOR THE DS!.All the stuff is yamaha bought HYPE! If the raptor is so good How come it has not placed well in the long hard desert races?All you should have to do is read hear at the yamaha forums about all the probs with the raptor,this should help you decide on the DS ,unless you like fixing your quad more than riding it.

 

I have an issue of ATV Sport right here. In it the 400EX beat the Raptor.

 

What month atv sport is that and the page number. The 400 ex and the Raptor were both stock? I don't know anything about the DS650 other what I have read. I have only seen one DS650 and that was a yellow one. I liked how the machine looked but it was just to big(width) for what I needed. I purchased a Raptor over the 400ex. I liked the width on the Raptor because its about the same as my old 300ex was. I liked the 400EX too and it was a hard choice between the two. I had reverse on my 300EX and I used it ever so often because of the woods we have on our property. The reverse and the feel of the Raptor when you sit on it swayed me to the Yamaha. The 400ex has the sport atv feel. The Raptor's seat design is modeled after a dirtbikes seat and very similar in the feel to my kdx200's and it just feels right when you sit on it. Who knows maybe next year I might just get a 400EX too and then me and my son can switch off between the two ATV's and give the dirtbike a break. Really all three : DS650, Honda 400EX, and the Raptor660r are all really good machines it just all depends on which one you think will make you happier. Chet

 

The test is online at www.atvsport.com it is a four stroke comparison and gives the nod to the 400ex for it's superior handling.


John

 

Personally, If "I" had the choice between the two, I would pick the Raptor because I ride tight trails where reverse comes in handy, and I wouldn't want to lug on the DS all day...It's so big. Also, the DS simply would not fit on a lot of our trails. Sure, we could always bring a chainsaw up and fix that problem, but the trails aren't on our property and we don't want to go and hack up somebody else's land.

Above is the perfect example of personal choice depending on where/how somebody rides. I think that a lot of people will base their opinions on how THEY ride, not how YOU ride.

Also, one other thing to consider are the reliability problems. I know that the Raptor may have tranny problems, carb problems, and axel problems. I have heard people say that they don't, and I have heard people say that they do. My local dealer has sold 7 Raptors since they came out, and he has not had to do anything to any of them. I'm not sure if the DS650 has had any rumored problems, but that is something to look into as well.

Most importantly, try them out...at least sit on them or look them over really good. Remember that you are buying a quad for yourself and not anyone else. This forum is great for opinions, but don't base your decision solely on what you hear here.

Anyway, good luck with your decision.

-Josh

 

I agree with Josh and thanks NocandoCannibal for the www.atvsport.com Chet
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