I have a couple questions for those of you who own or have rode a Raptor. I haven't rode one but am considering buying one, and I have some questions on how the bike rides.

1-Does it feel tippy(side to side)?
2-Does it wheelie easy(I've heard the nose feels heavy)?
3-How does the bike feel at speed?
4-I've heard about weak axles, is this still a problem?
5-Has anyone experienced tranny problems with the 2002's?
6-How does it jump(predictability in the air, smooth landing, etc.)?
7-For those that have ridden a 400EX, how does it compare with it.

Thanx for the help.

 

The new 02 Raptor has the trans prob fixed along with all the other problems the 01 had. The rear axle is wider and stronger than the 01 also the stock tires were changed by adding a harder side wall to decrease the tippiness the 01 stock tires had. The 02 also has a set screw type axle nut set up so the axle stays tight. In my opinion the stock 02 is as good in the handling department as a 400ex. The Raptor isnt nose heavy at all. Jumps great and i can do 5th gear wheelies all day long. Hope this helps.

 

I have a 2002 Raptor, and when I ride on some pretty rough trails, it might feel a little tippy, but you get used to it real fast. It's seems to wheelie pretty easy. When you're really going fast, the bike feels great. As far as a weak axle goes, I think they improved it since the 2001 model. I haven't had any problems with my tranny but I haven't had it long enough to tell. I think the 400ex still handles better than the Raptor, but I think that problem can be solved with a wider rear axle and some better front shocks. When jumping, it's really predictable and lands very smooth. The power the Raptor has is unbelieveable. You can't go wrong with the Raptor.

 

1-no....but you will have to alter your riding style to use a lot more body movement...it feels like it was made to move around on though.
2-it does wheelie easy, but not as easy as a 400ex. The Raptor front/rear weight bais is 46%f/54%r. The Raptor does feel nose heavy for a 400ex rider though (since the 400ex has much more weight bias towards the rear).
3-at hardcore speeds on rough terrain, the Raptor does have some headshake, but it's pretty controllable. I added a Stabilizer for this purpose.
4-For an MX racer, I would bet an aftermarket axle is a must have. But for riding the machine the way it was intended (NOT A FULL BLOWN MX MACHINE...BUY A C-DALE IF YOU NEED A MX'ER OFF THE SHOWROOM FLOOR) it works fine.
5-can't comment on that one.....the 02's just came out and we will probably have to wait and see.
6-I can't comment on big jumps, but from my experience, for anything under 6-7 feet of air, it flies very smooth and predictable.
7-My nickname used to be Garyc400ex. As of now, I have had the Raptor for just over a year and I had the 400ex for just over a year as well.
In my opinion, the Raptor has it's good points and the 400ex does too.

Raptor-In my opinion, power feels 2-fold stock and even small modifications make a big difference in power, "feel" while sitting on the machine is better (almost like sitting on a bike with the narrow seat/tank junction, handling is so close it's hard to determine which is better (do a search under garyc400ex....you will find I was having trouble with the 400ex wanting to 2-wheel in corners), and the front end does'nt want to come up as bad on steep hills, the coil has never ground out on the Raptor (did on 400ex...just had to clean it).

400ex-In my opinion, the areas that the 400ex is better are the brakes din't squeek since day one, the 400ex's clutch did'nt drag or ever overheat on me, I never had trouble with the starter (unlike the Raptor $160 clams), the 400ex does'nt blow intake boots off (the Raptor tried it's darndest to kill me when an intake boot slightly blew off, the 400ex has a good air box sealing design, does'nt come equipped with plastic skid plates (still only slightly better), the 400ex rear sprocket had no side-to-side "free play", with the 400ex I did'nt worry about the transmission locking up and throwing me over the bars, and lastly I think Honda would recall it's product if there were flaws in a first year model (Yamaha would never do this).

hope this helps.

 

That helps out a lot, finally some useful information from this forum again! If anyone else has anything to add, please do. Lata.

 

I own both currently. A 400 handles much better,because it sits lower. I have had my raptor for a year and ride hard cathing big air. Raced two Mx races. Raptors suck in the tight little whoops. Bent my axle in the dunes. My brother has one also and has only bent his axle. No, Notta, Nothing, Zippo, other problems on two Raptors that get beat to death!!! I'm plus five front and rear and it still takes more effort to carve a turn then a 400ex. Suspension is equall and so is jumping but the Raptor is just harder to get through the whoops. Raptors wheelie much easier. Wait for the new Suzuki as the 400ex motor is really gonna become the dinosaur w/ it's low tech air cooled, no reverse, single overhead cam motor. No offense 400ex owners I just speak REALITY!

 

To most everyone who posted... Especially Gary660R, Excellent line of comments. I love my 400EX. Its not the fastest quad but great for what I do. However, the one aspect of that will ultimately get me to go with another quad and sell my 400EX will be reverse. Dont get me wrong, I do fine without it. But when I get in the mud with the other guys I ride with, I have to just jerk the front end, goose the gas and hope for the best. They can tinker a bit and use reverse to help out. I agree that the competition is getting stiff for Honda. They obviously set the standard for frame design, handling and durability but others are steeping up in other categories and putting on the heat.

I like the specs on the new Suzuki, but I think they could have opted for a larger motor. You have to know that Kawasaki is going to have a Raptor/BOmb eater when it comes out. I cant really see Honda going for the power king crown until someone suplants them as the handling and durability king, but they really need to take a serious look at putting reverse in their new 450EX/650EX to level the playing field.

 

I also agree with Gary660r and Freakystone. The samething with everyone else who has replied in this forum. It's nice that everyone in here so far has all talked sense and no talkin' sh$t.

I do not own a Raptor but I have ridden one once before and was really impressed with the machine. I currently own a y2k 400ex and like it a lot. It also is a great machine. Like Freakystone said, it's not the fastest machine out there, but it has awesome handling, suspension, and a good powerband as well.

When I rode the Raptor I didn't think it felt tippy at all. It does have similier dimensions as the 400ex. I mean that the wheelbase, height, length, and width of both machines are almost identical. I first thought the same thing when I first saw the Raptor. I think it seems that it would be tippy because of the way the fenders are cut so high. As for riding wheelies, yeah, it will wheelie with no problems just like the 400ex will. Riding at high speeds, I can't comment on because I test rode the Raptor at a dealership, so I couldn't acually get out and ride it on a track or something. I rode it in a fairly large parking lot though and had it all the way into fourth gear and was impressed with the acceleration. Second and third gear did seem to be to long though. (I rode a 2001 model by the way) However, I guess that is one of the things that Yamaha changed on the 2002 model. The gears ratio is closer to together and not as many dogs on the gears. Axles, same thing, I can't comment on, but Yamaha I believe fixed the durability on the axle on the 2002 model. I never jumped the Raptor, so again, I can't comment on that either.

As for comparing the Raptor with a 400ex, like I said earlier, both are incredible machines. I think the 400ex handles a little bit better then the Raptor. The Raptor has better acceleration then the 400ex obviously with the fact that the Raptor has a larger motor of the two. Both have excellent torque and HP. Both have no problems riding wheelies. As for comfort in riding, I have noticed that after a while riding the 400ex the seat (cushin) tends to be a pain in the ***. I don't know about the Raptor though. I think overall compared to a 400ex, they are pretty much the same except for the increase in motor on the Raptor over the 400ex.

I like my 400ex a lot. It is a great machine, however, if the 400ex never existed I would own a Raptor. Someday, I'll probably sell my 400ex and buy a Raptor unless Honda finally comes out with a new high performance quad that is bigger and better then the Raptor. As for right now though, I am not finished playing with my 400ex. I have put a lot time and extras on it and I am still pleased with it's performance and reliability. I have raced Raptors in the sand dunes and can keep up with them until about forth gear, then the Raptor starts to pull away from me. The Raptor clearly has a higher top-end over the 400ex. Not much though, they usually finish about 2 or 3 quad lengths ahead of me.

Anyway, I hope that I helped out by answering some of your questions. Good luck with your possible new toy!!! Thanks.

Fourtracker14

 

I just wanted to thank everyone again for all the useful information. I haven't gotten this many useful responses in a while. I am currently changing jobs, so I won't be buying a new quad right away, but the Raptor and 400ex are the ones I'm looking at. I just wanted to get some info. on the Raptor cuz I haven't had the chance to ride one yet. I definately will at least test ride one at the dealer before I buy though. Thanx again, Lata.

 

It was a hard choice for me. 400ex or Raptor. I choice the Raptor because of reverse. Maybe I am lazy but when I had my 300EX I used its reverse feature lots of times. My Nephew had a blaster and its a lightweight but watching him getting off and turning it around was no fun.
As far as handling goes the Raptor is such an improvement for me over the 300ex which I thought handled good. I get the tipsy feeling when I am on my Recon going around a sharp curve in the woods and the Raptor will just hold the line and go.
The seat on the Raptor for me is first rate. I can ride for over two hours straight and still be comfortable. Yamaha did a first rate design on the seat/tank design.
As far as reliability problems I feel like I ride my hard but I do not abuse it. My fly's in the pie pan has been the water pump. It drips a little. The other fly just happened, I was greasing the upper A-arm last Sunday and when I pulled the grease gun off the whole nipple sayed in the grease gun fitting. I went to get a new nipple (75 cents) at the local auto parts store and it works but it is slightly smaller and I am going to have to get a new Yamaha nipple (2.98 dollars) because it has a wider base to cover the hole that it sits in. I have been greasing since I was about 14 years old and have never had a nipple pulled off before.
Chet