Well come Monday I'm buying a new quad & its between the Wolverine & the Raptor. But I dont know if I should get the raptor, I'll be doing some mud riding & alot of rough trails & I need a place for my wife to ride every now & then. I've always wanted a sport quad but I dont know if I'll like there disadvantages (low ground clearance, 2wd & possible not enough room for the wife.)

Anyways if any of you could help I would appreciate it.
THANKS,WILL

 

I have a Wolverine, so perhaps I can help.
It won't satisfy your need for speed if you live somewhere where you can really take advantage of all a Raptor has to offer.
Then again, I can easily find lots of places where a Raptor would never follow me, and I use my quad for work as well as play, which you can't do with a Raptor.

Ideally I would have a Big Bear AND a 400EX, but if you need a 4x4 and crave the sport bike thrill, I don't think you can make a better choice than a Wolverine.

 

Why is the choice between the Raptor and a Wolverine. You are deciding between a brand new hot-*** sport quad and a relatively outdated, underpowered, utility machine.
I love my Raptor, but for your riding conditions you should consider the new Grizz. Same engine as the Rap but it's set in a better chassis for your uses and conditions IMO. The new Kawi looks like a sweet ride also. Don't sell yourself short, if you really want the power of a Raptor but need the 4x4 and fenders that will actually block out the mud there are more logical choices than the Wolverine.
If it seems like I'm bashing the Wolverine, I'm really not they are very good quads with bulletproof engines. It's just that it had it's day and still has it's place for some people but if you are looking to purchase a new machine and want a snappy ride that really moves when you want it to, you should look at all of the new 4x4's out on the market. They have come along way in the last few years.

 

You should probably lean towards the Wolverine. I ride with 2 friends that have Raptors and while they blow me away on the straights they are constantly riding the clutch through the rough stuff (you can forget about the mud). The best thing about the Wolverine is that it has the sport suspension. It rides much smoother than a Big Bear or Grizzly, and still has plenty of power to get out and run. The racks also come of with 4 easy bolts to make it look even sportier.

 

this is only my 2 cents .......go test ride a new kawi......it is very sport like and will mudd with the best of them ...just try it

 

Still cant make up my mind. But I have owned the big 4x4 quads & know what there capable of doing. I have always wanted a sport quad but will I be able to carry a passenger on the back & how much mud or mud puddles can it take ???

Thanks for the help

 

You will need the wolverine to pull your raptor back home when it breaks. just kidding

 

If your looking to do a lot of mudding don't get the Raptor because I have a 99 Wolverine and my good buddy had the Raptor which he recently traded for the YZ426F Dirt Bike, and it has the worst ground clearance I've seen on an ATV. Don't get me wrong, I like the Raptor for most other things but if your planning on bringing it in the mud, always ride with others and make sure you bring rope.. Personally I like my Wolverine and its a bit modded with bigger tires and pipe. It has great power and I bring my girlfriend with me sometimes. Even with my girlfriend and me on it, theres no problem with power. I have a seat that I put on and I don't even notice she's there. I've even brought my brother along and I weighed at the time 180 lbs. and my brother around 215 lbs. or so and I still didn't notice a difference. I have some pics on my site that you can check out. You can see the difference in ground clearance on both and on one pic of the Raptor, you can see where he got stuck crossing a little bit of mud and water in bottom of a ditch..

Oh yeah, I would have to agree with the others when they recommend you check out the new Griz and Prairie 650, although I haven't tried them yet, I know if I could afford it then I'd probably go with one or the other. I like all the new features. If Yamaha would add some of the features those machines have like diff lock and selectable 2 and 4 wheel drive then I'd consider another Wolverine.. I even like the new Kawasaki 360 Prairie. Not as big and heavy, but all the cool features as the bigger 650. Hope this helps some.

Wolverine & Raptor

 

If I where planning on doing alot of riding in or near mud on a raptor, I would buy something waterproof because the raptor has no mud protection at all. The raptor is no doubt a nice sport bike but it is not for mud or a couple of riders. I traded a warrior in and got a Wolverine about a year ago......best move I ever made. The warrior had no ground clearance at all because of the chain drive. I am sure the raptor would be the same. I mashed the swing arm skid plate into the brake rotor on the first ride with the warrior. The Wolverine is a great all around bike. I have not had any problems at all with mine. My wolverine is the best handling 4 wheel drive ATV I have ever ridden. It all comes down to what kind of riding you are partial to.

 

Well, if you don't want a pure utility quad or a pure sports quad then I would recommend a Scrambler 400 4x4. They aren't nearly the best sport quad or the best utility quad, BUT in my opinion they have the best of both worlds. Also, you can easily mod one (for under $1500) that would be able to smoke a stock or lightly modded raptor from start to finish in a straight line drag race. Then you take it on the tough trails and leave the raptor in the mud.

Don't get me wrong...if you want a pure sport quad by all means get the Raptor. The Scrambler is big, heavy, and just doesn't handle like the true sports quads do.

Also, a lot of people talk trash about Polaris (I know, I was one of them), but until you actually own one then you don't know how good a quad they are. I have had my sport for quite a while now and it has never given me trouble at all. Would I recommend Polaris to a friend? Absolutely.

Of course, you still have the people that have owned them and have had a lot of problems with them, but I bet you can find someone like that for every other quad on the market.

-Josh