Oh, and by the way guys,[I can see the hornets flying now], there is also another RUMORED, I repeat:RUMORED quad that Yamaha has been working on lately. Now whether it is just something they are experimenting with or plan to introduce is anyones guess, but get this.

The awesome R-1 streetbike motor that you see blowing past you on the interstate was put into a personal watercraft this year making it Yamaha's first 4 stroke "jetski". They call this variant of the engine the M-1.

Yamaha HAS said, AFTER they introduced the watercraft, that this engine is also being tested for use in some of their other premier markets.

Can anyone say: Grizzly 1000 A-1 ? LOL

Who knows if the project gets off the ground, and I assume the market that they SAY it is being tested in is the ATV market because I really do not see a market for a four cylinder generator that pumps 145HP, do you? Well, I really don't see it in a quad neither, but there isn't anything left.

Its just word and rumor within Yamaha guys and I just thought you would find it interesting. I'm not here saying that there will be a 1000cc ATV from Yamaha next year.

KNOWSALOT

 

After owning a 426 and checking into improving the motor, I can tell you that it comes about as good as it gets from the factory. Not one pipe made more horsepower. They changed where the power comes on, but not one made more peak horsepower than the stock setup. And it puts out 45-50 hp. There isn't much more room for improvement.

Now, when you look at the Raptor, and you use the CT racing kit and get that same type of horsepower, it doesn't make a lot of sense to bring out another sport quad for Yamaha. With High comp pistons, cams, and increasing displacement, you can get huge horsepower out of the 660.

I agree that the 660 is on the heavy side of the equation, and the 426 would make a very light racing engine, but for the most part, the 660 will do just as well, and be more durable (now that they have fixed some of the problems), because it doesn't run the high comp pistons from factory.

They have already called the stock Raptor the best sport machine, because it is very capable in most/all environments for sport quads. It's not an MX'er, not the king of the sand dune, pretty close to being the king of the woods, etc. For the consumer (not racing professional), the Raptor is a hit. Why screw with that?

Now, what does make sense is Honda coming out with a TRX450R or TRX650R to compete. Although look how long they went with the 300EX as the top of their sport line. Almost 10 years. Hopefully they will respond quickly.

My 2 cents,

RM

 

i have a question ofr every one because im selling my raptor riten ow and em getting a 400ex but now since u guys posted this do u kno by any chance when it will come out and how muc h if i does.

 

That motor (R-1) will eventually find its way into a snowmobile, not an atv.

 

You guys need to take a look at the new Motorcross mag. They do a big comparison with the YZ426f the honda CF450 and the KTM 520. The Yamaha walks all over the honda in all power catagories, they were actually very dissapointed with the honda's power! They did dyno each bike, but didn't really ever come right out and say the numbers on the Yamaha. The KTM was 49.9, pick up the mag its pretty impressive. The 426 in a newly designed frame would be a factory racer if there is such a thing.

 

I tend to agree with rennym. The raptor is a great all round bike that does everything really well. Look at how many they sell. Plus there is a lot of room to work with that motor.

As much as I would like to see a 426 yamaha quad, I think they would only release this if they were jumping into the team racing scene. I guess this is a possibility, but not a probability.

 

ridzhard i believe your right on the snowmobile thing. i was gonna say tyhat but you beat me to it. theres no way any1 could ever use a 1000cc quad unless yamaha was gonna make a dune hillshooting only quad. i bet you anything if they were lookin to put it into somethin else it would be a snowmobile...personally i'd never buy a 4 stroke sled...not even that redline...

 

I have a feeling that the next new sport quads will just be updated versions, or replacements, for the Warrior and Blaster. I bet that the Warrior will get a redesign with a displacement jump and the Blaster will be a totally different machine. Just a guess by looking at the other current trends in that class (250EX and Lakota Sport).

Actually, I think any new sport quad from Yamaha will be good. I am just not holding my breathe on a YZ426-derived machine.