I am an amateur Raptor rider who loves this forum & DW magazine but their latest article about getting 3HP out of the Raptor in the March issue bothered me. I hate to start a DW bashing post but this article is proof that they need to spend more time thinking about what they are going to do/say in an article before they print it. Also, they obviously read this forum: their rebutal about the Pipe shootout article that its not their job to do the homework of other mfgs regarding getting the most out of their exhaust system, is evidence that they are listening/reading.

So what's my point, at first, the March article led me to believe that DW was going to address some of the concerns that the previous pipe shootout article needed some more help(I personally liked the article but agree it could have shown another angle). As a result, it seemed like they were going to concentrate on providing better/more informative testing results. Then they released the article about getting 3 more HP out of the Raptor & they took a 3 step process:

1st they tried 145/150 jetting - I forget all the details but it didn't help the hp curve!

2nd they tried bigger jetting & put holes in the air box - again, not much improvement.

3rd they tried bigger jetting (160/165)? & cut the air box lid to shreds - ahhh, a 3hp gain, that's nice!

Well, DW, obviously the combination did it, or did it?? Wouldn't it be nice to see what jetting alone could do, or what modifying the air box alone could do, cmon!! If I had a Dyno in my garage I would run the tests & print the results myself! Maybe I would charge people for the results, ya that's it, that's the ticket, hey, why not sell the results in a magazine!? As a reader of DW, I really enjoy when they tell the truth, expose some of the hoaxes, that not all aftermarket parts/mods are worthwhile. Ahhh, but then there's that thing called sponsors, those are the people that pay for the advertising space, I guess if you proved their stuff didn't do much they wouldn't pay you for the advertising space. Money is what makes the world go around but don't sell out DW, tell us the truth, we can handle it!!

We all know that competition brings out the best in people, atv's, and especially aftermarket parts. Look at the Suzuki 400 atv about to come out, I'm sure Yamaha is confident that the Raptor is still King but I'm sure they are nervous. It won't be long before Suzuki takes over the front pages of DW magazine!? Wouldn't it be nice if Yamaha repsonds to the new Suzuki by coming out with a race ready atv based on the YZ426 engine, lightweight & fast as sh....t??

Competition is a beautiful thing DW, here's one for ya. I think some of the experts on this forum should work on putting together a new atv magazine. One that would deal with facts in an organized & meaningful fashion. One without bias, corrupt influence, and also represented the voice of the people from time to time as well. Nahhh, nobody would pay for the advertising space, or would they??

Seriously DW, I like your magazine alot, but don't be afraid to be a little more thorough. We are paying for your magazine to save time/money, don't make us work too hard, we might not have the strength to pick up your magazine & throw it at the tv.