Gentlemen, i would like to ask a question, actually a few questions. (background) I'm selling the wolvy in the next few days, and I am contemplating a replacement. this may sound very odd but the choice is down to the '02 Grizz or the '02 Raptor.

To tank or not to tank, that is the question...

Is the raptor good for rippen in rough tight trails? Do you realy need to jet & pipe, or does it have enough as stock? I have tricked out my bikes but that was done out of necessity. I have owned 250R ATC, I miss the rip but is the raptor good for a mild run with a bunch of 4x4's or is it too much for trail riding?

Enough for now. The reason I ask these questions is that I won't be competing but recreational (I call it therapy) and no body talks about how the raptor does in this area

 

I mostly use mine for trail riding. It's totally stock except for the recently installed skids.

Because it's narrow and short the Raptor does trails fairly well. It's high speed tipping tendancy goes unnoticed on a tight woods trail (unless you have a bigger pair than I do). The only downfall is if you're doing a lot of climbing, steep stuff, and have any question at all about your riding skill you need to go with a longer swing arm. I've "looped" my Raptor on a steep incline, and all it took was one slip of the clutch hand.

The other thing of note is you need to buy a swingarm skid plate (100% firm on this, the stock piece is 1/4 inch thick plastic that with any contact rubs directly on the chain and brake). The gyt-r aluminum swingarm plate looks awesome and is a nice aluminum piece I'm sure the protection is 100x better and I haven't even gotten a chance to test mine yet.

Plus, when it's all said and done, the Raptor is a 2x4 drive hybrid quad. It's not specialized for any type of riding really, but does them all with fair goodwill. Even when I go trail riding with my regular group there are times and places that I start looking for alternative routes because I just can't slog through or up the stuff even the Honda 350 4x4 Ranchers can. Anywhere else I trounce them. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

A stock Raptor will work excellent on tight trails, provided that they are trails that you would normally take any other sport quad down. The width of the Raptor allows it to fit tight trails fairly well. If you want it to be comparable to your ATC250R, I suggest getting a complete aftermarket exhaust system, Pro-Flo filter kit, and then rejetting (duh). Power-wise it would be comparable to a built 250R (close, anyways...).

When I purchased my Raptor, the first riding experiece with it was a trip down to the dunes in Oregon (Winchester Bay). I tell you what, that stock Raptor, once broken in, was a pleasure to ride. The powerband was smooth and was not energy-sapping at all (unlike my modded 250R). The suspension was the best I have seen stock since the 250R and 400EX. I loved the ergos at once. Once I put a different set of bars on the quad it was great (I bent the weak stockers second day). Overall, as a recreational machine, this is probably the Raptor's strong suite. It's the reason I bought mine...

 

i got my 02 raptor a month ago, i also own a grizz and kodiak. with out a doupt you will love the raptor on tight rough trails. it will lug down when you need it to with no problem and when you hit the gas pull as hard as you want it to. the one thing you must put on right away is a real skid plate for the swingarm. the raptor is a thumbs up in all riding conditions.

 

If you are purely a recreational rider and ride mainly tight rough trails, I would defenitely get the GRIZ. The Raptor really shines when it has room to stretch it's legs and the fact that you will have to feather the clutch a lot more on tight trails should make your decision even easier. You also wouldn't think twice when you came across that giant mudhole along the trails. Thaks just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks for the input guys..........it was what I expected but needed the back up

 

Yep, if you are gonna ride with 4X4's....the Raptor will be a bad decision.

 

Briand,
Since you have had the 96 Wolverine you would like the grizz is my guess.
The Raptor doesn't Mud very good all. It will trail ride really good but I stay away from the bottomless mud pits we have around here.
Chet

 

But the Grizz is really narrow too, and top heavy. We rolled ours twice, I just sold it to a really big Hunter friend who will use the power for hauling himself and large dead animals through rough country. It is perfect for him and he loves it.
The Grizz does not handle that well, not as well as a Sportsman. The steering is very light, not enough caster I think, as it is squirrly in sand and at high speed. If you like to go fast, the Grizz has the power, and will throw you eventually.

......All that power in a not so great handling, narrow, top-heavy quad is why I sold it. As I and my my son have graduated from utilities to sport quads, I take my DS about everywhere. 22" rear tires on both Raptor and DS get us pretty far, I am two teeth down on the front countershaft sprocket, but my son's Raptor is running stock gearing, which seems too high to me. The 2002 Raptors have better gear ratios, and stronger gears. We will upgrade ours one of these days, hopefully before anything breaks. We ride some pretty rough trails, I have modded my suspension extensively to cope with the rough trails. We all have works shocks with the spring rates dialed in. That's why they are called the "Rocky" Mountains.

Skidplate is a must, Armadillo's is very heavy duty, 1/4" thick.
....We have a wider rear axle, but we don't see trees that close together out here, ever. I don't hear Polaris guys complaining about being too wide anywhere, and a Sportsman is 48" wide.
....I thought I would replace the Grizz with a new Honda Rincon, but I decided I just don't need a utility anymore. Even a "Sport/Utility".
..There are a few really rocky trails I won't go on, mostly because of the rear axle on the sport quads getting stuck on big rocks. I can live without a utility, I decided I needed a new truck more. I sold a sailboat at the same time I sold the Grizz, so a new F-250 Lariat is ordered and should be here in May.
.... We were up in the mountains a couple of weeks ago playing in left over snow drifts. My DS did as well as the Grizzly in 4x4 lock. Surprised the hell out of me. I'd just sit all the way back on the seat, get the front tires to float on the snow, and churn on through. The Raptor didn't do as well, which was also surprising, as my DS and I weigh considerably more.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

I've had my 02' aptor for a month now and I really love it. I ride all types of terrain to include hills, trails, mud and tracks. The Raptor does everything I want it to do and more!!! I ride with guys that have big, bulky 4x4's and can go almost anywhere they do. I mud with them and have not gotten stuck once ( stay on the gas, but not strong). I would highly recommend the raptor to anyone who wants a good, dependable recreation quad. I should also mention that I have installed 5" wheel spacers on the back and it makes a great differnce. It's not "tippy" anymore!!!