well cannondales are over my price range and no reverse. Ive considered everything and its really between the raptor and the predator. Yeah well i do a lot of trails and im going to start mx...i dont know if im going to be competitive about it but just for fun.

Someone said that the 5 valve raptor engine wasnt as good as the predator engine by dezign but the predator engine still hasnt proven itself. i dunno, plus, the predator has some advancement that the raptor doesnt have like that fuel assist thing, and the razr tires and the strong axle and the fox shox, so i dont know. Does anybody here have a predator or maybe both? thanks for all your help so far guys

 

hey? i just thought, how come there wasnt a recall for the rapor trannies anyways? ok still not sure but i really love your imput thanks mike

 

yamaha folks,don't get me wrong,this new predator is all your're waiting for and then better,it is proven knownw in the last few years that yamaha don't test enough their products,look at the viper snowmobile last year,a total failure in hp numbers and tuning,polaris take so long to get this machine dialed-in,
and to be honest they're not even sure if it worth it to built it at full production,this quad is so advanced comparing to others brand that the response in the sport quad world isn't sure yet....

 

Sorry that I haven't been back on in a little bit. I'm not sure if I said that it was being tested for the last three years. Someone else put it better, it was being designed, built and tested for the last three years. Not sure how long it has been actually tested. Right now, if you look into the Polaris forum, you will see that there are a few Predators out there right now, and I'm sure that these guys are also giving their input about the quad. I know for sure that there are two being used now for MX racing, I can't think of a more punishing test than an experienced MX racer beating the crap out of it!! The Standard Model Predators are susposed to be out at the dealers starting November 16th, depending on when your dealer ordered them. The Troy Lee Design will be out in December. If top speed is what you are looking for between the Raptor and the Predator, I don't know the numbers for a Predator yet. I'm not going to go by Polaris on those. Acceleration and handleing, I would have to say the Predator, just by the way the engine, steering and suspension is set up. Dual overhead cam on the engine producing more horsepower than a Raptor. No bumpsteer with the steering setup on the Predator. Excellent ground clearence with suspension travel. Good luck on your decission! Be sure to check out other searches on the forum. some people have even ridden the Predator, they might be able to tell you about it a little more than I can.

 

Warrior86,

I love my 02 Raptor, just as I did my 00 honda 400ex, and so on.....

I hope to soon have a Predator,,,,but for now the Raptor is still swinging back!!!!

I plan to wait at least one year.

Golden Rule: Never buy the 1st (and maybe more) year of anything, (cars, bikes) , unless you dont care about $$$$$ or headaches!


Anyhow, get a used anything for now (a 2000+ Honda 400ex would be perfect,,,there dirt cheap w/mods) and then get the Predator after the clouds part, and you know exactly what you are getting into. (you can always sell the Honda later.)

Im sure you'll learn a whole lot right on this forum, about any Predator problems once they start rollin them off.

It sounds as if you may need a little practice on the bikes of today,,,,,a few turns on a used bike,,,,may save your Predator some plastic.

good luck



Oh Yeah,
About the tranny question:

When I was trying to sell my 400ex in April 2001,,,i was shocked to see all the brand new Raptors with "less than 10 hrs" for sale. Well, hind sight is always 20/20,,,,,but I sure do hate it for the sorry fella who got stuck with one of them.

 

well im not really questioning which is a better performer. I pretty confident that the polaris is better in that category. But even if it wasnt, there both so good the different is incosequencial. My real question is about reliability and workmaship. Which do u think is better quality. I guess since there not even officially out yet we wont know. But look at quads like the 250ex and i think 400ex. I dont think they are any different than the first year models. i guess its a crap shoot.

Hopefully by march anything wrong with it will b found. Thanks for all your help i really appreciate it.

 

I hate to badmouth Polaris since I own one, but the Scrambler has been out for almost 10 years and Polaris is just now addressing some of its major problems.
I'd be very, very leery of buying a first-year Polaris even if they say they have been testing it for 3 years.

 

yeah well maybe is trying to give themselves a fresh new start and there doing it with the predator. Maybe they decided to step up to the plate and be a first class company. whos knows. Still even if there were no such thing as a predator, after hearing about the flaws of the raptor, im weary to buy a new quad at all or maybe go for the z? i dunno, im so confused.

 

I honestly don't think that I have heard any problems with the Z at all, except I know someone that bent and axle. He isn't a pro rider or anything, in fact, he's a first time atv owner. He hit a decent jump and landed on the left rear tire, put a good bend in the axle, but I think he said that it was going to be repaired under warrenty. It was only the 3rd time he had it out.

 

It sounds to me that your friends dad was giving you a sales pitch that was given to him from the polaris dealer when he bought his. JMO