I think the raptors have a problem with the wheels pulling up is because they dont have the quick snappy response of the two stroke. The reason a bike lifts in the first place is because the tires are hooking up and getting traction. With a two stroke if you blow the tires away, the bike is less likely to lift. And its because of that quick violent power band that allows the two strokes to blow the tires away. With a thumper, they dont have that quick snappy response of the two stroke so rather then blowing away the tires they bite in the sand and the bike lifts. That is my theory at least. You all can think what you'd like though. With some bikes you need to run an extended swingarm. Its manditory if you want to be fast. There is a limit on how far you should go though. The farther you extend your rear axle out behind your azz the less traction you will recieve. The more weight you have on the rear axle the more you will be able to hook up your power. That is the reasoning behind extended swingarms and shortened axles and such. We have our chassis where the begs are moved an inch back. It is a nice modification, but you'll need to modify your shifter. That 1 inch makes a huge difference in your shifting abilities.

 

The becchman has a good point, my Banshee just brakes the tires loose a little and then it is gone. My Raptor on the other hand is a beast it hooks up and there goes the front wheels. I was thinking of buying a extended swing arm +2, and see how that works.

Maybe I just should build a 410 stroker Banshee motor and really go fast.

 

An extended swingarm is just one of the many "phases" you go through after you have cought the hp disease. There is no cure, and many of us can't help it. The disease flourishes in Raptor owners especially. Most owners opt for the +2 cheapo swingarm, not these Rappy owners. Most will have something like "lonestar +4 tripple chrome plated with tapered bearing carrier".

Now you see, it's not at our own will that we buy these swingarms, it's a disease.

 

So why the shortend axels? I have heard before but I can't remember. I know less weight but you just said less hook up.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

shortened axles mean more hook. The idea behind sucking your tires up under your bike is to get as much weight as possible over your back tires. So if you suck your tires up under your butt your going to have more weight on top of your tires opposed if they were stuck way out (like a +4 axcaliber or even oem) and that will create more traction for you as well.

 

Riding skill helps but if going to compete in a drag race with someone that can just dump the clutch at wot you need to do the same and with a stock lenght swing arm you will go over backwards. If you ride the clutch you lose the race with not enough time to catch up in a 300' drag. Plus you're killing your clutch by riding it out.

 

According to DaBeechMan, Raptors have better traction than the Shee's. They hook up better, that is why they are wheelie prone. I agree. But as far as "quick, snappy response", I'd like to see a Banshee with "quick, snappy response" between 3500 and 6000 rpms. Not a chance! It is the TORQUE down low that causes the front end to rise. JMO

RR1

 

not better traction, but an easier powerband. Banshee's dont have torque in the 350cc form. Id like to see how snappy a raptor is at 11k...oh wait, do they rev that high...?

 

its interesting to me that anyone who has rode a raptor with a built motor or for that matter a stock raptor could question the need for an extended swingarm.i have been riding the dunes on dirt bikes and atvs for a very long time, like since the mid 70s and if you are going to even occasionally push the limits of your machines ability to climb a steep dune face you had better have an extended swingarm or the talent to some how ride your quad while standing on your front bumper or you are going to be looking at the sky from flat on your back.to say that anyone who extends the stock swingarm length cant ride is being very ignorant of what can happen when you go over backwards on your machine .if your lucky you will be able to push it away and hope it stops rolling before it gets to the bottom of the hill otherwise it can get expensive in a hurry all of which i know about first hand.as my 686 is right now i have to live with the front end coming up and staying up on a drag race at the dunes where i ride and in my case that doesnt bother me because i like to wheelie but an inexperienced rider could get in trouble real fast.i know this is kind of a long winded opinion but some one speaking about something they obviously do not have first hand knowledge of tends to get me to respond in a more aggresive manner than i normally would. (i almost forgot to mention that my next purchase will be a 4+ swingarm)

 

duneuttulludie I think these so called individuals need to do some tree shots at Florence with the stock length Raptor and tell us how much fun it is. Some of those hills are a long ways down watch out for the trees [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]