SportQuad.com Project Raptor Taming the Raptor

Feb. 01, 2002 By Dean Waters

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Yamaha surprised the market in 2001 with the largest displacement four-stroke sport quad ever produced by a manufacturer. Raptors started flying off the showroom floors as fast as dealers could get them in. With a 660cm displacement motor, a lightweight chassis, and a reverse gear, the Raptor was an instant hit. One sharp ORC staff member was quick to load one up and bring it home. A long-time dirtbike rider and avid desert racer, he was a first-time sport quad owner. See a humorous story just aching to get out? Sparing you the details, let's just say the Raptor is not for the inexperienced or their friends, especially the hot shots operating on one too few brain cells. The Raptor is somewhat narrow and has a tendency to be more tipsy than many other sport quads. Combine that with nearly 38 horsepower from the factory, and the Raptor can be downright dangerous. Over the past 12 months, Project Raptor is responsible for one broken collar bone, a broken shoulder blade, and other minor injuries. As we said, it can be downright dangerous. Think of another sport where the goal is to stay on for 8 seconds... With the Raptor, the first 8 seconds of rapid acceleration are all many riders remember before it promptly deposits them on the ground, usually not very gently.

Project Raptor with only minor modifications - OMF reinforced wheels and Dirt Skins.

Our first Gran Prix with Project Raptor. There were some nasty braking bumps coming into this corner.

The first owner soon decided it would be better to opt for a cage (thus, his next project, WAYGAG - With Age You Get A Cage) and the Raptor reached out for a new victim, er, we mean owner. Amazingly, despite all they'd heard, several takers were quickly found among the ORC staff. The bidding war soon found it a welcoming, though unsuspecting, new home. Before starting the project, we wanted to spend some time riding it in relatively stock form. If you are an avid SportQuad.com reader, you have probably seen a blue Raptor appearing in a number of articles and trail rides over the past several months. Up to this point, only minor modifications have taken place, including a Denton steering stabilizer, OMF reinforced Douglas wheels, Maxxis All-Trak tires, and a rear skid plate. We have ridden the Raptor on mountain trails, sand dunes, the open desert, and even raced it a couple times. We have generally been pleased with the performance, but now it's time to build a better Raptor...

Project Raptor at the start of S.N.A.R.E Round #1. If we'd only known what lay over that first hill...

Project Raptor did not fare so well in a duel with a yucca plant. Ricky Stator upgrades are on the way.

As with most projects, it becomes difficult to build a multipurpose machine. In order to make it perform better in some conditions, you sometimes must compromise in other areas. We will attempt to build a Raptor that can be used in a number of environments but with an emphasis on winter desert riding and summer in the sand dunes. This will not be a motocross machine. While you may see us at the MX track on occasion, you are more likely to see Project Raptor racing around the open deserts. We will also use Project Raptor to test a number of new vendor products. To kick it off, we have been testing prototype ATV shocks from Sway Away. Look for more on those in an upcoming article. Our first upgrade is covered in this issue, a Motion Pro Twist Throttle.

In the next issue of SportQuad.com we will be featuring a number of products to improve the reliability and increase our performance in the desert. We will be installing a Ricky Stator tie rod kit and new Ricky Stator upper A-arms. Another item to be covered will be some Sand-Sport wheels spacers, desperately needed to increase the track width and improve the stability. We may add some wider a-arms in the future, but first wanted to try out some wheel spacers. A Sand-Sport wheel extension kit is much more affordable than new a-arms, a wider rear axle, and all the other upgrades that must go along with them.

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