Hi Guys, great forum.

Hello from down under.
I'm about to pick up my new 350 raptor next week, so thought I'd drop by this site to get some info from the guys who know best.
I've been surprised by just how much you can do to the yfm's.
However I still may jump ship as I can get a new (2005)model
400ex from a local dealer for similar price(extra AU$1000.oo), thats about US$760. Do you guys think it's worth a few extra bucks to buy the 400ex, & how much difference is there in performance. My brother rides a Z400 so I'm gonna struggle to keep up nomatter which way I go.
Thanks for your input.
"Happy trails"

well as much as i love my rappy, i think i'd rather go w/ the 400ex(even know its a honda). but that 400ex will be able to keep up w/ that Z rappy will too just will take a little moding. but idk man whatever you want best, the rappy is pretty quick and takes turns fairly good, but is front heavy, for the 400ex you'll beable to wheelie more but idk how good it'll be on the trails.

Welcome to the site

It would be hard to go wrong with either the raptor 350 or the 400ex, both are good strong machines. The 400ex is a hair quicker than the 350, and handles a little bit lighter. If you take that extra AU$1000 and put it into some mods for the raptor 350, you'll have a machine that's a little bit more unique than just riding around a stock 400.

But either way, I don't think you'll have to struggle too much to keep up with the z400. When it comes to flat-out performance your brother will have an advantage, but your average riders don't ride full throttle pushing the limits most of the time. For just trail riding and that kind of thing you'll do just as good as the z400, and maybe even better in some situations.

Thanks for the response guys.
Just curious as to which bike would be better at hill climbing as we ride in alpine trails mostly (<1000m) & the twisty nature of these trails would help me keep up with the Z, my other deciding factor is that I know that the Raptor will fit in my ute (pickup) whereas the EX may be a little longer so that could be an issue. My last quad was a little 200cc Polaris Phoenix so wasn,t a problem. BTW what' the US $$ difference on the 2 quads ?
Happy trails.

for hills, i'd say go with the raptor. It's got a heavier front end, and the engine is torquey and pulls like a tractor. The front end of the 400ex is very light, and is hard to keep on the ground even in level spots sometimes

So what would about US$760 buy in the way of performance goodies? What's the best bang for buck mod on the Raptor.

i'd get a k&n airfilter w/ outwears and full exhaust system w/ a rejet kit, and some low profile tires. maybe nerfs, bumper, skids prolly since you ride trails... skids would prollly be smart

Thanks hotphil,
How is the Rappy for jumping, I've been reading that they're nose heavy, will they land a medium size jump ok ?

I'd get a slip-on exhaust (my favorites are yoshimura and HMF), that's about $230.

Pro-flow intake system - $100.

Nerf bars - doesn't necessarily add performance, but you will feel more confident when riding fast because there's not so much of a chance of getting a broken ankle. Depending on what you get, they will run you $100-up.

Good rear tires - somewhere around $150 depending on what you get

Hand guards - about $60, and worth every penny for a trail rider!

Skid plates - Full chassis and swingarm - about 150 for both. You definitely want to get both of these unless you don't have many rocks on your trails, which is rare most places. The stock swingarm skid will be rubbing against your sprocket and rotor the first time you hit a rock hard, and there's really no chassis skid at all to protect that $750 frame.

That may be a little bit over budget, but will set you up with a great machine for trail riding.

Thanks hotphil,
How is the Rappy for jumping, I've been reading that they're nose heavy, will they land a medium size jump ok ?

Click to expand...

They aren't too bad for jumping. The front end is heavier than most sport quads, but that really doesn't seem to effect it much while in the air. The smoother your landing is, the better your suspension will handle it. In stock form, it's probably good for about 4-6 feet on a flat landing, or with a downhill sloped landing you can get a good bit more than that. 4-6 feet feels higher than it sounds too.

Yeah 3-4ft used to scare the hell outta me on my little Phoenix

Well the decisions just been made for me. I rang the dealer back & he offered another AU$500 off the EX for a quick sale, it's a 2005 plated model & he's anxious to get it off his floor before 2007, I'm more than happy to help him out. Only sad thing is I'll have to find another forum now, I enjoyed hangin with u guys. Thanks for your help.

welcome aboard.