-------Review of first day on prototype brackets at the badlands------
Ok guys. My setup was the raptor 660. Our new style 4.5", 6" brackets. And our full length extended tie rods. I ran the +4.5" configuration today.
Looking at the quad while walking around it I thought this is what the raptor should have looked like from the factory. Wide, but not ridiculously wide. Looks about even with a YFZ450, which I have always thought looked really stable and a good footprint. Our neighbor has one. So I measured and a 450 is 46" if I remember correctly. And I'm right around
So the in that respect they are more similar now.
Once we got out to the badlands I was so excited to try it out. It was very muddy out there from the rain as you can tell by the pictures in the gallery. For those that are not familiar with the place, it is 800 acres. Has woods, trails, jeep off roading sections, alot of sand hills and dunes. Many whoops sections along the sand areas from riding. I consider me and my brother slightly better and more aggressive riders than the average quad guys. Right out of the gate I was like WOW. This thing is so stable. From blazing through turns doing fish tales, to donuts, and everywhere else. Even just flying through the sand hills and whoops sections I felt alot more confident with the machine. Took some getting used to it because I could push it alot harder without needing to worry about tipping. And some of the woods trails are slightly technical depending on where u go. There used to be fear sometimes or tipping or it wanting to lean alot during some of the banked hills/turns. This issue was there anymore. Just kept on driving through.
I honestly think Yamaha should have made it this way from the factory. I am 5'9" and 175. I have the rear shock preload all the way down, and the settings to the low or softest of the book settings. The fronts preload are all the way down also. The a-arms sit about flat while I'm on it.
The kit passed in strength. There isn't even a tweak in the pieces from today's 7 hours of riding. And there are some spots there where it gets tight and maybe wack a rock or whatever. The full length tie rods are the way to go. They are a very solid piece. They held up great also.
For comparison here: My brother went out first while I was still unloading mine. He flew up this asphalt road that goes up and winds around. At the top and to the left is a fence to keep us off of the other property. Well it was still freezing temps and he slid while going pretty fast into the fence. He destroyed about 20' of fence, even taking out a 4x4 that was in the ground to hold it up. I wasnt watching when he did it, but the quad rolled over and he got thrown off. The collision was hard enough that while it flipped and or hit the fence he bent his stock axle pretty good on the one side, was not ridable at moderate speeds anymore, bent a tie rod end, broke the front radiator grill piece.
All the lower, and shock brackets of ours held up. He bent the top a-arm bracket from our kit about 1/8-1/4" back towards the rear of the quad on the side of impact. This pushed the a-arm slightly back obviously. He rode the rest of the day with it like it was. A simple swap later with a new bracket and the kit is good to go. That's why we offer the replacement piece that you break without needing a whole new kit. So as hard as the hit was with the fence I was very impressed with how the kit held up. I mean he bent the rear axle and a tie rod end. Just a bend in our bracket.... Could even have just taking it off and bent it straight. But I cut him a new one.
So overall the quad looks impressive and very aggresive. We also installed the gforce extended hubs to go along with the width kits. A great product for sure. If your hesitant about making your raptor wider, I would say dont wait any longer. Its so much better. Just watch out for fences, lol.
Thankx
