2011 Yamaha Raptor 125 Ride Review

 

I was lucky enough to be included on a ride intro for the 2011 Yamaha Raptor 125 at Ventura Raceway on the Pacific Coast. I arrived, checked into my room and took in the beautiful scenic beach front view from my Crowne Plaza hotel balcony. As I stood there soaking up the sunshine, watching the waves crash into the beach, I wondered why Yamaha would go though all the effort and expense to fly twenty-some full grown adults into Southern California and put us all up in this posh hotel all to ride test a youth quad. I thought to myself, there must be more to this little quad than my original impressions.

After sitting through a presentation, which featured helmet cam footage of the Raptor 125 in action, I realized I was right, Yamaha had something special to show us in the 2011 Raptor 125. I also found that they never used the words “mini” or “youth” when describing the newest addition to their impressive sport quad lineup.

Buy it Once – Affordable Fun
The new Raptor 125 is the first in its class from a major ATV manufacturer. It’s based on the Raptor 250, which replaced their extremely popular Blaster 200. The Raptor 125 now exists because Yamaha saw a big void between their Raptor 90 and Raptor 250. They also saw that this exact void was being filled by substandard machines built in Taiwan and China. The folks at Yamaha felt they needed to offer a quality built alternative to these poorly built machines currently being sold to unfortunate misinformed entry level customers at department stores and gas stations across the country.

How many cheap made-in-China quads will you buy before you break down and buy a well-built one from a proven manufacturer? I think more and more people are understanding that buying something more than once is a waste of money. At just a tad over three grand, I feel Yamaha has the perfect entry level machine at an affordable price. And perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind regarding your new ATV purchase is the fact that Yamaha’s new Raptor 125 meets industry standards while the knock-off cheap junk that temps buyers with low prices doesn’t. Buyer Beware!

After riding the new machine, I predict Yamaha’s low cost Raptor 125 just may lead the way in their 2011 sport quad machine sales. Keep reading to understand why I feel this way.

Ride Review
I was impressed with Yamaha’s excitement toward their new Raptor 125. After a five minute drive from the hotel I gazed upon a well-built track on the infield of Ventura Raceway, which is mostly used for sprint car racing. I was blown away with how serious Yamaha was about showcasing the Raptor 125’s abilities. The track completely filled the infield of Ventura Raceway’s oval. It looked as good as a National TT course, actually better than many that I’ve raced on. The track seemed to have everything you could want; whoops, tight turns, table tops, plenty of jumps, berms, off-camber turns and an awesome high-speed sweeper. Needless to say, I was stoked!

Yamaha could have made many big mistakes with this quad but I’m thrilled to say that they didn’t. The machine is based on the Raptor 250 but wisely they didn’t just put a smaller engine in the 250’s frame and call it a day. First off, the Raptor 125 gets its power from a proven quick-revving 124cc TTR-based air cooled four stroke work horse, which features a two-valve, single overhead cam, five-speed manual transmission and electric start. Powering a quad isn’t as easy as it is on a bike, so Yamaha equipped the TTR engine with its own exhaust, 29mm Mikuni BSR carb, cam system and clutch assembly. The engine delivered smooth power with a good mid-range punch.

 

 

The Raptor 125 shares the same A-arm and swing-arm suspension components and handling characteristics of the award-winning Raptor 250. It gets its smaller size from a more forward and lower handlebar location, which can easily be moved for bigger riders, or a growing youth rider. In short, it’s a smaller quad yet it has an amazing roomy feel. Yamaha is quite proud of this and gives credit to an ergonomically-designed seat and redesigned riding position.

Hydraulic disc brakes are used front and rear, and I might add Yamaha uses the same high-rigidity calipers that have the same rotor and master cylinder as the award-winning and top-selling Raptor 700R. Like its big 250 brother five-way preload adjustable suspension is used. Up front the machine features a respectable 7.5 inches of travel and 7.9 in the rear.

I’m so glad Yamaha opted to use tires and wheels made specifically for the Raptor 125. These aren’t Raptor 250 hand-me-downs. Maxxis 19” x 6”-10” tires are used up front and low profile 18”x 9”-8” units on the rear. The specially built Maxxis tires are absolutely perfect for this machine. The smaller wheels and tires mean less rotating mass and allow a slightly lower center of gravity. I noticed almost no roll or tipiness. B
reaking the rear end loose was simple and fun, almost addictive at times, yet the machine got up and went with excellent forward moving traction.

The 125 handles just as well if not better than the 250 yet weighs a whopping 31 pounds less making it the lightest production sport ATV ever at just 299 pounds wet weight. With this excellent power to weight ratio I was able to completely man-handle the quad at will. The feeling of being in absolute control over the machine at all times is a complete blast, perhaps this is why so many adults are obsessed with the 50cc pit bike. Enter yet another market for this exciting new quad.

It only took a lap on the well-made blue-grooved track and I was in love with the cool new Raptor 125. The ride is smooth, predictable and very fun. I was impressed that I never once blew through the suspension and not once did I feel as if I were riding a wimpy low-cost “mini quad”. I could wheelie at will, brake hard and late into the corners and pitch the quad sideways to steer through the turns. All the while, I don’t know how, but I never felt cramped. What a blast!

Yamaha packed plenty of Raptor 125s in their semi trailer so there were plenty available for everyone, including; several magazine editors, Yamaha employees, Yamaha’s factory backed rider Dustin Nelson and photographer-genius (and experienced Pro-Am racer) Adam Campbell. The race was on every time someone entered the track, and when exiting big smiles were everywhere. It’s with this that I had to ask myself, would it be more fun if I were on a 450? Well, I think I would have gotten tired faster – that’s no fun, we wouldn’t have had as much bar to bar racing to smile about and if I were paying I would have had to shell out another five grand! So, my answer to my question was no.

It’s also worth mentioning that after a day of hardcore bar banging extreme fun, Adam Campbell’s photo assistant, Joanna, a first time rider, took to the Raptor 125 with ease and had just as much fun as the rest of us. I think this really tells the story about this new sport quad quite well.

Youth ATV Racing Scene
Like I said earlier, Yamaha could have made plenty of mistakes with this quad but didn’t. For instance, it uses a nimble chassis that features a high tensile steel frame and a manual five-speed transmission that’s paired with a tried and true chain drive complete with an eccentric-type chain adjuster. As you can see, Yamaha kept things simple and affordable, and I like this for more than one reason.

It’s a bare bones yet VERY effective entry level machine that will also make for an excellent choice for up and comers that want to race. What’s more, I feel the 2011 Raptor 125 shows a lot of modification potential. In other words I think this affordable quad can be converted into an affordable (and I would imagine competitive) advanced youth racing machine. Call it a quad that grows as junior advances through the racing ranks.

In my opinion the well-made Raptor 125 seems to be a much better platform than the popular TRX90 base that today’s expensive high performance garage project youth quads are derived from. First off, it offers a far less cramped riding position, and second, it looks like there is plenty of room to swap the 125 engine with a liquid cooled high-performance race engine like the CRF150. And I might add, the Raptor’s suspension components look as if they will accommodate long travel suspension setups just fine. Other than these few mods the stock Raptor 125 offers a lot for a little price tag, so I don’t think it will take very long before we start to see aftermarket conversion kits that turn the stock Raptor 125 into a full-on highly advanced youth class screamer.

More Notables
Other notables include a big 2.4 gallon gas tank, a one-hand toggle link-type parking brake and “no tools” air filter. Yamaha already has several Yamaha accessories including full skid plates, shock covers, nerf bars, foot wells and front and rear grab bars. All of Yamaha’s bolt ons have been designed in tandem with the engineering of the quad so you can be sure fit and function will be spot on.

The all-new 2011 Raptor 125 is already available in Yamaha dealerships. MSRP is $3,399. You can get the Raptor 125 in Team Yamaha Blue or in White. The white option comes with a dual graphics kit, one is black the other pink.

Raptor 125, Fun for ALL
Yamaha really hit a home run with this quad as far as I’m concerned. Yes, the Yamaha Raptor 125 caters to youth riders that are too big for a 90cc machine and too small for a 250, but after riding the mighty Raptor 125 myself I’m here to report that adult-sized riders need to give this quad a second look as well. Somehow Yamaha was able to make the ergonomics on this quad fit just about everyone.

Twenty industry professionals can’t be wrong. I talked with several print and online ATV magazine professionals, all experienced a much better Raptor 125 than they originally expected.

Never before have I seen a bro
ader market for an ATV. Let’s count them. There’s the entry-level non-motorsport person that is smart enough to stay clear of that poorly built junk quad they can buy at Wal-Mart…. There’s the smart mom and dad that’s in the market for a quality ATV that meets all industry standards for their kid to play ride on…. There’s the parent that wants an affordable race quad that can grow as their son or daughter advances to the next class…. And there’s the experienced enthusiast that gets a kick out of bar banging with is buddies on pit bikes. Did I leave anyone out? Yamaha sure hasn’t.

I think Yamaha has the right quad at the right time. I highly recommend anyone in the market for a new sport quad take a closer look at the 2011 Raptor 125.

 

2011 Yamaha Raptor 125 SPECS
MSRP*	$3,399 (Team Yamaha Blue/White) Available from July 2010 $3,399 (White w/Graphics Kit) Available from July 2010
Engine
Type	124cc air-cooled 4-stroke: SOHC; single
Bore x Stroke	54.0 x 54.0mm
Compression Ratio	10.0:1
Fuel Delivery	Mikuni® 29mm BSR
Ignition	DC-CDI
Starting System	Electric
Transmission	5-speed; wet multiplate clutch
Drive Train	2WD; sealed O-ring chain, eccentric adjustment
Chassis
Suspension / Front	Independent double wishbone; 5-way preload-adjustable shocks, 7.5-in travel
Suspension / Rear	Swingarm: 7.9-in travel
Brakes / Front	Dual hydraulic disc
Brakes / Rear	Hydraulic disc
Tires / Front	Maxxis® AT19 x 6-10
Tires / Rear	Maxxis® AT18 x 9-8
Dimensions
L x W x H	63.4 x 40.0 x 39.8 in
Seat Height	28.1 in
Wheelbase	43.7 in
Ground Clearance	3.3 in
Fuel Capacity	2.4 gal
Wet Weight	299 lb
Other
Lighting	Single 35/36.5W headlight & 21W/5W brakelight
Warranty	6 Month (Limited Factory Warranty)

More on the 2011 Yamaha Raptor 125 at yamaha-motor.com

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