Race Tested: 2009 Yamaha Raptor 250

By Ray Larez
photos by Ray Larez and Darrell Foust
Is this cool site or what? Yamaha invited nine members of the media to Glen Helen Raceway to race test their Raptor 250. We used the opportunity to find out how big is too big for the mighty little Raptor. About a month ago Yamaha invited us to race test their Raptor 250 at the Yamaha/ITP QuadCross held at Glen Helen Raceway. Since I have never ridden the little Raptor before and since I weigh-in at 220lbs, it made no sense to me that I was the go-to-guy to race test the machine.

While getting the low-down on the assignment I thought to myself, I’m going to be way too big for this little youth quad. Would it even pull me up the hills at Glen Helen? This could be embarrassing, so I asked ATV Scene’s John Pellan if perhaps there was another utility intro, like my last ride test, the Yamaha Grizzly 550, to send me to. I quickly offered the names of a few fast California kids that could race the Raptor 250 instead of me.

“Trust me,” he answered. He said my being the heaviest guy in the race would end up giving us a really interesting news piece. He said my mission was to find out if a bigger guy like me could take advantage of the Raptor 250’s low cost and ultimately have just as much fun as a small guy, or will he end up disappointed because he’s simply too big for the machine? Okay, fair enough. I was off to the races to find out how big is too big for the hit new sport quad, the Raptor 250.

 

Pre Race Inspection
The guys from Yamaha drove all of us media guys out to the track early the morning of the race where we saw a long row of blue Raptor 250’s gleaming in the morning sun prepped and ready for practice.

I got geared up and had a couple pieces of fruit before heading over to my lucky number 7 Raptor 250, which looked really sharp in blue with black wheels, nerfs and number plate backgrounds. I walked over and sat on my machine fully anticipating a cramped feeling. I squirmed around, checked over all the controls and made sure the bars felt good and my boots didn’t interfere with the shifter. To my surprise the little bugger felt spot on. I actually felt very comfortable sitting and moving around on it.

My #7 Raptor was outfitted with some really cool GYTR accessories. It had a set of black powder coated nerfs and a sweet exhaust system, which especially got my attention. I really like the oval shaped muffler that was bolted up to the machine. Unlike other exhaust systems, this canister is tilted horizontally, which made for a unique custom-like look. The craftsmanship was top notch too. I could tell right away they spent some time making this exhaust system and I bet it worked as well as it looked.

Another addition to the machine that I liked was the Pro Amor tether, which is required to race. I really liked how easy it was to reinsert the kill switch cord. The T-shaped handle makes it easier to grasp with gloves on.

Sizing it up
The stock restricted exhaust might be okay for a young lightweight, but the added torque and horsepower gained from the GYTR is a must if you’re a bigger rider. You’ll an estimated 15% gain. The extra grunt to power over obstacles and lift the front end makes the Raptor 250 way more fun. We highly suggest you factor an aftermarket exhaust into your budget if you want to get the most bang for your buck. I fired her up for a minute. It wasn’t extremely loud and obnoxious. It sounded throaty, effortless and ready for business.

As much as I was pleased with my initial impression, I thought about the times I rode Yamaha Blasters in the past. I remember riding the Blaster to its absolute limits. I sat there wondering how this machine would fair with me wringing its neck while weighing it down with an extra hundred pounds. I certainly don’t consider myself the target rider that Yamaha had in mind when it announced this new machine. Ideally, I think Yamaha intended the Raptor 250 for smaller teenagers, maybe a wife or small adult. This certainly would be interesting.

Let ‘er rip!
We proceeded to practice as a group to get a few quick laps in before the first moto. The track hadn’t gotten too rough yet and looked very inviting. It took me only a quarter of a lap to realize just how predicable and nimble the Raptor 250 was, even with me onboard. There were no signs of front end push at just about any speed. Even with my large size the machine felt unbelievably comfortable. And the motor seemed to haul me around just fine. It didn’t even compare to the old Blasters I rode in the past. The mighty little Raptor 250 certainly was way more fun to ride than I originally thought it would be. It’s hard to explain but the feeling I got while riding that first lap was absolute worry-free predictable, effortless fun. I couldn’t stop smiling. It looks like this little Raptor isn’t just for kids after all.

 

Weighing in on the suspension
Yamaha managed to end up 11 pounds lighter than their old two stroke Blaster. The Raptor 250 weighs in at only 313 pounds. In fact, it’s the lightest sport quad ever made! Its power-to-weight ratio makes it extremely nimble. I was very impressed. This baby darted around the track easily and precisely.

As good as I felt roosting through the first half of that first practice lap, I was about to put the little Raptor to its first big test. I throttled up for what I thought was a table top. It ended up being a huge drop off. I was about to push the little Raptor off it’s first cliff and into flight. As I left the crest of the drop off I looked down and realized that I could pay the price for my misjudgment. I was dropping out of the sky from what seemed to be a two story drop off. I braced myself and wished I weighed more in the range of what my fellow competitors weighed. As I landed in the bottom area of the backside of this drop off I bottomed the front shocks pretty hard. This is where I had visions of breaking the quad in half and landing on my head. Thankfully Yamaha’s little Raptor 250 was tougher than that. The machine and I rode out that potential predicament without a problem. In fact, to my amazement, the rear shock soaked up the harsh landing without a problem. It didn’t even bottom out! Nonetheless, I took note of the area and reminded myself not to gas it there, as this jump was more like a ravine than a table top.

Next up was the Glen Helen double-double section. I didn’t fair so well here either. I didn’t have enough momentum and cased into the face of the first double, then I plowed into the second one since the shocks hadn’t recovered from the first horrible blow I dealt them. Wow, that hurt! I hoped I didn’t bend a tie rod or break a ball joint. To my surprise, once again, the Raptor 250 was completely fine. Needless to say, I made another note to self; don’t try the double-double jump again.

First Moto
GYTR nerf bars are a great idea to keep your feet onboard at all times as well as fend off unwanted obstacles such as trees and competitor’s wheels. Also seen here is evidence of the beefy stock pegs and brake pedal included with the $3600 Raptor 250.Practice was over and before I knew it my #7 Raptor 250 and I were on the line for the first moto. All of the other editors where lighter than I was and I knew this would be a disadvantage for me, but I wasn’t about to let it bother me. I was here to test ride the Raptor, the actual race came second.

The gate dropped and we gave the Raptor 250s all they had. I shifted through all five gears and tapped out the Raptor 250 at a speed much higher than I thought it would go. I got a bad jump off the line but was pulling and gaining on few of my fellow racers. I glanced to my right and saw the Golden West Cycle Raptor 250 piloted by John Gregory. He was having a heck of a time with his machine, which was prepped by John and not Yamaha. It had a different pipe and jetting than the rest of us. John is from San Diego and the machine was jetting for the coast. Due to this, his Raptor 250 ran horrible on the top end start area, but performed great on the rest of the track.

By the first turn I had somehow worked my way up to mid pack. Not bad for an out of shape fat guy, I thought to myself. Just as I was about to get serious and try to maintain my mid pack position, I got pushed into the loamy dirt on the outside of the second turn before the hill. This just killed my momentum. The Raptor 250 did a surprisingly good job of pulling me up the hill without momentum at the bottom, but still most of the pack was long gone. As the race progressed I gave it all I had to catch back up to mid pack, but I was getting worn out fast and ended up fading further and further back until I was dead last. Unfortunately that is where I finished out the first moto.

Nonetheless the more laps I put on the Raptor 250 the more I liked the quad. Even in bringing up the rear of the race and weighing a little too much for the machine in stock form, as far as fun-factor goes, I can confidently say racing the little Raptor is just as fun, (if not more) than racing a 450.

Second Moto
For the next moto, I drank lots of water to re-hydrate myself and had myself a hamburger to make sure I wouldn’t run out of gas out on the track again. As we all lined up for the second-go-around, my plan was to try to get a better start this time, then be as smooth as possible and try to last the whole moto.

So far so good, the gate dropped and I pulled the trigger perfectly. The little 249cc air cooled four stroke revs surprisingly well. Despite the extra luggage I forced the Raptor 250 to carry, I was shift for shift with leaders, What a rush! I was right there! This quad is awesome, I thought to myself, while I took the high line through world-famous Talladega-turn.

As we exited the second turn just prior to the first hill climb, one of the editors hit me from the side and I ended up getting stuck sideways in the loamy dirt at the bottom of the hill. By the time I got the machine turned around and headed up the hill I was dead last. Oh well, so much for finishing mid-pack.

Big Guy Race Tested
Now that my mid-pack goal was blown, I could better concentrate on evaluating the Raptor 250 in one of the most extreme ways possible, on the racetrack. Could this machine really be acceptable for someone 5’-10” and 220 pounds?

Even with my size and weight, handling was great on the Raptor 250. As I said, it never pushed or did anything crazy. The word predictable is the best way to describe the Raptor’s ride. I also felt a secure and safe feeling that I don’t on a big 450. Even with overworked front and rear shocks the machine handled the whoops without bottoming or swapping side to side. It truly is a well engineered and incredible little sport quad, no wonder it’s one of Yamaha’s best sellers. The only thing I felt this machine needs if I were to make it my own is a set of shocks built more for a heavy weight like myself and possible a little wider stance.

As for the motor, I never found myself wringing its neck like I thought I would. Of course I tapped it out through the long straight stretches but as for the rest of the track it had long strong revs and good useable horsepower! Man, I’m here to tell you it was a lot of fun!

Since I wasn’t really racing anymore, I just rode around and enjoyed the ride. After all that’s what the Raptor 250 is all about. Jumping the table top jumps and some of the really cool ski jumps in the back portion of the track was an absolute blast! As was roosting through the corners and pulling wheelies while exiting the turns.

Conclusion
I guess you could argue since I came in last I may be too big for the Raptor 250, but I need not blame the quad. I honestly don’t feel that I’m too big for the Raptor like I originally did before I rode the machine. My poor finish came from the fact that I was out of shape coming into the race, especially compared to the competition. I have to admit, that first moto really drained me. Just trying to keep the pace of other riders kicked my butt.

Yamaha’s idea to race test their Raptor 250 was a great one, but in my case, I was race testing the Raptor 250 for reasons far from what the other editors were. You can pick up a brand new 2009 Raptor 250 for about $3700 right now. That’s almost half the price of a new 450! As far as I’m concerned, this is the best deal on a sport quad in the industry. And I probably don’t need to remind you that finding great deals is of the utmost importance in these hard economical times. Let’s face it times are tough, if you can have the same amount of fun for half the price, I say go for it.

So here’s what I’ve found from my mission. If you’re a bigger person that doesn’t necessarily want a 450cc arm-ripping ride, but would rather have a safer, more predictable and affordable machine, I’m hear to remind you not to overlook the Raptor 250, especially if your ultimate goal is simply having hassle-free affordable fun. At least do yourself a favor and ride a Raptor 250, you just might end up as surprised as I was. With aftermarket shocks or possibly rebuilt stock shocks, I think you’ll be quite happy with Yamaha’s aggressive little Raptor 250.

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