Off the Pegs
- Updated: September 29, 2011
By Jason Giacchino
I can’t speak intelligently on behalf of the population, but I’ve personally been quite intrigued with the potential of a 250cc dedicated race ATV from the moment the 450cc displacement was solidified back in the early 2000s. For aspiring quad-racers there really hasn’t been a solid “intermediate” step between beginner territory and competing in the premiere 450-class. Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of events around the globe boasting open classes to allow for competition aboard machines of nearly any style and engine displacement, but unlike so many of our cousin power sports, ATV racing is strangely devoid of an established stepping stone class.
In fact, what’s really interesting is that the past decade or so has witnessed the degeneration of the 250cc displacement ATV (once the engine size of the world’s premiere race class) from mid-sized sport quad on down to “beginner only” territory thanks to simplified engine designs, minimal technological advancements and automatic transmissions.
It was Yamaha who realized that the 250cc slot was surprisingly devoid of late and took action in the form of the Raptor 250 a few years back; a machine that recalled what made machines like the Kawasaki Mojave and Honda TRX250X (the original incarnation of the model from 1987-1992) so popular: zippy performance though a peppy engine coupled to a manual transmission. In essence Yamaha’s goal was, of course, to provide riders with a modern 4-stroke equivalent to fill in the massive void left behind by the Blaster 2-stroke’s demise.
In short, they succeeded with their ambitions and in fact, inadvertently created a bit of a “club racer” class in the process. Raptor 250 riders quickly discovered a healthy aftermarket and loads of hop-up potential with this new machine. The desire to race it was nearly immediate, the only problem was that the only true competition could come from other Raptor 250 riders as no other manufacturer offered an air-cooled, manual clutch 250cc ATV to contend.
I’ve been excited about the Raptor 250 (and the class it inspired) right from the onset of the model’s release but still, it doesn’t take too much imagination to begin wondering why none of the manufacturers stepped up and offered a genuine performance oriented 250; a smaller bore version of the liquid-cooled, high-tech 450s tearing up racecourses all over the planet.
The answer, at least according to my intense research on the subject, seems to be that poor timing is to blame. Just as the popularity of 450cc race equipment was growing strong enough to warrant a whopping eight models from which to select (not even taking into consideration various trim packages available from each manufacturer); the economy took a massive dive back in 2008 that still hasn’t recovered fully with the 2012s on showroom floors. A backdated inventory filling warehouses around the globe had many manufacturers shutting down production lines until demand could once again exceed supply.
Obviously the reality of the economic situation coupled to decreased manufacturer R&D budgets mean the odds of someone developing a new model (in this case a legitimate 250cc race machine) are virtually nonexistent.
However, amidst the doom and gloom, this column serves to express my excitement in the fact that a 250cc race quad does indeed exist and can be purchased right now.
It was American mini manufacturer Apex Motor Corporation who finally decided to answer the “what-ifs” surrounding the potential of stuffing a modern 250cc (coincidentally also a Yamaha mill) race-oriented 4-stroke into a competition-ready chassis. The best part about it was that it wouldn’t be some one-off custom quad that magazines could cover to illicit lust from riders who could never even hope to spend a minute in the saddle of, much less purchase and race.
The Apex 250F boasts such features as a genuine Yamaha 250cc DOHC 4-Stroke/5-valve single cylinder with an estimated 37 HP rear wheel rating (for comparison’s sake a stock Raptor 250 is pushing about 17 horses). For what boils down to a factory custom, the Apex 250F is quite competitively priced at $11,000, and it has been AMA approved for competition.
I’ve been hoping with great interest that the Apex 250 will be popular enough to inspire its own race class for purpose of harvesting and fine-tuning the future generation of 450cc class competitors; or at the very least inspire some of the larger international manufacturers to take a stab at creating an OEM competition-ready 250 (after all, they would virtually own the class until the other manufacturers jumped in with offerings of their own).
As nice as it is to ponder the development of another displacement of competition ATV, I should note that Yamaha’s at it again with their Raptor 125. The machine shares many components with its 250cc brother but does so with even less weight and the potential to launch another class of “club racing” at facilities all around the globe. Of course, it doesn’t take too much imagination to envision the potential of a truly high-tech race-ready 125cc ATV; you know, a class to give aspiring racers a place to hone their skills before making their move up to the 250s.
Click for ATV Scene’s opinion of the Yamaha Raptor 250, Yamaha Raptor 125 and Apex 250F