04-05 Yamaha Raptor 50
Hello all!
I have read with interest this entire thread, and just wanted to put my 2 cents in. Last year I bought a Raptor 50 and a Raptor 80 - the 50 for my then-11 year old, and the 80 for my then-13 year old. To say the least, my 11 year old was disappointed by the end of the first day. So, I started investigating the options, and I found posts about modding the carb, aftermarket cdi boxes, putting the 80 harness/cdi into the 50, etc, etc. - pretty much everything that has been discussed here.
Now, here is what I did. First, to find out what is different between the 2 machines, simply go to Yamaha's website and look at the online parts list/breakdown. What you will find is that the primary differences are as follows:
1) The 80 has 3 gears and more clutch discs - the 50 has only 1 gear (equivelent to 2nd on the 80). This hurts the 50's performance in 2 ways: it's starting off in a higher gear (no 1st) and the clutch engages sooner, so the engine can't build much power.
2) The carbs are almost identical except for mains/pilot jets and the slides. The carb can be easily redone to be the same as the 80, and this will allow more power.
3) The thumb throttle has adifferent lever, which limits carb slide travel. Simple fix is to order and install the lever from the 80.
4) Tire size, which is obvious just looking at the 2 machines side-by-side. Obviously, increasing the tire size will increase top end, BUT it will affect take-off.
So, I decided that since the 80 engine/transmission is a direct bolt-in (the cases and everything are exactly the same - only the internals are different), I went hunting on ebay for a Raptor/Badger 80 engine (same engine, as a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure you can go all the way back to the Moto-4). I found one and got it for around $300 or so. I had already ordered the 80 harness and cdi from my local dealer, which cost me close to $300 (I am now much wiser - I have found numerous places online that sell OEM parts at a discount - try BikeBandit.com or worldofcycles.com), and I could have saved a bit by going that route, or by looking on ebay a bit longer. Then, I installed the 80 engine/trans, wiring harness, and cdi box. I made the carb mods to bring it to 80 specs (pilot jet, nozzle, and slide), put a size 80 main jet in it (stock 80 has a 76.5), and replaced the thumb throttle lever. I drilled 10 3/4" holes in the air filter cover plate for more air, and re-used the 50's exhaust (it's the same as the 80's anyway). I left everything else stock, except for modifying the left side footboard to accomodate the 80 engine's shifter. I didn't need to go get nerf bars or anything else. Now, it has performance that is almost the same as the other 80 I have (and would be the same if I put the same size tires on it), and I spent about $700. Keep in mind that I could have saved more money if I searched ebay more, or got the aftermarket 80 cdi maybe, or just cut the carb slide instead of replacing it, or cut the throttle lever instead of replacing it as well. Everything I did was pretty straightforward and not very difficult. The bonus is that it's still registered as a 50, and looks like a 50 - no one can tell the difference by just looking at it unless they really know the stock bike well. So, it's still legal (on paper) but has greatly improved performance. And, you could always dump the 50 engine on ebay to reduce your costs, or, like I'm gonna do, turn it into a go-kart motor when I get a new 20mm carb for the Raptor 80 we have, as I still have the cdi and wiring harness for it.
It's a shame that Yamaha isn't more forthcoming in telling the buyers the limitations of this quad before purchase. Technically, they are just following the CPSC guidelines. I blame it on the same idiots that took away 3-wheelers because of "safety". This country is over-regulated because there are too many idiot consumers out there that do stupid things and get hurt, then sue the OEM because they built the machine. What happened to common sense and responsible parenting?
The Yamahas are well-built, reliable, good looking machines. With a little work they can be made much better. Is it worth the cost? That's for each person to decide for themselves. I'm happy with the route I took, because I learned alot in the process, and my son is happy with the results. Personally, I think the age/cc guidelines are crap - a 15 year old on a 90???? Are you kidding me???? Maybe a quad manufacturer should start making supercharged versions of the smaller quads so that the performance is acceptable..............lol!!!! I'd vote for 2-strokes, but then the EPA is all over them for emissions........which takes me right back to the over-regulation.........arghhh!!!!
=)
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