[Magnetic]

I currently have a Rancher 420 4X4 SRA w/power steering that I use hunting and such and plan to keep it. I have taken it trail riding a few time, and where we ride the trails are somewhat eroded and there are exposed 2"-6" roots all along the trail. The power steering is nice in keeping the kick-back in the bars to a minimum, but the ride is quite harsh. I like wheelies, small jumps and such, and maybe a little dune riding, but trails mostly.

I am going to buy either a Raptor or a XX, and I figured it would be a lot easier to find some people that have ridden both machines here than on the Raptor sites. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being no suspension and 10 being a big Polaris (because it's often proclaimed to be the smoothest riding ATV), where would you rank both the Raptor 700r and the 700XX on a rough rooted trail?

Thanks,
Magnetic

 

[xx700xx]

Ive ridden both a lot on fast rough trails. Unless you're riding on a road, sand or super smooth trails at all times get the XX!!!!!!! My friend has a extremely fast built raptor 700r and he can't keep up in the trail at black river falls. Trust me on this one, XX is king in the trails. If you want a dragster with crazy power after a lot of $$$ then get the Raptor. Both are great machines but for the recreational rider who is in the woods/trails the XX is truly king!

 

[rappyfreak]

How much do you weight? I ask because I weight 220lb and I feel the front suspension on the xx is too soft, if I jump more than 4ft high I will bottom it out, and the front suspension on the xx is notoriusly bad. The rear suspension I like very much, a bit hard but can be tuned some. The ground clearance on the rear of the xx is very nice and the overall handling is pretty good except for some front end push (can be almost eliminated with better tires) and some weird body roll because of the IRS. The aftermarket parts are very limited.

About the raptor: The suspension on 07SE models and 08+ models is very nice and tunable both front and rear, it is easy and cheaper to make tons of power. You can help on ground clearance with 22in rear tires and 22in front tires. Aftermarket parts availablity is amazing.

I would definitely advise that you go out in your trails with each of these machines and try them out as they handle very differently.

 

[Magnetic]

Excellent question that I should have mentioned. I'm 6'4 and weigh 245 lbs. 3-4 ft. is about as high or higher than I would ever jump with out a landing ramp. Can the front springs be changed on the stock shock?

I wish I could take both on the trail to test them out, but that really isn't possible. I know there is a huge following for the Raptor, and that is partly why I am considering it. I know I could likely get the Raptor front suspension plush for my style of riding, +2 A arms with revalved shocks etc. but I wouldn't think that the rear would ever be as smooth as IRS...

 

[xx700xx]

Doesn't matter what suspension the raptor has, the irs blows it out of the water in rough trails. I've ridden both machines side by side and back to back. The xx is way smoother in the trails because of the irs. All my raptor friends agree and say the xx rides like a caddy. They told me to "slow the fuck down" at black river because the bumps were getting to them. This is all factual material not a biased opinion. If the raptor were smoother i'd say so just like when i say you can make more power with the raptor for dragging.

 

[crwh45]

My good buddy has a Rappy, and we would ride. Started when they were both bone stock, and now that both have some aftermarket stuff. For the XX, you can get better front shocks cheap that help out a lot, like the ds450s. The XX is smoother over all, but the raptor can handle better in turns. Both have all the power you could want in the trails, and then some, especially compared to your rancher (which I have a 420 as well). If you are doing more trails, I would def say get the XX, as it can handle anything it that is thrown at it. Sure, there isn't nearly the aftermarket sector as there is for the Raptor, but then again most people do the Big 3 and that's about it, which there is plenty of that for the xx. Good luck.

 

[traitor08]

The guys I ride with solid axles always hve to pu me somewhere in the middle. I tend to go faster when the trail gets rough, ground clearance, better chain/sprocket/rotor protection than they got. I ca pretty much aim and go instead of picking a good line.

 

[M_Quick]

Excellent question that I should have mentioned. I'm 6'4 and weigh 245 lbs. 3-4 ft. is about as high or higher than I would ever jump with out a landing ramp. Can the front springs be changed on the stock shock?

I wish I could take both on the trail to test them out, but that really isn't possible. I know there is a huge following for the Raptor, and that is partly why I am considering it. I know I could likely get the Raptor front suspension plush for my style of riding, +2 A arms with revalved shocks etc. but I wouldn't think that the rear would ever be as smooth as IRS...

I'm right at 220, and the only time I bottom out my 700xx is if I have to much weight forward. In other words land on the nose. If you land it right, with rear tires hitting 1st it don't bottom out. As far as your weight you should know the sticker on the 700 says maximin weight capacity 243 lbs.

 

[EEHonda]

I currently have a Rancher 420 4X4 SRA w/power steering that I use hunting and such and plan to keep it. I have taken it trail riding a few time, and where we ride the trails are somewhat eroded and there are exposed 2"-6" roots all along the trail. The power steering is nice in keeping the kick-back in the bars to a minimum, but the ride is quite harsh. I like wheelies, small jumps and such, and maybe a little dune riding, but trails mostly.

I am going to buy either a Raptor or a XX, and I figured it would be a lot easier to find some people that have ridden both machines here than on the Raptor sites. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being no suspension and 10 being a big Polaris (because it's often proclaimed to be the smoothest riding ATV), where would you rank both the Raptor 700r and the 700XX on a rough rooted trail?

Thanks,
Magnetic

XX is a 15 if the Polaris is a 10.:lol: Seriously though both bikes are good, ride both and see what you think. You won't be disappointed either way, of course I have to give the nod to the XX though. Especially in the nasty stuff.

 

[Crash21]

The key is the last line in your post. In a rough rooted trail it is no contest. The XX is king in the trail! Between not having to worry about getting high centered to just soaking up the bumps. I have ridden the XX, raptor 700, and yfz 450 in the trails and it is not comparable. I would not switch from the XX for a second in those conditions

 

[Britalican]

My cousin and I got our quads on the same day. He got the raptor and I got the xx. when we ride soother trails, he has no problem staying with me, but when we rode in the snow he get high centered... a lot. So if you want a rough trail machine and ground clearance is a must, then the xx is king, and can hold its on on the sand, but if u want a drag quad or a big jumper on the dunes, then the raptor is king for sure. The raptor can no doubt be made much faster for much less money, but the IRS ground clearance on the xx is second to none as far as sport quads go.

 

[09RappySE]

I think that for the ridding you are describing, being heavilly rutted trails and roots, the XX is going to be the bike for you, there is no comparison in terms of ground clearence or plush suspension..the XX wins hands down....

 

[Xstriker]

as the other guys have stated, for what you have described the XX is the better overall machine. The raptor has the better aftermarket and performance mods. But most people will never go that far into the machine. I may go so far as a cam but the intake, programmer and exhaust is more than enough for what I do as a casual rider.

 

[crisco]

My cousin and I got our quads on the same day. He got the raptor and I got the xx. when we ride soother trails, he has no problem staying with me, but when we rode in the snow he get high centered... a lot. So if you want a rough trail machine and ground clearance is a must, then the xx is king, and can hold its on on the sand, but if u want a drag quad or a big jumper on the dunes, then the raptor is king for sure. The raptor can no doubt be made much faster for much less money, but the IRS ground clearance on the xx is second to none as far as sport quads go.

What he said. The rear end of my Raptor is a sled in the snow, it just slides on the skid down the whole trail. And while Britalican is blasting over logs im creeping over them so i don't get high centered. I do all my catching up in the straight aways. The xx does have some odd handling characteristics. The front end is kind of soft and the rear suspension is very stiff. you also get a lot of body roll in the corners. But it is much more comfortable for the long rides and is a very easy quad to ride. I think its a better choice for the woods if you don't mind the toasty nuts feeling from the motor running so hot.

 

[Captamer71]

What did you get?

 

[rappey]

I have had 3 raptors and covered around 25,000 miles over the years..
the only road riding is to get to the off road places..
For woods with roots or trails with rocks then yes, the trx is a much nicer ride..
For twisty trails that are not quite so violent, the raptor as its so easy to chuck it about all over the place and can be ridden right on its limits and is easy to feel when its gonna throw you .. the honda on the other hand is a bit unpredictable ridden on the limits through corners..
the raptors dominate the dakar rally, the trx700 dominate the baja 1000 !
It seems that riders that have come from raptors to a trx say they wont go back to a solid axled quad though due to the ride quality.