Table of Contents
One of the most famous ATVs in the world is the Yamaha Raptor 4-wheeler. Its a well-know and well-appreciated quad with an impressive top speed. Some people will debate this topic, but if you ask most people – they have heard of the Yamaha Raptor. I asked all the people on my shift at work and over half of them knew what the Raptor was and had never even ridden an ATV.
The Yamaha Raptor has a factory top speed of around 75 mph on off road tires for most model years. Some heavily modified Raptors have been clocked in excess of 90 mph.
The Yamaha Raptor 700 has been around for almost 15 years and is on of the only 2 models of sport ATV being manufactured at this time. Yamaha is still making advances and making sure to be the top of the sport ATV game if other companies decide it’s time to jump back into the ATV market. Let’s see where the Raptor four wheeler first got its start.
History Of The Yamaha Raptor
The Raptor is a very popular 4 wheeler model because of it’s large engine displacement. When Yamaha created the Raptor in 2001, it was the 660R and it boasted the largest production engine to ever be placed in a sport ATV and was the first to have a 5 valve cylinder head in the entire history of ATVs.
Yamaha set the new benchmark when they released this new ATV. The outstanding engine along with its YZ-spec, 5-speed manual transmission, state-of-the-art chassis, and race-honed suspension helped the Raptor win the title of “Sport ATV of the Year”.
2006 saw the introduction of the Raptor 700. A 686cc Yamaha engine made this the most powerful outdoor ATV ever, with lots of torque right out the gate the led into a powerful mid range and monstrous top end power.
The Raptor 700R was the first ever fuel injected outdoor ATVAs the first fuel injected outdoor ATV and provides crisp, consistent engine performance in a wide range of conditions, regardless of elevation or temperature. No messing with jets on a carburetor on this quad!
The Raptor 700 featured a steel and aluminum hybrid frame with aluminum subframe and cast swingarm. This was another first for Yamaha which meant the Raptor 700R boasted a class leading chassis and is the lightest ATV in its class and Yamaha has been innovating ever since.
Raptor 700 Specs
| Engine | |
| Type | 686cc liquid-cooled with fan, four-stroke; SOHC, four valves |
| Bore x Stroke | 102.0mm x 84mm |
| Compression Ratio | 10.0:1 |
| Fuel Delivery | Yamaha fuel injection, 45mm |
| Ignition System | 32 Bit ECU |
| Starting System | Electric Starter |
| Transmission | Five-speed with a single-speed reverse; wet multiplate clutch |
| Drive Train | 2WD; sealed O-ring chain, eccentric adjustment |
| Chassis | |
| Front Suspension | Independent double wishbone w/piggy back high-lo-speed compression, rebound and threaded preload adjustment, 9.1-in travel |
| Rear Suspension | Cast aluminum swing arm w/rebound, high-lo-speed compression and threaded preload adjustment, 10.1-in travel |
| Front Brakes | Dual ventilated hydraulic discs, twin pistons |
| Rear Brakes | Ventilated hydraulic discs, self-adjusting park brake function |
| Front Tires | Maxxis AT22 x 7-10 radial |
| Rear Tires | Maxxis AT20 x 10-9 radial |
| Dimensions | |
| L x W x H | 72.6 x 46.5 x 43.9 inches |
| Seat Height | 32.7 inches |
| Wheelbase | 50.4 inches |
| Ground Clearance | 4.4 inches |
| Fuel Capacity | 2.9 Gallons US |
| Wet Weight | 422 Pounds |
The Difference Between Raptor 700 And 700R
There are many different years and models of the Raptor 700 and they include the original Raptor 700R that was released in 2006 did not have any other model denotations and came in one style.
The Raptor 700 (without the R), Raptor 700R, and Raptor 700 SE have been released together in several years and really only denote trim levels and minor shock upgrades like reservoir shocks. It is like buying a car with different trim levels for the same vehicle.
How Fast Is A Stock Raptor 700?
There is a lot of debate about the Yamaha Raptor 700 top speed to be found online and I can’t seem to find a direct answer from Yamaha but from user testing, depending on weather conditions and road conditions, people are seeing 74-75 mph for most years and models.
For most riders this is plenty of speed and for trails, you will never get this fast, so worrying about top speed shouldn’t be an issue.
How Much Horsepower Does A Raptor 700 Have?
The Raptor 700R is Yamaha’s second generation of the Raptor (first gen being the Raptor 660) and is powered by a 686cc single cylinder four-valve electronically fuel injected engine. This larger engine produces approximately 47 horsepower.
This may not seem like a lot when compared to the larger 1000cc 4WD ATVs that are producing almost double power at 91 horsepower. The thing about the raptor is how it is geared and how it is driven. It has a 5 speed manual transmission that allows the rider to seamlessly switch gears and rise all the way through the powerband.
The larger ATVs like the Can Am Renegade 1000 are generally much heavier. The dry weight of the Can-Am is 850 pounds which is just over double that of the Raptor 700s wet weight. (Wet weight is the weight of the ATV with all of the fuel, oil, and other fluids topped up in the machine)
This light weight, manual clutch driven ATV has a good power to weight ratio and allows it to keep up with higher power engines.
How Much Torque Does A Raptor 700 Have?
The Raptor 700 quad has a short wheelbase and a lot of torque allowing it to raise the front end up with little effort, sometimes without you even trying to do it. Having that type of low-end power makes it easier to ride through rough sections like whoops.
Make Your Raptor Quad Faster With The Big 3
The Big 3 are the first three modifications that most people will do to their Raptors see significant improvements in their power and not break the bank by going all out and spending a ton of money. The Big 3 aren’t necessarily cheap when you do them all but they will give you the most power with minimalish work. If you want a more detailed list of the modifications you can put on your ATV to keep you ahead of the pack, check out this article I wrote!
Performance Air Intake
Your Raptor’s engine is like a living breathing creature. It takes air into the engine through the air intake filter. The more air the is pulled in, the more it mixes with the fuel pulled into the cylinders, making more combustion and more power.
You can buy performance filters that will allow more air in and are also reusable for around $50. Some companies also offer a fully enclosed cold air intake system that is a little more expensive.
Exhaust
If your ATV is breathing in, it has to breathe out! An optimized performance exhaust system will be able to efficiently get rid of the extra combustion gasses from the engine. This will keep you from getting a bunch of extra backpressure and will help stop you from losing horsepower.
You can opt for just upgrading your pipe, by adding a slip-on. Yoshimura is a well known and quality company in the ATV world and they make great products. This is the most cost efficient and will help reduce weight and increase the horsepower. You can install a slip-on with no mechanical knowledge necessary. All you need is a few generic tools to pop the stock pipe off and get the new one on.
The next, and more expensive option, is to get a full exhaust system put on your Raptor like this Big Gun dual exhaust. A full exhaust system replaces everything from your header to your exhaust pipe. This is the best option if you want to get the most performance gains out of your machine.
A full exhaust significantly reduces weight and improves performance. In order to install this you may want to seek a professional’s help, unless you already have experience with this kind of work or modification.
Fuel Controller
A fuel controller optimizes proper air to fuel mixture ratios to increase performance gains and efficiently burn the gasses to maximize combustion.
Most are a simple plug-n-play installation and are already set from the factory for your machine. They are super customizable to match the modifications you have installed
Set from the factory with proven settings, but can be easily user-customized to match your specific modifications.
What Is The Fastest ATV In The World, The Rocket Raptor 700
The highest speed ever achieved on an ATV, according to the Guinness Book of World Records was 196.19 mph or 315.74 km/h. In 2008 Terry Wilmeth (USA) broke the previous world record of 164 mph that he set himself in 2007. Terry has always piloted Raptor 700s and built a killer rocket to demolish his old record. He piloted his ALSR Rocket Raptor version 6.0, which was a modified Yamaha 700 Raptor quad that was augmented with a hybrid rocket thruster.
His record was set at the Madras Airport, Madras, Oregon, USA, on 15 June 2008 and is still holding strong today. The speed was the average of 2 runs in opposite directions.
Terry had one goal, to set the bar for top speed on an ATV as high as possible with at least 200 mph sustained speed and then retire. He didn’t quite make his goal. There is an HD documentary on Terry Wilmeth. Watch him attempt to break 200 mph on his rocket propelled, nitrous fueled, turbo powered ATV. It covers his past attempts and the trials and challenges of setting his new record.
How Fast Is A Stock Raptor 660?
Again, this is not one of those numbers that is commonly given out by Yamaha but many drivers have said they get from 70-73 mph on their stock Raptor 660. These speeds are determined by the driver and the conditions of the road and the weather conditions just like with the Raptor 700.
The Raptor four wheeler is only one of 2 sport ATVs left in the game and you can see why. They perform well, have a great company backing them, and are easy to modify for more power. My next ATV will be a Yamaha Raptor 700.