ATV Riders Message Board Articles Reviews Videos Photo Gallery wallpaper Links ATV SxS News Interviews Racing News Models Donations Quad of the Month Contact Us

  ATV MODEL REVIEWS | ATV Product News
Arctic Cat | Can-Am | Honda | Kawasaki | KTM | Polaris | Suzuki | Yamaha | Other

2011 Yamaha Raptor 125 ATV
2011 Yamaha Raptor 125 Sport ATV Test Ride Review

2011 Yamaha Raptor 125 ATV
2011 Yamaha Raptor 125 ATV
Ventura, CA - Yamaha has always been known for putting out “first in its class” machines, and trying to fulfill the needs of its loyal customers and the manufacturer’s new Yamaha Raptor 125 is no exception.

Based on Yamaha’s Raptor 250 design, the Raptor 125 was designed to fill a void in the youth and entry level sport quad genre that had previously been left to the Taiwan and Chinese manufacturers. The price of those machines, while at a considerable value, seemed to be substandard, leaving many consumers unsatisfied with their quality and performance. Yamaha recognized the need to give consumers a good quality machine that catered to youth riders, who were looking for a stepping stone between the 90cc quads and the considerably more powerful, 250cc models and with that in mind, the Raptor 125 was brought to life with a competitive price point of just $3,399

Ventura Raceway 2011 Yamaha Raptor 125 ATV
Yamaha setup the test track for the Raptor 125 test ride at Ventura Raceway, which is located right along the ocean at the Ventura Fairgrounds. The track was built in the infield of the oval dirt track

2011 Yamaha Raptor 250R ATV
The Ventura Raceway infield track was a blast to ride the Yamaha Raptor 125 on with its numerous jumps, turns & high speed sections
ATVRiders.com was recently invited to the Venture Raceway on California’s scenic coastline, where Yamaha was putting on a test ride featuring the Yamaha Raptor 125. The Ventura Raceway is a facility that is used for sprint and dirt car races, and features an oval dirt track that offers great views of the ocean.

Yamaha took the liberty of designing a special track that was set up in the in-field of the oval. The track consisted of table tops, single jumps, whoops, tight turns and a high speed turn where we could let loose. The track was wide enough to allow for passing and big enough to have at least ten riders on it at a time. It was a great design for testing out the Raptor 125, but I did have my reservations. To be honest, at over 220 lbs., I am a bigger rider, and I was a little worried about throwing a leg over a 125cc machine, but my worries soon proved to be unfounded.

2011 Yamaha Raptor 250R ATV
The Yamaha Raptor 125 engine is based on the TTR 125 dirt bike with a few changes to better suite an ATV chassis
One of the first things you notice about the Raptor 125 is the aggressive look of the machine that definitely fits right in with the Raptor family. This ATV is powered by a 124cc engine that features a two valve, single overhead cam and is electric start.

The engine is from the TTR125 dirt bike, but was given a new exhaust system, carburetor, and cams that offer better mid-range power and torque to suit the quad, and the clutch has been redesigned to handle those needs. The Raptor 125 is the first ATV in its class to offer a 5-speed manual transmission and the 29mm Mikuni BSR Carburetor offers a light throttle effect to reduce thumb fatigue.

I was definitely surprised by the power of the Raptor 125. I was able to wheelie the machine at will coming out of turns and it pulled nicely in the wide open areas. And being 31 pounds lighter than the Raptor 250, the power to weight ratio of the machine is excellent.

2011 Yamaha Raptor 125 ATV
2011 Yamaha Raptor 125 ATV
The 124cc engine in the Raptor 125 provides plenty of power for an enjoyable ride for someone of any size as I was able to experience first hand during my test ride. Considering that I weigh in at 220lbs, I was expecting the Raptor 125 to bog down under the extra load, but amazingly, I was able to zip around the track just a quickly as other riders weighing nearly 100 lbs less, which was impressive. Ofcourse, it took a little more time for me to get back up to speed from a stand still & the top speed was surely hindered by the extra weight, but regardless, it provided an extremely enjoyable ride, which proved the Raptor 125 to be a vehicle that could be enjoyed by a large range of riders of different weights and experience
::CONTINUED::
::Page 1:: 2

Copyright 2002-2022, ATV Riders All Rights Reserved - ATV Riders Forum - Message Board - Archive