Cheap Thrills!
2008 Yamaha Raptor 250
Words: Joe Tolle
Test Riders: Allen Knowles, Joe Tolle
Photos: Joe Tolle, Frank Hoppen
Video: Joe Tolle

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Ask the legends of our sport what machine they cut their teeth on and they might mention the old Honda 200x three wheeler. Ask the next generation and they might tell you any number of machines, the Suzuki 230 Quad Sport, the Honda 250X but perhaps more people got their start in ATVing aboard Yamaha’s sporty little 200cc Blaster than any other ATV in history. Unfortunately, EPA regulations have ended the Blaster’s legendary 20-year run. With the demise of this very popular model, Yamaha knew that it needed a replacement for its economical entry-level sport machine. Yamaha’s target, the heart of the current 250cc four stroke sport class, was the prime area that they focused their attention.

The 250cc four stroke sport machines of the 80s were true sport ATVs with manual clutches, chain drives, sporty handling and reasonable weight for the time. Since the death of the last old school 250cc four stroke sport quad, the Kawasaki Mojave 250, the 250 sport ranks have been taken over by several different types of machines. A few are high quality while others are super cheap with reliability issues to match. All of them are heavy for their displacement numbers and all are targeted at less aggressive novice type riders.

Back in 1988, Yamaha introduced the Blaster which remained popular for its entire 18 years of production. The Blaster is gone but boy did Yamaha replace its place in their line up well!

Today’s four strokes are full of features like CVT transmissions or auto clutches, shaft drives which don’t allow for gearing changed should the rider decide to change his tires, and as we mentioned before plenty of unwanted poundage. With the Blaster out of Yamaha’s lineup, aggressive young riders could either choose between one of the other 250cc machines available, which their skills may outgrow quite quickly, or make the move up to the 300/350cc class where the machines are larger and heavier. What the sport market needs more than anything right now is an affordable lightweight pure sport performance quad to give the next generation of ATVers a machine to cut their teeth on. Yamaha thinks they have what those riders need with their all new 2008 Raptor 250.

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