The Test

Test rider Aaron Meyer felt that the Honda’s only advantage in the power department compared to our GYTR Raptor was in the very bottom end of the powerband. However, get the RPMs up a bit and Aaron says that the GYTR Raptor flat out smokes the EX!

We showed up at the track late one evening just before closing. We wanted the track to ourselves to make sure that our lap times were unaffected by traffic. For our comparisons we were going to allow Aaron a few minutes to get acquainted with each machine before we started timing him. We then timed a three lap moto on each machine making sure that Aaron put in his best possible run on each machine before we accepted the lap times as final.

Up first was the Honda.  Aaron looked surprisingly fast on the EX. Despite its 60 pound disadvantage, Aaron was able to hit a double that he could not clear a week before on the Stock Raptor. Aaron commented, “The Honda feels like it has a bit more grunt than the Raptor even with the GYTR mods.” That extra bottom end gave the EX a bit more acceleration than the stock Raptor once the EX had exited the turn. Once the 300 worked its way past its low end power, Aaron felt that the Honda lost its advantage in the power department. Aaron commented, “The 300EX might have had a bit more torque, but it didn't’t seem to build RPMs as fast as the Raptor 250, whether the Raptor was stock or not.”

Through the whoops the Honda struggled a bit. Aaron managed to pack the EX’s front shocks and thought he actually scrapped the front frame rails on the face of the whoops a few times. With the 300’s larger tires and super plush suspension, the 300EX was held back a bit in the corners. The Honda was aided a bit by the fact that Earlywine’s has so many banked turns which helped keep all four wheels on the ground. Even still, we often saw Aaron unable to keep the machine planted through the turns, whether they were flat or banked.

With our GYTR mods installed, our Raptor test unit is tricked out and still costs less than a stock 300EX. A wise purchase if you ask us.

The GYTR Raptor put a lot of time on the EX in the rough stuff. While the EX front shocks would sometimes pack in the whoops the Raptor’s performed admirably.

When Aaron crossed the finish line for the third time, the 300EX had scored 1:59:02 for its moto. Honestly, the 300EX exceeded our expectations considering its extra weight. Looks like the few extra horsepower and torque that the Honda has over the Raptor plays to its advantage as far as lap times, however it didn't’t make the Honda any easier to throw around on the track or through the air.

Up next was our GYTR equipped Raptor. While Aaron was warming up, he realized that one of the doubles he wasn't’t able to clear a week before he could now successfully jump with the extra power provided by the GYTR exhaust and filter kit. With the lap times underway, Aaron dropped the hammer and immediately noticed how much better the Raptor’s suspension worked compared to the Honda's. “The Raptor's suspension is definitely better than the Honda’s, especially the front shocks. I was able to charge the whoops as hard as some riders do on their 450s!” While we’re not claiming that the suspension on the Raptor 250 is on par with the YFZ450, we can say that for an aggressive 145 pound rider, the Raptor’s suspension definitely worked much better than the Honda's did.

Through the turns the Raptor once again cleaned house! Its firmer suspension settings and superior 19 inch rear Dunlop tires do a lot to help keep the Raptor on all four wheels and driving while exiting turns. This was especially noticeable on flat turns where Aaron was able to be much more aggressive on the Raptor than he was on the Honda.

The Raptor 250's stock plastic skid plates might be good enough if you only plan on riding your machine on the track, however if you have trail time in your future, GYTR's skid plates and MX front bumper offer a substantial improvement in protection.

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