By Nic Granlund
Photos by Adam Campbell
For a few years now I’ve heard of all the fun that Yamaha dishes out at their annual Glamis outing, but this year I got to experience it first hand.
It worked out perfect for me. I was in route from my home in Las Vegas to Phoenix, AZ, and had a few extra days to kill. I can’t think of a better way to kill time than riding Yamaha’s new Special Edition Raptor 700R and YFZ450R sport quads. Needless to say I altered my course and aimed my motor home for Southern California.
When I pulled in at the Geco Road area the first thing I saw was the Yamaha semi truck and trailer along with a sea of shiny brand new Yamaha SE Raptors and YFZs, many of which included lots of GYTR goodies that glistened beautifully in the sun. It looked like a giant dealer show room in the middle of the sand dunes.
Since I would be hanging out with plenty of friends in the industry and a good bunch of guys from Yamaha I knew this would be two fun-filled memorable days.
As I walked past the line of quads we would soon be roosting sand with I noticed the 2009 Raptor 700R SE with its red frame, black plastic and red marble hood. It really stood out against the other Raptors. I quickly swung a leg over one. “Wow, this is going to be a blast! I can’t wait until we go on a big dune ride”, I said to myself as I moved around on it like a little kid.
Color isn’t all you get on the SE Raptor. Besides the color and graphics, this year’s Special Edition Raptor 700Rs also features a wave-style rear disc brake, a GYTR front grab bar and GYTR heel guards.
Since I arrived early, I felt honored to be one of very few to see and touch the bad-to-the-bone black YFZ450R Special Edition unit that Adam Campbell just got done shooting at his studio the day prior. I’m not typically a big fan of black, but this murdered-out all-black YFZ looked absolutely incredible. Even the amazing photos that Adam captured don’t do this baby justice.
While checking it out in detail I noticed that it had quick-release Zeus fasteners instead of bolts to hold the plastic to the frame. Now you can slip off the fenders and body work in seconds without using any tools. How cool is that! The SE model also features red shock springs and a GYTR black front grab bar.