Widening the Raptor 700R and adding some travel - Elka Suspension

PRODUCT EVALUATIONWidening the Raptor 700Rand adding some travelBy the staff of Dirt Wheels❑ Our project Raptor 700 started lifeas a capable trail machine andreceived a host of upgrades to makeit worthy of track, trail, dune or anythingin between. We contactedTrinity Racing for a full-tilt, 734ccengine package complete with a bigcam, oversized valves, big-bore kit,head porting, dual exhaust and acustom tune good for 76 rear-wheelhorsepower. With all that newfoundpower on tap (nearly double a stockRaptor’s output), we knew we had tobeef up the rest of the rolling stock.We installed a Tusk wide rear axle,along with a Houser Racing 1-inchplusanti-vibe steering stem, HouserPro-Bounce nerf bars and FasstCoFlexx bars. To match the wide rear,we ordered up a Houser Racing 2.25-inch-plus long-travel system inmatching Candy Blue powdercoat,with top-notch Elka Stage 5 shocksfront and rear. The $995 Houser frontendkit comes with wider arms,including their Slicast caster adjustmentsystem, which is an aluminumplug system that rotates and indexeson pegs to easily adjust the frontend’s caster. Sealed ball joints andThe Elka shockswe installed withthe kit were awesomewhen you’rereally pushing theRaptor to its limits,but slower riderswill want toopt for a softervalving setup.needle-bearing arm pivots keep themovement smooth.To see how we installed the kit, logon to www.dirtwheelsmag.com andcheck our “Project Long Travel” video.The kit takes a couple of hours to installand adjust for the average mechanic,with the only messy part being brakelineremoval, as the stock Raptor brakelines are routed through the stock A-arms. Luckily, the stock brake lines arelong enough to use with the widerarms, so you don’t have to incur theextra expense of extended brake lines.As with all of Houser’s products, qualityis very good, and the fit and finish ofthe completed product is exceptional.It added quite a bit of flair to our Raptorand was the conversation piece of themachine at the Sand Sports SuperShow in September.The install was easy and straightforward,and Houser provideddetailed instructions in the kit. Afterthe install, we performed an alignmentand set the Slicast system atnegative 1 degree of caster. We setthe toe at 1/8-inch in and went for aride. In the dirt, it tracks well, turnsin quick and soaks up big hits withoutdrama. The extra 1.5 inches oftravel that the long-travel systemprovides can really be felt on bigjump landings and in whoops, andThe rear Elka shock’s remote-mountedreservoir fits nicely behind the airbox ofour Raptor.The Houser long-travel systemwidens the Raptor by a full 5.5 inches,offering increased cornering prowessand 1.5 inches more suspension travel.106 www.dirtwheelsmag.com

108 www.dirtwheelsmag.comthe Stage 5 Elka shocks were tunedin very well from the get-go. TheElkas are high- and low-speed compression,rebound and preloadadjustable, with a triple-rate frontspringsetup and a dual rate in therear. The rear is a remote-reservoirsystem, which we had to mountunder the seat because of the TrinityRacing dual exhaust. Luckily, ourFuel Customs intake left room tomount the reservoir sideways nextto the filter, with easy access to thethumb-adjust compression clickers.Elka has a setting specific to theHouser long-travel system, and itworks very well. If you want to buildyour own shocks to suit the kit, themeasurements are all available onHouser’s website. Our Stage 5 Elkashocks were costly. The fronts were$1795 a pair, which is hugely expensive,with a $1295 rear shock. Elkacan also build cheaper options,down to $595-a-pair fronts, whichare preload adjustable only.The Stage 5 shocks feature a highflowpiston design that flows aclaimed 325 percent more volumethan their previous-generationshocks, and the new lighter-weightpiggybacks are designed for lessinertia and increased response. Eventhe springs have been redesigned tobe lighter, and the overall feel fromthis trick setup is very perceptibleover the stock system. In the dunes,the suspension made the Raptor turnin quickly and squat the front end,which led to quick changes in directionand easy berm shots. Throughthe whoops, we could hold the bigTrinity Racing motor wide open infourth or fifth gear, clicking off 80-plus-mph passes on the Raptor’sspeedometer. We don’t recommendchecking your speed in the whoops,by the way.THE VERDICTWhile expensive, this top-of-thelineracing setup provides an incredibledifference over the stock suspensionthat any hardcore rider will love.The extra width quelled the Raptor’stop-heavy feel and led it to be a cutand-thrusttype of ride that left everytest rider in an ear-to-ear grin. Thereare many more cash-friendly optionsthat you can spring for, but we wantedto go top-notch for this one, andwe weren’t disappointed one bit.Contact Houser Racing at (877) 6-GOFAST or www.houser-racing.com,and Elka Suspension at (800) 557-0552or www.elkasuspension.com. ❑