What if you had 180 or so hours to kill? Would you use that time to design ATV engine parts and build a project quad? Chances are you wouldn’t, but for aftermarket companies it’s commonplace.
We ran into this wild Yamaha Raptor 250 project quad while walking the aisles at the Indy Dealer Expo. Wiseco Lead Engineer Dave Sulecki, who was in charge of this project, acknowledged Wiseco saw great opportunity by showcasing the hot Raptor 250 at Indy. He estimated the Wiseco team invested 150 engineering and R and D hours developing and testing the engine package (this includes piston, camshaft, valve, valve spring, crankshaft, head porting and exhaust testing).
“When Yamaha ann-ounced the release of the Raptor 250, we felt this would be a great opportunity to showcase our in-house
ability to develop a performance package,” he exp-lained. “We all agreed that this was an exciting new model that was generating a lot of interest, so it made good sense to begin there.”
ATV Sport
Although the Raptor 250 tops the entry-level four-stroke class in way of performance and handling, people will still need to make it faster and better. That’s what this project was all about.
“With the show mac-hine, we wanted to illustrate just how big the engine could go, so we took this one to 330cc. There was room for slightly more, but this was the best balance of bore and stroke,” added Sulecki.
However, he said a new 300cc kit is now in the warehouse. Wiseco says it will be a very popular kit and legal for some racing classes.
In fact, Sulecki said on Wiseco’s in-house engine dyno, with the 300cc kit installed and a ported head, the Raptor cranks out a little more than 25 hp at the countershaft.
He said owners who choose to modify the engine themselves will need to be aware of the Raptor 250’s tight valve-to-piston clearance. Proper measurement is a necessity when installing any aftermarket camshaft.
Longtime engine buil-der and proven ATV racing mechanic Mark Baldwin of Baldwin Motorsports helped Wiseco build the project Raptor, which took another 30 hours or so to build and prep for Indy.
“We have a great working relationship with Mark, and he was one for the first people we contacted on this project. Mark’s experience in the ATV market speaks for itself, and together with our resources, we were able to put together a very nice quad,” added Sulecki.
ATV Sport
Sponsors Johnny Signs, Dubach Racing, Pro Taper, Sunstar, Braking, EK Performance, Baldwin Motorsports, JB Racing, Lone Star Racing, Rath Racing, PEP, ITP
ENGINE Type: SOHC two-valve air-/oil-cooled four-stroke Bore & stroke: 80mm x 64.26mm (330cc) or 80mm x 58mm (300cc) Porting: Shifters Piston: Wiseco Valve/cam/springs: Stock/Wiseco/Stock Carburetor/airbox: 32mm flat-slide carb/stock Exhaust: Dubach Racing Development Fuel: Premium unleaded Oil: Mobil 1
ATV Sport
DRIVE SYSTEM Clutch basket/plates/springs: Stock Transmission: Stock Chain: EK Racing Quadra X Ring Sprockets: Sunstar Clutch lever/cables: Stock
FRONT END A-Arms: JB Racing Spindles: Stock Tie-Rods: JB Racing Front shocks: Performance Engineered Products by Baldwin Motorsports Steering stem: Stock, powdercoated black
ATV Sport
REAR END Swingarm: JB Racing Rear axle/carrier: Lone Star Racing Axcalibar Rear shock: PEP by Baldwin Motorsports
