Crossing the Australian Continent by Raptor

At the planning stage of the adventure s there were only two 700 Raptors in the country. One of them was secured for a trial ride at Stockton Beach one month prior to the planned leave date. All was going well and initial indications were that the Raptor 700 would certainly make for a great machine for the trip. It was certainly no slouch with major improvements on the 660 Raptor including the fuel injection which made for a smother power delivery, particularly at low revs but also the wider and longer wheel base which made the 700 Raptor much more stable then its predecessor.

The raptor was put through its paces coming through with flying colours in everything that was thrown at it. The semi bald demo tyres did not provide much traction for race starts but its performance mid range and top end was astonishing. It would hunt down and pass worked YFZ450's as well as Honda's bombed TRX400. Look out Australia the Raptors are about to be let loose.

But… all fun come to a halt when the 700 Raptor came head to head with an 03 model 660 Raptor. And I mean head to head. On one of Stockton Beaches narrow trails the two ATV's met head on and considerable damage was done to both Quads. Fortunately the riders were shaken and bruised but not broken. Mental note - Look out for moving obstacles… It is a long way across Australia!

The next dilemma was that there were only two of these weapons in the country and no spare parts! Can the machine be fixed before our 29th August leave date! Quick call Yamaha and get things rolling. Thanks to Sean Hawker from Yamaha for your help in making this happen.

Just days before the leave date the last parts for the damaged Raptor arrived in Australia and were rapidly fitted to the ATV for final testing before heading off to Byron Bay.

Day One

Day one would see them leave Byron Bay in New South Wales and head East on Bitumen road for some 490Km before reaching the Queensland border at Goondiwindi. The 6.00am start from the Light House at the most Eastern Point of Australia was hampered by rain, wind and cold weather. Fortunately the excellent riding gear provided from the sponsors ensured that the riders were protected from the poor conditions and day one was completed with smiles and beers all round.

The riding included a mix of tight mountain roads and open straights with very little traffic. The NSW police were a great support to the event providing local knowledge and assistance during the trip.

...continued