2010 Yamaha Raptor 700R SE First Ride Photo Gallery

Thought it looked mean enough in the light? When darkness falls the Raptor takes on a more sinister look with its dual head lamps. Mean enough to scare off anything lurking in the dark woods and lights bright enough to guide you home.

The 2010 Yamaha Raptor 700R SE looks to maintain it's top-selling Sport ATV pedigree and like the reptile whose namesake it bears, it features a scary combination of agility and power wrapped in a menacing-looking package. Read the full story in our 2010 Yamaha Raptor 700R SE ATV First Ride.

The stock cavernous 2.9-gallon fuel tank combined with the efficient Yamaha Fuel Injection (YFI) offers a tremendous range.

If you didn’t notice, the unique look of the Yamaha Raptor is killer too. Its aggressive lines, angular venting and pointed plastic looks like an absolute beast and that’s part of the appeal.

The uncorked version is the Raptor everyone raves about and it’s only a few hundred bucks and a trip to the GYTR catalog away from showing its true colors.

Keep an eye out for the return of the Raptor 700R as we find out if we can make this beast any fiercer with some select after-market mods.

Where the 700R belongs is at the dunes or on the trail, where it offers a plush ride and stable handling when using that mondo-motor to mob along at warp-factor seven.

On the Raptor 700R, you'll be tearing up the sand for hours.

Yamaha hit the nail on the head with the Raptor 700r; mean styling, an engine with plenty of power, and sport tuned suspension to keep it all in check.

Trick-looking double wishbone A-arms and the cast aluminum swingarm with eccentric-style chain adjuster prove excellent when combined with the quality shocks.

Ken tears up the sand on the 2010 Yamaha Raptor 700R SE.

Generally the stock set-up is a little soft but it works great out of the crate for 99% of the population.

Front, back, side to side; the Yamaha Raptor oozes mean.

Yamaha roars in to the new decade continuing its sport atv pedigree alive with the Raptor 700R SE.

Sliding through the sand in style as the Yamaha offers plenty of room to move your body with out encountering a piece of the ATV.

Wrapped inside all the aggressive styling is an equally aggressive liquid-cooled 686 SOHC fuel-injected four-stroke.

The Special Edition package comes equipped with trick graphics, blacked-out wheels, wave-style rear rotor, GYTR grab bars and footwells.

At the heart of the Raptor is a liquid-cooled 686cc SOHC, fuel-injected four-stroke. Even in stock trim this ATV has great low to mid-range power capable of climbing any hill whether in the dirt or on the sand.

Yamaha doesn’t miss a beat on the chassis and handling department either. With its fully adjustable piggy-back shocks at your disposal it is possible to fine tune the Raptor to any rider’s needs.

Obviously the fixed axle sport quads transmit quite a bit more through the chassis than an IRS-style, but they are still popular and arguably more durable over the long haul and quite a bit lighter as well.

In stock trim the oval-shaped muffler and shiny exhaust look trick but it restricts the power output as part of the EPA-compliant nature of any off-road vehicle sold these days. Yet it still is impressive.

Over the years the outright hype heaped upon the Raptor has focused on its massive power but we implore you not to get the wrong idea, it’s not a trophy truck. It is an ATV with loads of potential.

The Raptor 700R makes it a breeze to stay close behind sand equipped vehicles, and you'll look a lot cooler tearing through the sand at the same time.

As far as the cost goes, at $8799 for the 2010 Raptor 700R SE we tested here, is not a purchase to be taken lightly. The price has gone up $600 since last year and that’s a tough pill to swallow. But, if you are looking for excuses to still buy one there are plenty.

A nice large parking brake handle for transport.

The Yamaha Raptor 700R SE offers reverse for those tricky situations.

The Raptor has a liquid-cooled 686cc SOHC engine.

Digital display on the Raptor.

Double wishbone A-arms with piggy back reservoirs.

Rear suspension is a single shock.

Straight axle and a cast aluminum swingarm.