Well guy’s, as promised I would get a good detailed review about my Stage 2 and my new Dr. D.

I have 4 rides on it this week so I think I can post a pretty good review.

I first started with a 180 Main jet, 3rd needle position and the 13tooth for break in. I didn’t get on it much as I wanted to break it in as Hotcams instructions. First day after riding it so I didn’t have much to say about it. Just cruised around, never really got on it like I wanted to but that was ok.

2nd day out… I bumped the main jet to 185 because that is what I was running with my CHM and it ran awesome. Still had the 13 tooth on and this trip out I wanted to see what she really had. I did all of my riding in the desert, which was very slippery as we have had little rain in the past few weeks. With the Dr. D, the 13 tooth and the cam you could feel this thing pulling to the moon. The power comes on awesome, and just keeps pulling. I knew that if I could hook up the 13 tooth would be thrown back in the tool box and the 14 tooth would replace it. The 13 tooth broke the wheels so easy all the way up to 5th gear…. Wheelies in 1st through fifth were also no problem. The only complaint I had this day was that I was blowing over so many berms because I would get on the gas and the back end would break loose before I knew what was happening.

3rd day out… The desert was a little damp from light drizzle, and hook up was un real. I changed the oil before the trip out as today I REALLY wanted to see what she had. Went out with a few friends (one of a my buddies had a Raptor that was piped and he also had a Raptor that had a 700 kit in it…. Other bikes that I rode with were a 440 EX, a z400 and Banshee that is highly modded… Well I figured we would find an open area and race a bit since we could all hook up well. Results for my bike were very impressive. I weigh in at about 245 ish (depends how many burgers I ate the night before), and my other friend all hover right around 190-200 range. Well, off the line I had them all by about 1 bike length and it never got smaller…. Majority of the time I was 2-3 bike lengths ahead of anyone of them. The 700CC Raptor gave me a run for my money a few times, but the rider was not very good. Needless to say I had ALL the bragging rights for the day. The Banshee was also close, but he could not hook up for crap so it was pretty unfair advantage for the 4 strokes.

4th day out (today). We got a great rain storm roll through so the desert was PERFECT. I put the 13 tooth back on because I knew I would hook up awesome and wanted to practice some wheelies (also put it back on because I was going to be doing a lot of tight single track stuff). But I found a fire access road and opened her up. THIS THING RIPS. I can’t wait to get to the dunes in the next few weeks. I am not much of a racer up the hills, but it is nice to know how you stack up. With my CHM, and jetted I would 100% perfect. No body could beat me and I couldn’t figure it out because the CHM was pretty weak off the bottom. Until you had it about 600 RPM range it was a dog. The Dr. D gives me so much power from the bottom and then the cam starts working and it is SWEET. I can ride wheelies any gear anytime I want. (I love to ride huge wheelies for miles at a time)

I am going to change the oil again, go ride it a few more times, then break back into it and double check all the torque, and check/adjust my valves.

Hope you all enjoyed this and while I was thinking about writing this earlier I had a lot of good things I was going to say… I then sat down to write it and was speechless. I will think of some more stuff to write about, but it has been a long weekend.

Dave :D

Did you add the new cam and exhaust @ the same time?

I can speculate on that result and be pretty sure that it would be a good guestimate. It would have less bottom end and midrange and more top end.

Tony

Yes I did add the cam and the pipe at the same time.

I can also take a guess that the HRC cam and Dr. D pipe will run very strong together... just aks about 80% of our members.

Dave

NIce reply :D

Thanks Mitco :lol:

If you do a search you will find that many of the members on the board are running the HRC kit w/ cam and the Dr. D pipe or something similar (White Brothers E2, Pro Circuit, etc....) Any cam, with any aftermarket pipe will give you great power, it just all depends on where you want the power and then build your bike around that. I wanted low - mid range power so with the Dr. D pipe it gave me great bottom end and the cam is a midrange so the power is great. Not sure which is making the power up top, but after installing the cam and pipe this thing really pulls all the way through the power band.


Dave

Well, the only person that wasn't scared was the 700CC raptor. But I was scared cause that thing just sounds mean. I was shocked, not sure if his 700CC kit was not done right, he is do for a new set of rings, piston or something but it ran strong but not like I would think a 700CC bike would run. I was still running the 13 tooth so when I put the 14 tooth on I may be able to pull him a bit more on the top end.

The other bikes (440EX, z400 and Banshee) I could outrun when I had the CHM on so they knew what was coming . The guy on the banshee may be able to outrun me up a hill at the dunes because that thing is supposedly putting out over 50HP but in the desert he could not keep up.

Dave

Red did you notice any more valvetrain noise. i put the stage one HC in my raptor and it was pretty noisey when cold and just a little noisier when hot. but i herd that its worse on the trx, is that true?

Crash, I usually ride out at the White Tanks. I was out there 4 day's this past week. Give me a call at 602-295-8758 sometime when you want to ride. I am always looking for guys to ride with. I can go any day of the week after 4:30 and any weekend. I usually ride 1 or 2 nights a week plus at least 1 day on the weekend.



Hawk, I think it is quieter than the stock cam. Several guy's told me I would notice some "abnormal" harmonics but the stock set up sounded like it was going to rattle apart in there. It is still noisy, but it is not as loud as it was stock.

Dave

Awesome review. Thanks Dave.

Hey no problem. :D

Dave

The Raptor cams are considerably different than the Honda cams. In EVERY way. The lift more radical (for that engine), the profile is hugely different than the OE cam for the Raptor.

The other thing that makes the Raptor louder is the use of wide, unbent feeler gauges used to set the clearances. Because the old cam was so gentle opening and closing the valve, it was possible to have the valve setting off by several thousands of an inch it wouldn't make any more noise. The Stage 1, and especially the Stage 2, have no regard for how you set the valves, they're noisy no matter what. The profile throws a lot of load on the rockers and that in itself causes noise. The Stage 2 is more a true race camshaft and it's really noisy, mostly for all the reasons above plus the addition of high pressure springs.

The TRX Hot Cam is quieter than the stock cam because of the opening and closing ramps' profile. The lobes are this way because in the CRF, they have a tendency to wear their valves because of using ti valves on steel seats and the closing profile of the intake lobes being fairly abrupt.

Tony

nice review dave, man your a big guy, we will have to meet up in glamis for a good ride. I lived in scottsdale for awhile, man i miss it, but i love how close the dunes are

Nice post yet again tice....

Yes I am a big guy, but playing football for Phoenix College for the past 2 years and playing at ASU hopefully next year it is tough to loose weight. When you lift weights everyday and coach finds out you want to loose weight because it would benifit my riding skills he gets mad. :glare:

So far this year I have been to the dunes 4 times. I know for sure I will be there Thanksgiving weekend with a HUGE group of people. Don't really plan to do much riding that weekend because there will be so many people, but I was invited and can never say no to a trip to the dunes. :D I will be down there people watching, and watching the retards burn someones truck up.

Dave

That sounds like the friends I ride with...

Dave

dave,

Thats what I do, watch the 40 thousand dollard trucks blow motors, break bumpers off, break axels etc! I love it!

On a big weekend like that, people are to crazy to ride as much as I want to. But I have fun sitting around with family and friends watching the rails pull wheelies all over the place, and watching people be stupid.

Dave

thet raptor aint even close to right. you guys know VCP has a trx450r \ yfz450 \
400ex\ and a 660r right now

the VCP 660 absolutely leaves the trx for DEAD in the sand drags........that's how she got her name....Sandy!

by the way ..... no other 660 has beaten Booster (the TRX).

i don't know why, but i started to name the quads several years ago. maybe it's because it is easier to say"Stink" than yfz450.

the 416ex is "num num" the first one to be named.......got its' name from me shortening a "magnum" bar pad so my kids could hang on to the crossbar for rides.

my wifes' 416ex is named "HO"........by cutting NDA off of her bar pad

anyways raptors are usually fun to beat up on in races like check me out "i'm a middleweight knockin out a heavyweight"

but if one is actually built correctly, it will hand your 450 A$$ back to you in a drag race. (correctly being the key word in that sentence)

................mixxer

Awesome review dave!!!this looks like the pipe ill be getting. B)

Hey guys,
I just wanted to say that I have the Stage 2 and it's pretty awesome. I'd say it's the best mod I've done to my bike so far. I have the White brothers race exhaust. Its ok. I had to replace the head pipe once because it cracked. (Titanium is the biggest pain in the ass ever people)
I can beat a piped banshee with superlites haulers though. Next mod is a port and polish and new piston. The Stage 2 is definitely louder when the bike is cold and it has a little rattling. Its worth it though. I have noticed that it takes an extra kick of two to start also. But hey who gives a crap if it adds that much power. Nice review by the way. Oh yeah people have been saying that the new suzuki is badass? I smoked one up Boxcar in April so I'm not impressed.

yo fellas! i ve been dying to ride, i live in avondale. i also have a dr.d and a hotcam. its a stage 1 though. give me a call when you guys want to head out.
David
623-692-7827