Yamaha Raptor 250 Project – Part 3

ATV.com Staff
by ATV.com Staff
Protection from DG Performance and GYTR

ATV.com is building up a Project Yamaha Raptor 250. This is the third article in a six-part series. Once the build is complete we will be giving the modified Raptor to one of our readers. Click here to enter for a chance to win.

Protection

Most of us are very conscious about protecting a number of things in our lives. Our families, our health and our investments are some of the more obvious examples, but what about our ATVs?

ATVs, after all, touch on all those. They can provide us with hours of enjoyment with our families, keep us active and fit and are certainly a financial investment – unless, of course, you’re lucky enough to win our Project Yamaha Raptor 250.

Just like you wear a helmet, boots and gloves to keep you safe while riding, your ATV needs some protection from the terrain you so often tread upon. We chose to help safeguard our Project Raptor with a few key products from DG Performance and GYTR.

V-Lite bumper, alloy grab bar and Baja skid plate and A-arm guards from DG Performance.

DG Front Bumper and Grab Bar Install

The Raptor’s stock bumper didn’t look like it was protecting much, so we decided to go bigger. DG Performance hooked us up with a huge new V-Lite front bumper and a Baja Series alloy rear grab bar in a black powder coat finish. The V-Lite is made from one-inch diameter tubing and is the lightest bumper DG has ever offered. Installation of the V-Lite was fairly simple, but we did have to figure out a trick or two.

First remove the front bumper by loosening the four bolts that hold it in place.
Now install the DG front bumper starting with the bottom bolts. Be sure to only tighten them finger tight so that you can adjust the alignment of the bolt holes.
We found that the top brackets were a little too spaced out so the stock bolts wouldn’t quite fit. To correct this we just stuck the bumper in a vice and squeezed the top brackets inwards. If you choose to do this make sure you put something soft in-between the vice clamps and the bumper.
Tighten the four bolts holding the DG front bumper on.
Installation of the grab bar is very similar to the front bumper. Simply remove the stock bolts, remove the stock grab bar (let’s just say that wheelies got the best our stock bar), position the DG grab bar, and tighten the stock bolts back down.

DG Skid Plate Install

Now that we have the rear grab bar in place we can start installing the DG Baja skid plate. The easiest way to do this is to stand the Raptor 250 on end. Make sure to shut off the gas before doing so and set the parking brake or if you do not have a parking brake simply leave it in gear. Place something soft underneath the grab bar so that you don’t scratch it up - we just used some old carpet.
Remove the flimsy stock skid plate and put the new plate from DG Performance in place. Align the two center bolts and finger-tighten them to hold the skid plate in place temporarily. Make sure you apply loc-tite on the threads of the skid plate bolts as they are known to vibrate loose.
Position the provided frame clamp and tighten all five bolts.

The DG full body chassis skid is thick and strong enough to take a beating from pounding rocks and other obstacles along your path. The Baja skid plate is great for protecting the bottom of your frame from getting nicked up and or bent. It also puts an extra layer of protection between the ground and your engine case.

Next up are the Baja A-arm guards. These are important to have if you’re riding in really rocky terrain. Although the A-arm guards are built for protection, we’re not so sure they are a fail safe way to avoid bending your A-arms if you really slam into something. Our suggestion would be to avoid hitting trees. We’ve been there!

Installation was a breeze. DG provides clamps that hold the A-arm guards in place. We were surprised how easy it was to line these clamps up. Props to DG on designing a fluent and hassle free way to quickly install skids!

One thing we do suggest when installing the A-arm guards would be to lightly tighten the two inner bolts, giving enough play to work with while aligning the third and final outside clamp.
Here’s a look at DG Performance’s Baja skid plate and A-arm guards after the install.

GYTR Nerf Bars

Our Project Raptor also has a set of GYTR Nerf Bars that were included when we picked up the unit. If you have ever jumped and missed your pegs or were riding trails and got hung up on a log you’ll know how important Nerf Bars are. We have experienced first hand what it’s like to land off a jump and miss one of our pegs. It’s not a pretty site and it sure doesn’t feel very good.

We’ve found the GYTR Nerf Bars to be quite handy in the woods. They are made at a slight angle, helping make debris like loose timber and rocks slide off and not catch.

If you’re looking to protect your ATV, not to mention help protect yourself from injury, a set of Baja skids and a V-Lite bumper from DG Performance and Nerf Bars from GYTR are a no brainer. It’s a small price to pay to protect your pride and joy from getting beat up.

Check back next week for Part 4 of our Raptor 250 project as we add a set of Flexx handlebars, a Quad Tech seat over and PowerMadd hand guards. Click here to enter the Raptor 250 contest.

Related Reading


Yamaha Raptor 250 Project – Part 1


Yamaha Raptor 250 Project – Part 2


Yamaha Raptor 250 Project – Part 4


Yamaha Raptor 250 Project – Part 5


Yamaha Raptor 250 Project – Overview


Yamaha Raptor 250 Project – Giveaway

ATV.com Staff
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