Ive had mine for 3 months tomorrow and will have to say it is a very torquey powerhouse. Very responsive thanx to the spot on EFI(some small quirks sometimes when stone cold but is dialed in once warmed up). The suspension is great for aggressive trail/mild MX type riding but needs some help once past that point up front- which is why I got some YFZs for mine. Properly shifted, I feel it will hold its own against any stock quad in a straight line and most mildly modded quads as well. The midrange is were its at and it likes to be short shifted so its not a revver in stock form or externally modded- needs a cam if you like to rev out your quad. The handling again is great for aggressive trail/mild MX but will 3 wheel on ya if pushed into the corners too fast. Not as top heavy as the 660R or doesnt push in the corners as bad but still a little top heavy- needs to be lowered about an inch front and back for anything more and eventually will need to be widened to the traditional 50" or so for competitive MXing. The Raptor is slightly heavy at 396lbs but doesnt feel that way because of the quick steering and torquey engine. It is very durable and dependable so far, but I did crack the aluminum subframe on it at Warrior(which is being warrantied as I type). Other than that its been a great machine for me. The layout of the ergs are well placed but will say the stock handlebars are "chopperish" in feel to me because of the layback they have so I replaced mine- much better;-). The sparkplug is effortless to get to as well as the coil. I have been pretty aggressive with mine and will say that the stock sprockets and chain are very durable. The fuel economy is also great for such a big quad, 2.9 gallons and will go 4 hours at Pell City without thinking twice. Other than the cracked subframe I havent had any trouble at all out of my 700R. Bang for the buck probably the best sport oriented quad out stock for stock/feature for feature, but will say that the MX side of this beast needs a little help here and there for aggressive beginner/C class type racing. Anything above this(other than open class) your starting off with the wrong machine for the money.
Finally.....an amateur rider magazine.....
http://www.atvexposed.com/