Even if you know what you're doing, making things from scratch on a custom build is usually still a learning process. If you've been around here for a minute, you may remember talented builder Vasily from such projects as his Hayabusa-swapped electric Comuta Car.
If you are, there are three things you may already know. One is that clearly, Vasily loves Hayabusa engines. Two, he's not afraid to fabricate whatever he needs in order to make his wildest build dreams come true. And three, he's got most of the skills and equipment he needs in order to make it happen. Since all those things are true, it's particularly fun to watch timelapse videos of his builds as they come together.
Now, about this Hayabusa-swapped Yamaha Raptor quad build. If you want to see it from the beginning, you can go back into the videos on Vasily's Youtube channel to see the whole thing, but it basically started as a rolling Raptor shell, into which he decided to transplant one of the spare Hayabusa engines he had sitting around his shop.
Believe it or not, this is Vasily's second Hayabusa-swapped Raptor build, with the first one having been built for his buddies at Cboystv. Since it's the second time around, and since he's not building to a tight deadline this time, he's able to take what he learned on the first build and make this one even more robust.
Thus, in this video, you'll get to watch him build out some bespoke exhaust headers and weld the perfect exhaust into place, piece by piece. This is particularly important because of one deviation he's making from his first Hayabusa-swapped Raptor build; the fact that he's adding a turbo into the mix this time. Why add a turbo? I mean, if you had the skills and the equipment, why wouldn't you?
When he's done, he estimates the power this little monster puts out to be around 200 horses. What does a stock Raptor weigh? According to Yamaha, the 2024 Raptor 700's wet weight is 422 pounds, so that's an impressive power-to-weight ratio. Of course, this one should be a bit chonkier, given the inclusion of the Hayabusa engine and all the bespoke parts. Still, it's gonna be bonkers.
Of course, one of the key things in DIY projects is recognizing what things you can handle, and what stuff is best accomplished by hitting up your buddy's shop because they're better equipped to help you craft a bespoke swingarm than you are. Sure, it's a very specific example, but you can easily extrapolate the generality to fit your specific situation.
That's exactly what Vasily does, and what he gets back seems to fit the bill nicely, while also looking good. While he's visiting, his buddy lets him try out his new laser welder to seal up the gaps in the fuel tank he's started to put together for the Raptor build, and he gives his thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of laser vs. other types of welding.
While the project isn't quite together yet, it's well on its way, and Vasily regularly posts updates on his channel. If you're interested to see what happens when he's finally able to rip around on this monster for the first time, you might want to subscribe.
