2017 Viper R-TX or 2018 Sidewinder Turbo?

[Jayzonk]

Hi,
I'm 47 and an avid motorcyclist but am new to snowmobiling, at least since my early teens, when I essentially went bombing across open fields and a few small creeks on the prairies. I've been getting the snowmobile bug and am interested in doing some trail riding in Ontario and Quebec. I don't want to do anything too technical, and I'm not worried about having the fastest sled on a frozen lakebed. I have lower back issues, so I like to sit up higher, with the greatest amount of extension in my legs.

I'm interested in Yamaha because of the reliability in the four stroke engines. I've heard that the resale is not great, but I'm not particularly concerned about it.

My question is whether I should go for a Yamaha Viper or a Sidewinder. From some sledding friends that own and ride with other sledders, the turbos in the Sidewinders experience turbo lag, so the benefit of the turbo doesn't really kick in until the higher rpm's and the higher speeds. Therefore, I don't think that I really need the turbo. That being said, there are a lot of new Vipers left on dealer floors, and I'm tempted to pick one up for cheap. My question is whether or not I should go for a 2017 Viper or a 2018 Sidewinder. The money savings isn't really the issue. Moreso, I'm interested in saving the forty (40) pounds that the turbo adds to the front end of the sled. So...
1) Is the Viper a little easier to handle in tighter trails than the Sidewinder?
2) Is the ECU in the 2017 Viper really made/sourced by Arctic Cat? Will it be problematic? Will I really need a reflash? If so, what am I looking at?

The Viper I'm looking at is a 129". I can add a heated seat and a taller windscreen for $800 and still be $3000 ahead from a Sidewinder.

Won't have the ability to test ride. Going to have to get this right.

Thanks for your help!!

 

[Teamblue4]

Check out the Apex also.

 

[TILAM1]

Really sounds like you would be fine with the Viper. Still plenty powerful and better pricing. For trail riding the Viper is great. I have the 129 because it's the only one that would fit in my trailer. If you want a bit better ride maybe look at the 137 or even a 141.
Resale on Yamaha's is usually better than some other manufacturers and the reflash is now really a non-issue as your sled will have the latest one. The dealer can check for you but I don't believe that there has been a new one since 2017 models.
The Sidewinder is something you might move up to later if you become a snowmobile addict.

 

[sgauthier]

between the 2 i would get the winder. Both chassis are basically the same so they will handle the same. as far as what I've heard the winder does not have the usual turbo lag but others here that own one will chime in. Some 2017 vipers are still having starting issues because of the crappy AC ECU. My son has a 2017 viper and it still takes a good 4 tries to start it when its cold.

 

[sgauthier]

Jayzonk. is Hully Gully having a fire sale? LOL. Never was able to buy from them but maybe after that fire they are willing to deal. They wouldn't even deal with my son last spring either, he went to Collingwood to get his 17 Viper LTX LE and paid for it cash. if you're buying a Yamaha I'd recommend you go to Brian's in Hensall. Great place to deal with. good luck.

 

[SaskAttack]

Lower back issues means NO apexes. I have owned two Vipers and now own a Sidewinder. Between the two would go with Sidewinder, weight is placed different in Winder and seems to handle better.
Turbo lag? Ask you friends if they have driven one, there is no problem with lag, also , you will not need to upgrade at any time soon.
The only hesitation about recommending a winder is it is a lot of power, very easy to get in over your head.
The most important part of ths answer is this. Get the Fox QRS3r shocks, no matter what model of sled you get. Go read in the Viper?sidewinder forums and this comes up . These shocks make all the difference. Cheaper to get a sled with them then add after , as I am finding out.
Hope this helps, also, dealer matters also. Saving a few bucks only to have a hassle with them is not worth it.

 

[murdered141]

If its not important to go over 90mph, get the viper.

 

[Wannaviper]

As long as you don't have to be the first one across the lake, you will love the Viper; if you get the Winder, you WILL be the first one across the lake, you just won't be able to help yourself not to! That's why I have three Vipers and no Winders, I don't trust myself with that much power!!!!

 

[Pstn head]

The Sidewinder if price isn't an issue. The lag that your friends speak about is probably becouse it's so so smooth to apply the power. You can ride a Sidewinder at the same slower speeds as a Viper but if you want to give er sh*^#t it's there too. That's the beauty of the Sidewinder, so easy to ride even at 20 Kmr or at 200kmr. Plus it has Japan Mitsubishi ecu. I was never a fan of the Cat ecu after riding a Nytro. Having said that there's nothing at all wrong with the ride of the Viper.

 

[Jayzonk]

Jayzonk. is Hully Gully having a fire sale? LOL. Never was able to buy from them but maybe after that fire they are willing to deal. They wouldn't even deal with my son last spring either, he went to Collingwood to get his 17 Viper LTX LE and paid for it cash. if you're buying a Yamaha I'd recommend you go to Brian's in Hensall. Great place to deal with. good luck.

I was just in Hully Gully looking at sleds and no one even came to talk to me. Maybe they've given up on me, not sure, but I'll try them again. Yes, I'll try Brian's in Hensall as well.

 

[Jayzonk]

Lower back issues means NO apexes. I have owned two Vipers and now own a Sidewinder. Between the two would go with Sidewinder, weight is placed different in Winder and seems to handle better.
Turbo lag? Ask you friends if they have driven one, there is no problem with lag, also , you will not need to upgrade at any time soon.
The only hesitation about recommending a winder is it is a lot of power, very easy to get in over your head.
The most important part of ths answer is this. Get the Fox QRS3r shocks, no matter what model of sled you get. Go read in the Viper?sidewinder forums and this comes up . These shocks make all the difference. Cheaper to get a sled with them then add after , as I am finding out.
Hope this helps, also, dealer matters also. Saving a few bucks only to have a hassle with them is not worth it.

I'll see which model has those shocks. I liked the Winder L-TX-DX because of the heated seat and the taller windshield, but I don't think it has those shocks. Better to move up a model and add the heated seat and windshield than to change the shocks on the DX?

Watched a review on the Winder. The reviewers liked the sled but didn't like the front skis, saying it affected the handling. Is this really an issue? For this reason they preferred Doo and Poo.

 

[sgauthier]

lol, that's hully gully for ya. Take your money somewhere else. I think Brian sold 20 sleds in the last 2 weeks. My friend and his 2 sons all bought vipers there.

You could make those skies work for this year, I wouldn't let that stop me from buying one.

Bobs motor sports in Chatham has a sidewinder in there showroom, not sure exactly what model it is. He's ok to deal with as well

 

[Doc Harley]

Resale value on recreational toys is about as funny as a two legged mule at an #*$&@ kicking contest.
When I sell my personal belongs I make dreams happen.

Anyway......I would probably look to the viper for it's value. But consider getting the better shock package.

So maybe the $3,000 difference is closer to $2,000. Or consider buying a used Sidewinder. But would take caution on buying used.

 

[Jayzonk]

Resale value on recreational toys is about as funny as a two legged mule at an #*$&@ kicking contest.
When I sell my personal belongs I make dreams happen.

Anyway......I would probably look to the viper for it's value. But consider getting the better shock package.

So maybe the $3,000 difference is closer to $2,000. Or consider buying a used Sidewinder. But would take caution on buying used.

The comments I'm hearing are that the Winder is just a nicer handling sled overall, and that's more important to me, even if I won't use all of the power that's there. I'll check which models have the QRS3 shocks and go from there. Likely going to write off the Viper, but the price sure made it tempting.

 

[SaskAttack]

Adding heated seat and tall windshield won't buy one shock. Tuners will get you through this year, then get a good set of aftermarket skis or Pilots and give your tuners to whichever riding buddy annoys you the most! Tried 5.9 pilots and curves on Vipers and could not believe the difference, highly recommend.