Best, most comfortable Viper for groomed trails

[bluesman]

Well I was able to test ride some sleds at the Snodeo in NH this weekend. I ride mostly twisty trails in NH and many times they are beat and bumpy. I never go off trail, it I do like being able to get good traction in loose or icy conditions.

On Friday the snow was thick and ungroomed on the test ride and I was able to test ride several 137 LTX vipers. I loved the sled but it was really hard to get a good feel for the ride because the conditions were so loose, ungroomed and soupy.

I want comfort first and foremost, I want heated seat and a sled that has a compliment ride. I am in my 50's and like to ride aggressively in the trails but at the end of the day comfort is first. I am trying to decide between the spring check 137 LTX LE with the top of the line Fox piggyback shock or the LTX DX with the coil overs.

Any suggestions?, choices, choices.....

 

[STAIN]

I would say the LTX. If all you ride are the twisty trails of southern NH I would consider the short track version. I have the 137 and love the stability but on the secondary trails the longer track sometimes gets to be a chore. I was down by the Bow area Thursday and saw what kind of trails you are talking about. On the other hand the rail bed from Canaan to Franklin was pretty awesome!!

 

[weasel33]

It all depends. If you just want to buy the sled and do nothing else with the shocks go with the coil over shocks. But if you want the best suspension and shock package go with the le and get the shocks revavled for YOUR weight and riding style. I love my rtx le with the fox shocks all the way around and a proper revalve.

 

[titanrcr]

I would go with the LTX LE spring check to get the performance dampers and upgraded shock package. If you find that the ride is too stiff you could always do a re-valve but I would think that you could adjust them for a nice ride. It looks like the track in the LE is the 1 1/4" ripsaw 2 unlike last year when they put a deep lug track in it and put a higher ratio gear set in. If you go with the LE I would first try to find out if they are putting in the same gear ratio as the DX or SE models.

 

[bluesman]

I would say the LTX. If all you ride are the twisty trails of southern NH I would consider the short track version. I have the 137 and love the stability but on the secondary trails the longer track sometimes gets to be a chore. I was down by the Bow area Thursday and saw what kind of trails you are talking about. On the other hand the rail bed from Canaan to Franklin was pretty awesome!!

I am coming from a 144 nytro xtx so I want the longer track. It is a 1.25 ripsaw in the LTX LE.

 

[TD Max]

It depends on how "groomed" the trails are. The DX machines have a reputation of being very nice on smooth to not so smooth conditions, but when the trails get rough and the shock get pounded they can fade pretty quickly. The premium shock packages trade off plushness for control. Best way to put it is it's like sport tuned versus comfort tuned. A comfort tuned suspension will have more give and float. A sport tuned suspension will remain flatter and more poised, but you start to feel a little more of the smaller stuff.

I like to "feel" the trail so I ride a sport tuned shock pkg. I also like the ability to adjust to fine tune the shocks to suit my riding style. With the lesser shocks you get what you get.

 

[rbell14]

I'd consider the DX models
If you ride tight twisties look at RTX-DX. If you prefer longer track LTX-DX

 

[SISCAKIDD]

I am 50 yrs old and I ride very aggressively ,but comfort is the most important thing for me.i am 215lbs all geared up,and the 15 LTX DX is a perfect match for me ,set up full soft it bottoms on the hard g outs but gives a nice soft ride in the med rough bumps, set up the way it came from the dealer,I added curve skis to eliminate the high speed push,and it is the best riding and handling sled I have ever owned ,my 2 cents

 

[Wannaviper]

From what I have read on these forums, I would have spent all winter "fine-tuning" and "adjusting" the premium shocks, after re-valving them, just to get where the coil over shocks are out of the box. I am over 60, and over 200 lbs, and I am a fairly agressive trail rider. After 1,200 miles of Maine trails in all conditions, I absolutely love my LTX DX!

 

[bluesman]

How do you adjust the DX coil overs? On the fronts is it only the coil spring adjustment?

What about the rears?

 

[bluesman]

The FOX 1.5 ZERO QS3, three position clicker shocks look like they could be a good option on the LTX LE

 

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

you have not said what your weight is, it will make a big difference on whats going to work for you. I am a heavy rider and had a chance to ride them all over the weekend, i prefer the coil, they seem to be best set up for my weight. It funny there was another big guy there testing the 137" and i was on the 129" I loved the 129" but he could not get off it fast enough he liked the 137" so it just depends. But those coil overs are still good shocks