Dumbest thing I've ever done!!

[WillowAce]

Sell my Viper and buy a Poo 850. Yeah, the 850 is really good at flinging poo for about 10 miles then it is better at reminding me why I loved the Viper. What in the hell was I thinking?

 

[allyammies]

That bad?

 

[WillowAce]

That bad?

Not that bad. In a lot of ways it is an awesome sled. Quick, agile, and a blast to ride in the twisty stuff. Really bad to ride if you want to put your butt down and put miles on. It takes a lot of body input to make it do what you want. The Viper is a blast to put miles on with and takes work in the twisty stuff so just the opposite, but fits how I ride a lot better.

 

[hellflyer]

Two of my buddy's bought 850's and they can't keep up in the tight trails with me on my turbo viper or my other buddy with a zr600. They roost a lot but seem out of control. I just carve the turns easy. Worse of all I smoked them two days ago on lake Nipissing . They are a well built sled though! Oh and I'm at least 80lbs heavier than either of them.

 

[Wannaviper]

There is an easy answer. I had a Viper LTX DX that was totaled and upgraded to a Sidewinder LTX DX. Same handling and trail manners,but will smoke that Skidoo 850 on the lake. I did 220 miles in subzero temps yesterday and with the minor exception of throwing a code for a few miles it was a blast. What a ride, what a sled!

 

[allyammies]

Interesting. That's one thing about the procross chassis it sure handles flat. Maybe with a little work you can get it figured out.

 

[CooperT]

Sell it while it’s still worth something, you might even get lucky and get all your money back like I did.

I made the same mistake last January when I bought a new 850 renegade x. I put on 430kms and sold it.

Back in my happy place with my viper!

 

[cannondale27]

And keep a eye on the oil lines. They pop off when the crank bearing moves because it's not pinned or clipped. Happened right after I fixed my buddies blown rear shock and replaced knob on center shock that fell off. 2019 Indy XC 85o with 600 miles on it! Buddy is not happy and missed 2 rides now waiting for new engine.

 

[WillowAce]

And keep a eye on the oil lines. They pop off when the crank bearing moves because it's not pinned or clipped. Happened right after I fixed my buddies blown rear shock and replaced knob on center shock that fell off. 2019 Indy XC 85o with 600 miles on it! Buddy is not happy and missed 2 rides now waiting for new engine.

This doesn't surprise me. My busy season has started, we have no snow to speak of, if I'm lucky I might get another 100 miles on this year so the for sale sign is on the XCR. I would gladly take an 14 - 17 LTX to replace it. Never again will I stray away from my Yamahas.

 

[markt111]

There is an easy answer. I had a Viper LTX DX that was totaled and upgraded to a Sidewinder LTX DX. Same handling and trail manners,but will smoke that Skidoo 850 on the lake. I did 220 miles in subzero temps yesterday and with the minor exception of throwing a code for a few miles it was a blast. What a ride, what a sled!

Wannaviper what do you like about the "DX" since you have had two of them? I am looking at Sidewinders as my wife drove my Viper last weekend and wouldn't give it back to me, I am trying to decide on models.

My Viper is an RTX SE and I love it, I was looking at those and the LTX SE in the Winder but exploring other models/shock packages

 

[CooperT]

Im on my second ltx dx viper. Ride is amazing without doing any shock revalving. I believe they’re valved for the touring rider. If your just a trail rider like the smoothest ride out there. Get a dx, out of the box it’s good to go!

I can’t speak for a winder, but my guess is they’re the same valving, maybe better idk.

 

[Wannaviper]

Wannaviper what do you like about the "DX" since you have had two of them? I am looking at Sidewinders as my wife drove my Viper last weekend and wouldn't give it back to me, I am trying to decide on models.

My Viper is an RTX SE and I love it, I was looking at those and the LTX SE in the Winder but exploring other models/shock packages

If you have an RTX-SE Viper, do you have the Float 3's? I think that the standard coil-over shocks are much better for a trail sled than the Floats. I had the Viper LTX-DX until it was totaled in an accident by a family member. My buddy had the LTX-LE with the QS3 adjustable shocks, and except for the adjustability, I think that my DX rode just as well as his LE. Adjustment is a nice feature, but for 90% of my riding, it doesn't make a difference. After my Viper was totaled, we both upgraded to the Sidewinders. I got another LTX-DX and he got the LTX-LE, again, he has the adjustable (on the fly) shocks, and I have the standard coil-overs. I think the LTX is the perfect length for a long distance trail sled; we put in a lot of 200+ mile days, and it is a very comfortable sled.

My stepson has an RTX-SE Sidewinder, and the Sidewinders SE's come with coil-over shocks. If I was doing shorter trips, or if I was always riding on tight twisty trails, the RTX might be a better option, but I think that the LTX handles much better in more varied conditions. When there is fresh snow, loose snow, it is less likely to get "squirrely" in the rear end. I just rode it on Sunday with about 8-10" of fresh snow on the trails, and it was great. I also think that the 137" length bridges the stutter bumps better than the 129", but others might disagree.

If you get the Sidewinder, don't let your wife ride it, or you will never get it back.

 

[markt111]

I have the Fox Floats that you adjust the air pressure in, I ride very aggressive in Northern NH, some trails get bumpy especially at the end of the day, around 150 miles a dayusually. So are the DX more of a luxury/smooth riding shock vs aggressive?

The wife loved the ride and seating position of the Viper over the 06 Vector GT, she wouldn't need the power of a Sidewinder...

 

[WillowAce]

If you have an RTX-SE Viper, do you have the Float 3's? I think that the standard coil-over shocks are much better for a trail sled than the Floats. I had the Viper LTX-DX until it was totaled in an accident by a family member. My buddy had the LTX-LE with the QS3 adjustable shocks, and except for the adjustability, I think that my DX rode just as well as his LE. Adjustment is a nice feature, but for 90% of my riding, it doesn't make a difference. After my Viper was totaled, we both upgraded to the Sidewinders. I got another LTX-DX and he got the LTX-LE, again, he has the adjustable (on the fly) shocks, and I have the standard coil-overs. I think the LTX is the perfect length for a long distance trail sled; we put in a lot of 200+ mile days, and it is a very comfortable sled.

My stepson has an RTX-SE Sidewinder, and the Sidewinders SE's come with coil-over shocks. If I was doing shorter trips, or if I was always riding on tight twisty trails, the RTX might be a better option, but I think that the LTX handles much better in more varied conditions. When there is fresh snow, loose snow, it is less likely to get "squirrely" in the rear end. I just rode it on Sunday with about 8-10" of fresh snow on the trails, and it was great. I also think that the 137" length bridges the stutter bumps better than the 129", but others might disagree.

If you get the Sidewinder, don't let your wife ride it, or you will never get it back.

Agree that the R-TX should be quicker in the twisty stuff on paper. I also know that the LTX, with good setup, rides faster. I also believe I've heard that the LTX seems to be the faster platform on the big end.

The DX is probably the best setup for the majority of riders. The only advantage, IMO, for the SE/LE setups is if you take the time to learn how to tune them and you ride aggressively often. Even then I think the EVOL is necessary to really dial in rebound and bottoming to take the most advantage of the setup.

 

[Wannaviper]

I have the Fox Floats that you adjust the air pressure in, I ride very aggressive in Northern NH, some trails get bumpy especially at the end of the day, around 150 miles a dayusually. So are the DX more of a luxury/smooth riding shock vs aggressive?

The wife loved the ride and seating position of the Viper over the 06 Vector GT, she wouldn't need the power of a Sidewinder...

I came from a Vector to the Viper, and could never go back to the seating position of the Vector, even though it was a great sled and I put many thousands of miles on it.

I don't know that you could characterize the coil-overs as luxury or smooth vs. aggressive, I just prefer the ride. I ride my LTX-DX fairly aggressively, not a "ditch-banger", but we aren't holding up traffic. I had Floats on my Viper XTX and got just plain beat up by them; I replaced the rear shocks with QS3 coil-overs and added the Hygear dual pressure to the front Floats and it is a totally different sled.

I don't think any of us need the power of the Sidewinder, but its smooth delivery of what seems like bottomless power is very addictive!