AKrider
TY 4 Stroke God
I recently went for a 30 mile ride on the closest thing we have to a groomed trail similar to what you see in pictures Quebec. I could see how a guy would like an Apex. There was nothing technical to the ride, no rough areas, it was like riding a motorcycle down a two lane road. I can see why the Deltabox chassis Yamaha's have evolved the way they have.
But, they didn't do any of their customers any favors by failing and refusing to do meaningful upgrades to their Phazer and Nytro sleds. They'd still be stuck with bold new graphics for '14 if it wasn't for the partnership with Arctic Cat. The procross is well worth the work to sort out and is the most nimble and performance orientated 4-stroke available. A guy is so much better off buying a Viper than pissing away time and money trying to get a Nytro to handle even close to a stock Viper.
For me though a Viper was too much money to consider so I snowchecked a cheap, base model '14 600 Indy for well under $8,000, bought a full set of clicker/reservoir Walker Evans shocks and now will have a very nice and capable, light weight bump sled for under $9,000.
But, they didn't do any of their customers any favors by failing and refusing to do meaningful upgrades to their Phazer and Nytro sleds. They'd still be stuck with bold new graphics for '14 if it wasn't for the partnership with Arctic Cat. The procross is well worth the work to sort out and is the most nimble and performance orientated 4-stroke available. A guy is so much better off buying a Viper than pissing away time and money trying to get a Nytro to handle even close to a stock Viper.
For me though a Viper was too much money to consider so I snowchecked a cheap, base model '14 600 Indy for well under $8,000, bought a full set of clicker/reservoir Walker Evans shocks and now will have a very nice and capable, light weight bump sled for under $9,000.
09nytro
TY 4 Stroke God
Man I was really looking hard at the Indy 800 but last min I went with the viper , but that Indy looks like a great sled great price too , I can always get one next year , will see how my viper plays out this year !
YamahaTim
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I really like those indy's. Remind me of the Dragons I used to have. I think they should even offer a Dragon package for the Indy. But ever since I blew the engine in my 700 dragon.(after 6700) miles, that was it I was sick of rebuilding 2strokes. And went with The Nytro since 2010 I have had a RTX SE Nytro and a 2011 XTX. But rode the Viper and figured I would give it a shot. I hope I have the same luck with the Viper as I did with the Nytro's and my wife's Vector.
AKrider
TY 4 Stroke God
I've been pretty interested to see how the Viper works out for everyone this season. Not many ride reports so far. I loved the motor in my Nytro but grew to dislike the chassis more and more in the 4 seasons I rode it. I also discovered I don't even put 4000 miles on sled before I'm ready and wanting to buy something new. I was starting to have to deal with chassis issues on both of my Yamahas like replacing rivets, bearings, bushings, ball joints, sagging running boards (Nytro), exhaust donuts, rear of tunnel bending (Vector), broken front arm (Vector). That made me realize the chassis were lasting no longer than a 2-stroke and Yamaha chassis are typically not quite as robust as the Polaris and older trailing arm Ski-doo's I was used to. Yamaha uses thinner aluminum in the tunnels for instance.
What really sold me on the '13 & '14 Polaris's was not only the price and light weight but that at snowchack you could opt for a 4 year warranty. That was the clincher right there. So far I've had none of the old 2-stroke problems I used have back 10 years ago so it's going to be hard for Yamaha to convince me to come back. Maybe the Cat partnership will allow them to produce some less expensive sleds? Mentally I just have a really hard time justifying spending over $10,000 on a new snowmachine.
What really sold me on the '13 & '14 Polaris's was not only the price and light weight but that at snowchack you could opt for a 4 year warranty. That was the clincher right there. So far I've had none of the old 2-stroke problems I used have back 10 years ago so it's going to be hard for Yamaha to convince me to come back. Maybe the Cat partnership will allow them to produce some less expensive sleds? Mentally I just have a really hard time justifying spending over $10,000 on a new snowmachine.
YamahaTim
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Ya, I hear ya. So far yamaha has been really good to me. Had around 7000 miles and had non of the issues you had. No worries on that I just won't go back unless something comes out way better. Hope to have good luck with the Viper. And I think I will. If not will buy something else.
09nytro
TY 4 Stroke God
AKrider
I had that then some with my nytro , way to much to list , great engine and clutches Tho....
I had that then some with my nytro , way to much to list , great engine and clutches Tho....
Yamaha will come out with a sled that appeals to the younger rider and is more affordable someday. The Phazer is very close. It has to happen or Yamaha will not have a future. Obviously the Polaris Indy and SnoPro 500 are the right formula.
TallTrees
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The word on the street is Yamaha has 5 new engines in the works right now. The Viper is clearly a stop gap sled to give them something fresh for the first time since 08 Nytro. Just to stop the bleeding and give the fans something to talk about. In that respect I'd say the Viper is working...so far. If it turns out to be a turd they could do more damage than good.
