Let you know when I actually try one

[journeyman]

I like to scour the brand X forums and it kills me when I read what some others say about this new Viper when clearly that have not rode one nor even seen one yet in person. They take all of the known issues of the Arctic Cat and automatically think this is the same ball of wax.

I'll just say this being I have seen it and I have ridden it:

This new Viper has absolutely no inside ski lift. I tried my darndest to get this thing to lift a ski and it would not. I rode it over road ditches and got some pretty good air and it didn't even come close to bottoming out and was very plush when it landed. Poor paint on panels, lousy sheet metal screws have been mentioned, poor cable routing, junky clutches, shafts, bearings etc. mentioned.
The panels are dipped with stickers over them. Yamaha bolts with their typical locktite used. Cable routing, wire routing is typical Yamaha, Yamaha jackshaft splined to fit Yamaha clutches used. Panels overall fit nice. Belts blowing was mentioned when Yamaha clutches and belts are used on this machine. I hear bogus HP figures when clearly it is not known until the Dynotech guys get ahold of it. I'll say this, one of the two I rode of the three there that day pulled hard from bottom to top. IMHO, if that is how they came stock it would be a very good starting point for this class of sled. (600 class)

People need to see and ride one first before making all these assumptions.

 

[BOUNTYHUNTER]

People need to see and ride one first before making all these assumptions.

EXCATELY.....How can they even open their mouths KNOWING & SEEING NOTHING.

BTW.....What will these EXPERTS have to say when they are shown that they ARE WRONG???

 

[ducky]

I like to scour the brand X forums and it kills me when I read what some others say about this new Viper when clearly that have not rode one nor even seen one yet in person. They take all of the known issues of the Arctic Cat and automatically think this is the same ball of wax.

I'll just say this being I have seen it and I have ridden it:

This new Viper has absolutely no inside ski lift. I tried my darndest to get this thing to lift a ski and it would not. I rode it over road ditches and got some pretty good air and it didn't even come close to bottoming out and was very plush when it landed. Poor paint on panels, lousy sheet metal screws have been mentioned, poor cable routing, junky clutches, shafts, bearings etc. mentioned.
The panels are dipped with stickers over them. Yamaha bolts with their typical locktite used. Cable routing, wire routing is typical Yamaha, Yamaha jackshaft splined to fit Yamaha clutches used. Panels overall fit nice. Belts blowing was mentioned when Yamaha clutches and belts are used on this machine. I hear bogus HP figures when clearly it is not known until the Dynotech guys get ahold of it. I'll say this, one of the two I rode of the three there that day pulled hard from bottom to top. IMHO, if that is how they came stock it would be a very good starting point for this class of sled. (600 class)

People need to see and ride one first before making all these assumptions.

Which viper model did you ride?

 

[BOUNTYHUNTER]

I like to scour the brand X forums and it kills me when I read what some others say about this new Viper when clearly that have not rode one nor even seen one yet in person. They take all of the known issues of the Arctic Cat and automatically think this is the same ball of wax
I'll just say this being I have seen it and I have ridden it:
This new Viper has absolutely no inside ski lift. I tried my darndest to get this thing to lift a ski and it would not. I rode it over road ditches and got some pretty good air and it didn't even come close to bottoming out and was very plush when it landed. Poor paint on panels, lousy sheet metal screws have been mentioned, poor cable routing, junky clutches, shafts, bearings etc. mentioned.
The panels are dipped with stickers over them. Yamaha bolts with their typical locktite used. Cable routing, wire routing is typical Yamaha, Yamaha jackshaft splined to fit Yamaha clutches used. Panels overall fit nice. Belts blowing was mentioned when Yamaha clutches and belts are used on this machine. I hear bogus HP figures when clearly it is not known until the Dynotech guys get ahold of it. I'll say this, one of the two I rode of the three there that day pulled hard from bottom to top. IMHO, if that is how they came stock it would be a very good starting point for this class of sled. (600 class)
People need to see and ride one first before making all these assumptions.

Which viper model did you ride?

Here is what journeyman wrote about his DEMO RIDE on another post.....
I assume that was at Waldoch's. Did you ride only one of the units? If so which one. I rode the 129 first. It had good low end grunt but was very flat from mid to top end. I then jumped on one of the 141's. That thing pulled HARD from bottom to top. My buddy rode the other 141 only during the ride and he said his was OK but it didn't seem to go like the 141 I had. They don't have the final mapping done on these yet but if they set them up like the 141 I rode then alot of people should be happy with them.

There were two 141's. The one I had I believe was stronger than the other 141 being I could pull on that one on the long stretches. My buddy was on that other 141 during the whole ride. I rode two machines yesterday(129 and 141), he rode only the one. My 141 sled would pop pop when coming out of the throttle after a hard pull and he said his did not probably meaning different timing curves. Not saying it would take an 800 but it did pull hard all the way through unlike the 129. My friend said his 141 felt kind of flat on top.

You can always PM him for more info, Im sure Troy would be only to happy to talk to you about it

 

[journeyman]

ducky, all three demos they had that day were the blue SE versions with the Fox Floats on the front. I wish they would have had a 137" LTX being that would be my sled of choice for how and where I ride.

Another thing I might not have mentioned is how easy these new machines steer. Unlike the Nytros I have driven power steering is not needed here. I hear people saying the motor is mounted too high. I ask why??? The thing corners flat and is not the least bit tippy so I don't get where they are coming from here.

If this new sled just doesn't have the power for the so called power junkies there will be power adder systems available. I know the companies like Push Turbo are working on units as we speak.

One last thing. Keep in mind this is a YAMAHA (even though its a CAT frame) IMHO and in my experience with my Yamaha dealer I have had nothing but red carpet service with them over the years. (Kudos to yamaha1973 here...my dealer) So in essence I want to point out that Yamaha is offering good warranties with these new machines and Yamaha has been known to cover warranties better than brand X. Another reason why I have chosen Yamaha snowmobiles for 30 years.

 

[Grimm]

And how was the reverse?

 

[journeyman]

And how was the reverse?

That question has been asked alot and I never tried it as most others never did because you would have to ask the people running the event to let you try it. You get on the machine when they are ready for you and everyone lines up single file. They take you out on the trail until the midpoint, stop, ask if anyone wants to switch machines, then take off again to go back. So it would mess up the routine if you stopped with riders behind you just to put the machine in reverse. It's a good question though. I did notice the button isn't real big and it's kind of recessed into the plastic housing and might be kind of hard to push with gloves on.

 

[Grimm]

I'm just wondering if they actually go into reverse...maybe they removed the reverse mechanism/gears/chain for the demos so there won't be any issues.

 

[yamaha1973]

I'm just wondering if they actually go into reverse...maybe they removed the reverse mechanism/gears/chain for the demos so there won't be any issues.

I saw one go into reverse, it worked fine for the ten feet he tried it.

 

[ducky]

ducky, all three demos they had that day were the blue SE versions with the Fox Floats on the front. I wish they would have had a 137" LTX being that would be my sled of choice for how and where I ride.

Another thing I might not have mentioned is how easy these new machines steer. Unlike the Nytros I have driven power steering is not needed here. I hear people saying the motor is mounted too high. I ask why??? The thing corners flat and is not the least bit tippy so I don't get where they are coming from here.

If this new sled just doesn't have the power for the so called power junkies there will be power adder systems available. I know the companies like Push Turbo are working on units as we speak.

One last thing. Keep in mind this is a YAMAHA (even though its a CAT frame) IMHO and in my experience with my Yamaha dealer I have had nothing but red carpet service with them over the years. (Kudos to yamaha1973 here...my dealer) So in essence I want to point out that Yamaha is offering good warranties with these new machines and Yamaha has been known to cover warranties better than brand X. Another reason why I have chosen Yamaha snowmobiles for 30 years.

Thanks for the reply.
The LTX or Viper 129" are the ones I am interested in. I am hoping to get some feedback between the two in the handling department from someone who has ridden both. I am leaning towards the 137" myself.