LTX Ride Review

[wot-75]

I put about 80 miles on yesterday in the Two Harbors area of North East Mn. They just got over 2 feet of snow so conditions were near perfect both on and off trail. We had a stock Nytro and a couple Polaris Rush Switchback Pro R's for comparison.

My LTX is a base model running Fox Evol X shocks.
Accessories include Skinz Console Pads, HID 5K headlights, Skinz front bumper, and SLP Powder Pro's with 6" Carbides.

Previous Sled: 2012 Polaris Switchback Pro R

Ergonomics: I'm 5'8"/215lbs and found the ergo's to be perfect whether standing, sitting upright, or leaned over the sled in corners. Knee pads are a must have for this sled as your knees are constantly touching the panels no matter what riding position you're in.

The following assumes aggressive trail riding:
Handling: This is subjective since I obviously have upgraded shocks but they are probably pretty close to how the FF3's on the SE models will perform.

General: HEAVY! specifically in the front. The weight difference is immediately noticeable between the 2 stroke and the Viper. You will work harder to ride this sled fast/aggressively because of the extra weight.

Straightline: This is where the extra front end weight helps IMO. It's very confidence inspiring as it feels firm and planted while blasting down the trail.


Flat/banked corners: Very little inside ski lift (none on banked corners) and one of the reasons I feel this occurs is because of the Ripsaw 2 track characteristics and how they interact with the chassis (more on that later)

Off camber corners: noticeably more ski lift however mostly fixable with technique/suspension adjustment. The sled's extra weight is not doing you any favors here but the right handlebar inputs, throttle controls, and the RS2's tendency to slide seem to correct this pretty quickly.

Woops and those "oh crap that's a deep hole I'm about to land in" moments: I couldn't be happier with this sled's ability to soak up those hits. It also performed well during the times when I jumped from one woop and landed ski-first into the face of another woop. It could be the Evol's I'm running contributing to the sleds ability to stay composed during these moments.. but every time I encountered this situation (scared!) I came away with "well that wasn't so bad no was it?" comment to myself. This was a concern with me considering how much front weight bias this sleds seems to have.

Ripsaw 2 Track: I'm used to riding a 1.352 Cobra on the Switchback. The thing that I absolutely love about the RS2 is it's tendency to slide latterly on corner entry and then how it transitions from sliding to hooking up on corner exit. This gives you the feeling of steering with the rear which is pretty amazing considering how heavy the sled feels in the steering department. The Cobra on the Polaris always felt like it just wanted to drive you in whichever direction the sled's momentum was going and not where the ski's where pointed if that makes sense.
The only negative I have of the track is that it sucks in deep loose snow. It's VERY quick to trench down and the extra weight of the sled doesn't help here whereas the Polaris/Cobra combination seemed to love the deeper more powder-like stuff. Case in point, we turned around on the trail which required everyone to pull 90 deg left into deeper snow, back up, and then scoot back the other way. The 2 Polaris' with Cobra's did this with no problem. I got stuck trying to back up and stuck again after we lifted the tunnel out and moved it 45 degrees back on to the top of the deep snow. I had to completely pin it and rock back and forth to get it out.. with other people pushing to boot. Not fun!

Side Notes. This sled responds well to aggressive inputs. It seemed like the harder I rode it the better it felt... which also meant that the harder I rode it the more worn out I got.

So far I am happy with my purchase!

 

[Ak Yammy]

Excellent write up thinking I may just look at a base model instead of an RTX as it has the windshield I want and I hear great things about the heated seat. So the stock valving on the skid shocks seemed reasonable?? I know in the sales literature it says "comfort tuned" but sounds like it will still take the big hits. Or are you running different shocks in the rear as well?

 

[Yamadog]

Nice write up you should go work for the snow rags!!!

Still love the ghost on those graphics.

 

[wot-75]

Excellent write up thinking I may just look at a base model instead of an RTX as it has the windshield

The windshield on the base model is perfect. My hands were never cold (granted the hand warmers on high are hot as hell) but the windshield blocks the wind well. It's also high enough to put most of the wind over your head while not being tall enough (for me) to get in the way of my vision.

I hear great things about the heated seat.

At first I was ambivalent about the feature but by the end of the day I appreciated it helping to keep my core temp up.

So the stock valving on the skid shocks seemed reasonable?? I know in the sales literature it says "comfort tuned" but sounds like it will still take the big hits. Or are you running different shocks in the rear as well?

Completely stock rear skid and suspension. I would say it's very reasonable. It still bottoms out on the big hits but never to the point where I felt it was painful or concerning.

 

[Studroes144]

When u say it bottoms out on the big hits, is that with the adjuster blocks set on the stiffest or softest setting? That is going to be my biggest concern about when the trails get rough. I absolutely hate bottoming out and every time it happens idk if I should feel more sorry for the sled or my back

 

[wot-75]

When u say it bottoms out on the big hits, is that with the adjuster blocks set on the stiffest or softest setting? That is going to be my biggest concern about when the trails get rough. I absolutely hate bottoming out and every time it happens idk if I should feel more sorry for the sled or my back

What I'm saying is that the 2 times I felt it bottom it transferred an indiscernible amount of energy through my legs (I stand up anytime the trail gets rough).

What I was anticipating (the 2 times it bottomed out) was far less than what I felt through the chassis. It was just a soft little "thud" beneath my feet when it bottomed out.

My dealer put the adjuster block on the medium setting (their words.. apparently there are 3 options in the triangle).

 

[Studroes144]

Ok great to know. I just have mine set on the softest setting now as I haven't gotten to any rough trails yet. Will start out on the middle setting and hope that works out well. Did you put any miles on the sled with the coil over front shocks? Curious as to how they would have compared to your evols in similar trail conditions.

 

[wot-75]

Did you put any miles on the sled with the coil over front shocks? Curious as to how they would have compared to your evols in similar trail conditions.

No, but I had Walker Evans Coil Over's on my Switchback and these shocks are night and day better... more predictable, more forgiving, more adjustable,.. etc.

 

[journeyman]

How was the motor and clutching performance? Does it seem to have the power you were looking for and did it compare well with your friends Polaris machines?

I rode the proto demo Vipers in Forest Lake (Waldoch's) late last winter and there was one machine that felt kind of flat on power and another that seemed to have more snap....that latter popped alot in the exhaust when you let off as if the timing was advanced.

Just curious as to what Yamaha finally decided on timing and clutching setups.

 

[putz21]

Did you put any miles on the sled with the coil over front shocks? Curious as to how they would have compared to your evols in similar trail conditions.

No, but I had Walker Evans Coil Over's on my Switchback and these shocks are night and day better... more predictable, more forgiving, more adjustable,.. etc.

Curious to hear what settings you have on the Evols for main chamber, evol chamber, rebound, compression, etc. I ordered a pair and plan on putting them on mine but not sure where to set them at to start.

 

[Studroes144]

How was the motor and clutching performance? Does it seem to have the power you were looking for and did it compare well with your friends Polaris machines?

I rode the proto demo Vipers in Forest Lake (Waldoch's) late last winter and there was one machine that felt kind of flat on power and another that seemed to have more snap....that latter popped alot in the exhaust when you let off as if the timing was advanced.

Just curious as to what Yamaha finally decided on timing and clutching setups.

When I did a demo ride the viper I rode had around 1200 miles on it an the clutching was pretty far off on that one. The ride was nice tho. Production vipers run much better. Clutching is nearly spot on after around 50 miles. The is certainly room to gain by installing a good clutch kit but the stock setup is more than suitable. The engine performance is yamaha top notch. Engine doesn't skip a beat and has instant throttle response

 

[cannondale27]

Wow that is a really cool picture! Great report.

I wonder if rear spring rate is different between SRViper and RTX Viper? Only a few mi on mine and no sag at all in rear and stiff on soft setting. Hoping it breaks in a bit otherwise will put softer springs in. Even jumping driveways never came close to bottoming. I will give it a chance though. I have Evols also but am running Float3's for awhile. My front feels awesome! I have found that its a catch22. Once front is good then back feels bad and when you get back right then front a guy was happy with before then feels bad. Its a expensive game to be chasing a perfect suspension.

 

[wot-75]

How was the motor and clutching performance? Does it seem to have the power you were looking for and did it compare well with your friends Polaris machines?

I've never owned or ridden a 4 Stroke before the Viper. I'll put it this way.. It was faster than the 600 Rush that was with us but didn't accelerate as quickly as the Rush Pro R 800. It would hang with it out of the hole but the 800 was consistently faster. I think once I get the full system/PCV/Intake mods I will hang with the 800 acceleration-wise. That's straightline though... Where the sled shined (for me) is good corner speed and it's ability to get on the gas sooner than the Pro R coming out of the corner.

Clutching was good.. always instant response and nothing weird. One thing that took getting used to was coming in to a corner a little hot, closing the throttle, and expecting to use some engine braking to slow down only to find what felt like a slipper-clutch on a motorcycle....

Just curious as to what Yamaha finally decided on timing and clutching setups.

I experienced no decel popping, no "herky-jerky" throttle response or any of the weird starting issues some have complained about. It does make an odd "chirp" when I turn the key on (prior to starting).

 

[wot-75]

Curious to hear what settings you have on the Evols for main chamber, evol chamber, rebound, compression, etc. I ordered a pair and plan on putting them on mine but not sure where to set them at to start.

Factory settings were:
Evol Chamber: 165
Main: 100
Compression: 12 Clicks out
Rebound: 12 Clicks out

I ended with:
200
140
10
10

My advice is to start at the factory settings, pick a section of trail with terrain representative of what you will most often encounter on your ride that day, and make several passes changing settings until you nail it.
Move dials at least 3 clicks at a time so you can feel the changes and make sure you understand what behavior is changed by each dial .

 

[putz21]

Curious to hear what settings you have on the Evols for main chamber, evol chamber, rebound, compression, etc. I ordered a pair and plan on putting them on mine but not sure where to set them at to start.

Factory settings were:
Evol Chamber: 165
Main: 100
Compression: 12 Clicks out
Rebound: 12 Clicks out

I ended with:
200
140
10
10

My advice is to start at the factory settings, pick a section of trail with terrain representative of what you will most often encounter on your ride that day, and make several passes changing settings until you nail it.
Move dials at least 3 clicks at a time so you can feel the changes and make sure you understand what behavior is changed by each dial .

Thank you for the settings. I can't wait to try them out in about 1 1/2 weeks from now.