my ride review on viper

[maim]

i was privlaged to be invited by yamaha to go test ride the new viper ltxse with doktorc and yamahas. i did not take many pictures but i did get some video while riding it that i will post up once i get it edited down.

1st thing that i noticed was the seating position. yes it was higher than my apex but it was more comfortable. transition from sitting to standing was very good and i noticed my knees hurt less when riding the viper either sitting or standing.

as they advised us, the 1st turn i was more cautious than i needed to be. once i was used to it, i started pushing myself and the sled in the corners more and more. if you pushed to the point that the skis started pushing through the corner all you had to was slacken the throttle slightly and they would bite again the same as my apex. power steering was not needed as the effort was the same as my apex with eps. i even did a turn at 35mph while standing by just putting my weight on the running board edge with minimal input on the bars.

i tried to get it out of shape on the bumps and lumps that occur in normal trail riding. it performed as i expect my sled to when coming off a single ski hit in that if it was at all out of line with where i wanted it to be, all i had to do was blip the flipper and it would straighten out.

i think i was riding it on the roughest section of trail and the only g-out sized hole we found all day riding. did not bottom out on the g-out and i was sitting on the seat at the time. the rough section of trail did not even bother me and i would have ended up standing on my apex for part of it if i had been on it.

as compared to the vector that was with us that day, it had little/no engine vibration in the bars. on the vector after 5 min, my throttle hand was going numb. the power was as good if not better and it was a prototype we where demoing. i do not have a lot of seat time on vectors or nitros, so i have very little experiance engine wise to compare their normal performance.

the gauges where easy to use and easy to read wearing sunglasses for the little that i normally use them. fuel gauge was easy to read and they where positioned for easy view when you wanted to look at them.

the sled we demoed had the new tuner skis with snow trackers and a ripsaw 2 track. we where told that that is the skis and track they will be sold with. the combo really worked well together as the sled stayed planted while riding and had the grab to lift the skis when you wanted to.

would have loved to try some offtrail with it but conditions where not good but from the feel and balance of the sled, it should have no problems.

the only thing that i did not like was the hand warmer settings in that they where on medium, full or off. the switches where easy to use and really well placed. i usually run my warmers on 1 bar on the apex unless it is cold out (-25c or colder). with the set up on the sled i would be flicking it on and off all ride to maintain my preferred setting.

in conclusion, would i reccomend this sled to freinds and family? yes i would. you have to ride it to see how it handles for yourself. i would even reccomend it to sappling killer (brother) and he is a hard man on a sled.

i would buy one for myself but as i just bought my apex new dec 31, i will have to wait untill i wear my current ride out in 5 years or so. i have been around riding yamahas since i was 5 and am on my 4th yamaha because they still do what i want and need them to do.

 

[Nytro40th]

thanks for the write up

 

[Nytro40th]

ah good tuner skis

 

[BOUNTYHUNTER]

Thanks for taking the time to post your write up, looking forward to your little video. Sounds like you really enjoyed your demo ride and the NEW VIPER is a Sweet sled to ride

 

[Clubin]

Great write up.

 

[Yamacat21]

The ones I rode had the cat skis. It would be nice I they do have the tuners.

 

[yamahas]

Looking forward to the vid!

 

[Nytro40th]

x2

 

[maim]

need to edit it down as it is 45min and i am a noob at editing.

 

[freelance]

What's the status of your video ???

 

[maim]

put up the footage on my youtube acct this morning so you will not be able to view it until tomorrow. my acct is 19740702maim.

 

[yamahas]

Thanks for the videos!

 

[Apex2006]

Thanks, love the videos! Did you have a chance to race against anyone in the group as I saw the Nytro and Apex sleds running with you? How does it do from a holeshot standpoint, midrange, and top end compared to the legacy sleds. I know the handling will be better but just curious how it runs next to the Nytro with the same engine in a lighter chassis....

 

[maim]

we did not have a nitro with us. it was a vector and I did not try a hole shot. the clutching was not finalized at the time but from what we where told, they where going for a more relaxed clutch set-up compared to the nitro so it will not hit as hard as a nitro. we where trail riding and I could reel in my apex at will when I wanted to. we did not line them up as there was no room and ice conditions where getting bad. it was clutched well enough for me to pop the skis at will coming off the tops of the bumps.

the clutching is supposed to be smooth/sneaky fast from my info.

crewcheif was supposed to ride with us with his nitro but had to back out due to a logistics problem.

 

[Apex2006]

Thank you, and I like the videos! I am curious how the sled handles real hard riding when compared to my Nytro and Apex. Can't wait to get mine!