New Viper, now what?

[WillowAce]

After a long break from riding I am back in the game with a new 2016 Viper L-TX-DX. My dealer did a decent job with the basic out the door setup but now I am in tinkering mode trying to get the most out of it that I can. Eventually I intend to put new exhaust, better clutching, and probably reeds to help with cold air intake. For now I want to basically "super tune" the stock sled until I get it broken in. My question is, what are your suggestions for setting this sled up to maximize stock performance? Specifically I want to improve top end and mid range.

A few details, I am a big guy and would guess 250ish with all riding gear on. As of now the best I can seem to get out of it is 89 on the lake with a little bit of loose snow on top of the ice. One thing that confuses me is that it seems like 8900 RPMs is all I can get, does that seem right? Also, when I let off the throttle it stops pretty quick just letting the engine stop it, does that sound normal?

 

[tnc110]

After a long break from riding I am back in the game with a new 2016 Viper L-TX-DX. My dealer did a decent job with the basic out the door setup but now I am in tinkering mode trying to get the most out of it that I can. Eventually I intend to put new exhaust, better clutching, and probably reeds to help with cold air intake. For now I want to basically "super tune" the stock sled until I get it broken in. My question is, what are your suggestions for setting this sled up to maximize stock performance? Specifically I want to improve top end and mid range.

A few details, I am a big guy and would guess 250ish with all riding gear on. As of now the best I can seem to get out of it is 89 on the lake with a little bit of loose snow on top of the ice. One thing that confuses me is that it seems like 8900 RPMs is all I can get, does that seem right? Also, when I let off the throttle it stops pretty quick just letting the engine stop it, does that sound normal?

89 is not too bad...depends on how much loose snow. Get some miles on it and it will wake up a bit. I've only got 600 miles on mine, hit 98 GPS on a plowed road.

The slowing when iloff throttle is normal...amost like a Jake brake!

 

[WillowAce]

To clarify a bit, I expect a certain amount of engine braking just not as much as I am getting. My riding buddy has a 2015 Renegade and when comparing them I would say the Viper slows down almost twice as fast with no brake applied.

 

[savageman69]

yes like he said its normal...4 stroke have much greater engine braking , i hardly even use my brakes 5000 miles and the pads still look new

 

[Dinner]

Basic upgrades like muffler (and header if you want to spend the money), intake of some sort and clutching will help out with sled performace. Once your sled has quite a few more miles on it, it will run a bit faster at WOT. If you are wanting quite a bit more top end you could re gear as well. Clutching will be your biggest gain in my opinion.

And as others have said, the engine braking on these sleds is normal. I use the actual brake only a few times a year really. And I noticed in your post you mentioned reeds. You won't have to buy those for this sled

 

[WillowAce]

Basic upgrades like muffler (and header if you want to spend the money), intake of some sort and clutching will help out with sled performace. Once your sled has quite a few more miles on it, it will run a bit faster at WOT. If you are wanting quite a bit more top end you could re gear as well. Clutching will be your biggest gain in my opinion.

And as others have said, the engine braking on these sleds is normal. I use the actual brake only a few times a year really. And I noticed in your post you mentioned reeds. You won't have to buy those for this sled

Any suggestions for aftermarket clutch and exhaust? I used to use Bender anytime I wanted to make a Yamaha go fast, but they seem to have very little for the Viper. I hear Ulmer Racing a lot and is there anyone else I should look towards?

 

[yzf1999]

I put Ulmers SPI trail can and clutch kit with soft start spring. I also put Excells air intake on my sled. All I have to say is that was money well spent. The sled now pulls like an 800...I can totally feel the power gains. I also went from a 88 or so top speed to mid 90's....no need to turbo it now with these mods in my opinion.

 

[cannondale27]

I have wore out two sets of brake pads! A tuner which keeps it correct afr and good clutching will lessen engine braking. Viper has less engine braking than any other 4st I have ridden. That's good. Hate engine braking since it's not controllable by me and my finger on brake and throttle.

 

[WillowAce]

I have wore out two sets of brake pads! A tuner which keeps it correct afr and good clutching will lessen engine braking. Viper has less engine braking than any other 4st I have ridden. That's good. Hate engine braking since it's not controllable by me and my finger on brake and throttle.

Teach me!! This is an awesome sled with tons of potential. I just need a nudge in the right direction. Less engine braking will directly lead to quicker through the twistys and more confident riding.