Relax! Yamaha is not lying Down.

[Yamajon1]

Some have problems in chain case and some don’t. Just cause you see an issue on this site doesn’t mean they all have it. I think the info shared on TY is great but at times I also see we’re stuff gets blown out of proportion. I’ve never had to walk home cause of my Viper. It seems you can pick just about any sled make or model and find people that love it and nothing ever breaks for them and just as many that hate it cause there’s broke and they must all be junk. I can break any sled if you want me to but I can also take what you may think is a piece of junk and run it without a problem. Good maintenance goes a long way. None of these machines last long if you don’t take care of them. My only complaint about the yamacat chain case is it’s a bit of a pain to perform maintenance on. It seems most manufacturers these days have cheapened things up to boost the bottom line. Who’s to say if Yamaha went back to there own chassis that they would be any better then what’s out there now. I’ve been running Yamaha’s since the early 80’s mostly cause I never had any major issues with them and I like to have something different then my Polaris and Ski-doo riding buddies.

 

[cannondale27]

Not starting an argument, but why the upper gear & bushing problems and tensioner backing off on the Vipers & Winders then??

I'll admit I haven't dug too deep as I don't own either, but have briefly read about problems.

Why because they have quality issues just like Pure Yamaha sleds. Matter of fact there is not a snowmobile made that doesnt have some sort of quality issues.

 

[VX1R]

Not starting an argument, but why the upper gear & bushing problems and tensioner backing off on the Vipers & Winders then??

I'll admit I haven't dug too deep as I don't own either, but have briefly read about problems.

I love posts like "theCATman's". He hasn't even ridden a ProCross chassis sled and posts about the so called negatives that he's read on the interweb. I'm glad that he'll never walk home with the bulletproof DB chassis that's never had any reliability issues. Oh wait....W-arms breaking on the skid, exhaust donuts wearing out, frozen starter relays, less than easy oil filter maintenance.... It's great that you've had good luck so far with your sleds.

I had a great run with two Apex's in the family for over 10 years, and by keeping up with the proper yearly maintenance they proved to be two of the best sleds we've ever owned. But to write off the ProCross sleds because of the problems that you've read about....well you're not doing yourself any favors.

We've currently got a '17 and '18 SW that have replaced our beloved Apex's and couldn't be happier. Time's change. Yamaha has moved forwards with what they offer for sleds. There's a reason that the DB sleds aren't in their line up since 2018. We have not had any of the issues that others have reported regarding upper gear & bushing problems, belt blowing, etc. Both sleds are stock, and having a good dealer goes a long way.

I've been on some rides with one of my former Apex's and would never go back to that platform. The ProCross sled enables me at a young 64 yrs. old to end the days ride without swallowing a handful of pain relievers and I actually look forwards to the next days ride, regardless of the trail conditions.

These are snowmobiles that we ride, and are used in the most brutal conditions of any motorized vehicle known to man. Every sled is going to have some issues. Be happy with what you ride, but don't believe everything that you read about problems with the SW's or Vipers. Talk to a dealer and get the real skinny from the service manager to find out what percentage of sleds actually have the problems that you've read about.

The "unholy alliance" between AC and Yamaha was a bitter pill for many of us longtime Yamaha fans to swallow, especially when it was first announced back in 2013, but it's kept them both in the game, and has resulted in some pretty nice sleds for both parties. I'd say the future of both companies is looking a lot better now than a few years ago regarding their snowmobile divisions.

End of rant, and happy trails!

 

[cannondale27]

View attachment 149592

I love posts like "theCATman's". He hasn't even ridden a ProCross chassis sled and posts about the so called negatives that he's read on the interweb. I'm glad that he'll never walk home with the bulletproof DB chassis that's never had any reliability issues. Oh wait....W-arms breaking on the skid, exhaust donuts wearing out, frozen starter relays, less than easy oil filter maintenance.... It's great that you've had good luck so far with your sleds.

I had a great run with two Apex's for 10 years and with keeping up with the proper yearly maintenance they proved to be two of the best sleds we've ever owned but to write off the ProCross sleds because of the problems that you've read about, well you're not doing yourself any favors.

We've currently got a '17 and '18 SW that have replaced our beloved Apex's and couldn't be happier. Time's change. Yamaha has moved forwards with what they offer for sleds. There's a reason that the DB sleds aren't in their line up since 2018. We have not had any of the issues that others have reported regarding upper gear & bushing problems, belt blowing, etc. Both sleds are stock, and having a good dealer goes a long way.

I've been on some rides with one of my former Apex's and would never go back to that platform. The ProCross sled enables me at a young 64 yrs. old to end the days ride without swallowing a handful of pain relievers and I actually look forwards to the next days ride, regardless of the trail conditions.

These are snowmobiles that we ride, and are used in the most brutal conditions of any motorized vehicle known to man. Every sled is going to have some issues. Be happy with what you ride, but don't believe everything that you read about problems with the SW's or Vipers. Talk to a dealer and get the real skinny from the service manager to find out what percentage of sleds actually have the problems that you've read about.

The "unholy alliance" between AC and Yamaha was a bitter pill to swallow, especially when it was first announced back in 2013, but it's kept them both in the game, and has resulted in some pretty nice sleds for both parties. I'd say the future of both companies is looking a lot better now than a few years ago regarding their snowmobile divisions.

End of rant, and happy trails!

View attachment 149593

Yup at 15000 mi mine has gotten faster every year(Not Kidding)not sure if its my mods or just breaking in!

 

[Wannaviper]

Yup at 15000 mi mine has gotten faster every year(Not Kidding)not sure if its my mods or just breaking in!

We haven't done any mods on our two XTX Vipers, and head to head, the 2014 with 10,000+ miles will walk away from the 2016 with 4,500 miles. I know that there were some design changes between the 2014 and 2016 model years, but there was never a question about which one was faster.

 

[STAIN]

It is no different than people who wont ride a 4 stroke because of "the weight" but have never ridden one to try for them selves!!!!
People like that, I laugh at.

 

[yamadoo]

Yep VX1R you nailed it and Stain your right it does feel just like the 4stroke weight crap all over again!


Well said.

 

[cannondale27]

Yep VX1R you nailed it and Stain your right it does feel just like the 4stroke weight crap all over again!


Well said.

This weight thing happens from smaller guys like me who try to go off trail or SX/XC. The weight of sled and high c.o.g. is noticed especially when compared to a modern chassis like Doo,Poo or Alpha. The narrowness of the body work between knees makes it so much more easy to move around on. Only other times I noticed it was on trails that were really badly uneven whooped like 3-4ft and miles of it. Switching off and riding the 2st was a very noticeable break. Front to back no big deal and equal but the side to side motion the uneven whoops creates is the difference. I have both and vast majority of my riding is on trails that arent that bad and there is no doubt what sled I prefer to ride. Yamaha 4st!

 

[yamadoo]

I admit that I am both a 99% groomed trail and a big boy.

So I get it off trail and in the deep weight matters much more and I won’t argue this, it is certainly true.

I just think for what I do 4st is the way to go for me.... to each his own.

 

[cannondale27]

I admit that I am both a 99% groomed trail and a big boy.

So I get it off trail and in the deep weight matters much more and I won’t argue this, it is certainly true.

I just think for what I do 4st is the way to go for me.... to each his own.

I am just real picky and a racer at heart. There is no doubt in my mind that a 4st Yamaha makes the most sense to me. But if $ were no object I would own at least 2 more sleds one would be a Alpha and another would probably be a Turbo. But I guarantee that when a 900mi touring weekend comes up the Viper would be getting the call.

 

[74Nitro]

I am just real picky and a racer at heart. There is no doubt in my mind that a 4st Yamaha makes the most sense to me. But if $ were no object I would own at least 2 more sleds one would be a Alpha and another would probably be a Turbo. But I guarantee that when a 900mi touring weekend comes up the Viper would be getting the call.

Cannon, did you pinpoint your fuse blowing issue from the end of last year?

 

[ClutchMaster]

Cannon, did you pinpoint your fuse blowing issue from the end of last year?

Yea did you ever find where the “Smoke” was coming from?

 

[cannondale27]

Yea did you ever find where the “Smoke” was coming from?

Cannon, did you pinpoint your fuse blowing issue from the end of last year?

With the help of some magical diagnostic tools from TY member Cobrajet I believe so. Will know for sure once it's cold and next seasons over. Was 1500mi between episodes! That reminds me. I owe him. Everyone actually. Without support here the thing would have saw a tree or match after second time!

 

[Deeppow16]

Weight is a big deal for me. I'm a back country rider and when I'm going across a steep slope I need the most control I can have. You will have more control on a lighter sled. I get myself in some spots where either you make it or your sled is totaled. I have first hand experience as I had a nytro MTX that had everything done MOD wise besides a turbo. As I became a better rider I realized that I needed a lighter sled to do what I want and feel comfortable doing it. Now that I'm back on a 2 stroke my skill level has grown even more. I will say this though, If I was a trail rider then I would own a 4 stroke. I see my sled as a tool and they always say to use the right tool for the job. Well what I do requires me to be on a light 2 stroke because its the best tool for the job.

 

[Wannaviper]

I am just real picky and a racer at heart. There is no doubt in my mind that a 4st Yamaha makes the most sense to me. But if $ were no object I would own at least 2 more sleds one would be a Alpha and another would probably be a Turbo. But I guarantee that when a 900mi touring weekend comes up the Viper would be getting the call.

You can't beat a 4-stroke for the long touring weekends, if nothing else, you don't have to find a place to store all that 2-stroke oil, and your hotel room won't stink of 2-stroke smoke. I did a lot of them on my 2011 Vector, but the Viper was a huge improvement in comfort. Now the Sidewinder is just like the Viper, only a lot faster between the corners, and a lot more fun. Instead of doing 900 miles on a weekend, if you had the Sidewinder, you could definitely break 1,000!