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To purchase or not

Theroofer

Newbie
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Messages
19
Age
52
Location
New Jersey
Country
USA
Snowmobile
Vk540
hello , I own a VK540 and I’m about to purchase a new 2017 sr viper mtx 153. I’ve been trying to do my research . I ride in the tug hill region of NY , trail and off trail . Would you all recommend buying the viper ? It looks like a great sled but I’ve found a bunch of negative reviews on them and I’m getting cold feet . Thanks ahead of time
 

I love my 15 STX DX 141 Viper except no top end power, good ride, handling, comfortable riding position. I have 3000+ milestone trouble free on mine.
 
There are some mixed opinions about the Viper Yamacat, some have had very little issues with the Viper and others not so lucky, how is your dealer? the reason I ask is will they stand behind the product they sell you or will they brush you off, if you have a good dealer and you look after the sled you should be all right, but do your homework and keep a open mind on other models, me personally... I would choose a 16 Vector xtx over a 17 Viper, the Vector will out run the Viper and does not have Cat DNA, but that's my opinion, its your hard earned dollars...choose wisely... winters are short.
 
I agree my 10 vector is faster than my 15 Viper, but the Viper is way more fun to ride, smoother, handles ,turns, and bumps are better, this from a guy who loves his Vector as well. The Viper Chassis is great, the motor is somehow slightly less in the Viper.

I have had no issues with my Yamacat, again this from a guy with currently in the family we have an Apex XTX,Vector Ltx, Venture Gt as well as the Viper. Kids would want me to mention the Snoscoots. Lol
 
The viper is a great sled. I had a 2014 ltx with 6700 trouble free miles.No issue with any thing mechanical,ever. General maint goes A long way. I changed oil and gear box oil every year and general wear items as needed. I only had to replace one wheel in the skid after 4000 miles. I think ice chunks got the better of it. LOL
 
hello , I own a VK540 and I’m about to purchase a new 2017 sr viper mtx 153. I’ve been trying to do my research . I ride in the tug hill region of NY , trail and off trail . Would you all recommend buying the viper ? It looks like a great sled but I’ve found a bunch of negative reviews on them and I’m getting cold feet . Thanks ahead of time

Reading your post, my thoughts.
A 153 mtx IMO is not the sled for Tug Hill.
Clutching/ gearing are set up for the steep and deep for out west. The track lugs would tear/ fold over while trail riding. The front end is very narrow and unstable at trail speeds. You’ll end up very unhappy after miles of trail riding with a lot of expensive repairs.
Now YES there are guys that flat land mountain sleds but for what you need I would look for a CROSSOVER sled 141 setup. You’ll enjoy the best of both worlds with minor tweaking for your riding style.

Riding position is excellent with the Procross,
The motor is outstanding will run a long time.
The negative... very finicky when starting in severe temps( - 20 and below). Yamaha hasn’t fixed that issue even with the latest flash. Many posts on this site( read up).
Overall a viper can be a great reliable sled with some modifications and elbow grease.

Again just my honest opinion.... good luck with the HUNT!!!!! Enjoy the upcoming season!!!
 
The Roofer eh.? Me too. 26 years of commercial, out in the Midwest....but grew up in the Lehigh Valley. I miss the skiing and the Yacco’s hot dogs, and of course the cheese steaks.

I made a trip to Tug Hill and a full circuit through NY. I rode my Sidewinder. Apparently what the rest of the world considers beat-up / giant moguls.....is a nice, smooth day out there. Bad is only when the bumps get to be 4’ + !
‘Ya know that’s really jacked up. Oh, and the trails on the railroad grades still have the rails and sleepers. Of course the trails were only as wide as the steel rails, with what looked like 300’ drop offs......so I actually was glad the snow was thin and the rails trapped me inside!

The club trails around Indian Lake were my favorite though. Awesome tight-twisties.

Anyway: being the roofer, you’re more than used to wrenching and fixing minor problems. You’ll have that with the Procross sleds. I agree the crossover version is the way to go....XTX or something. The Viper and Sidewinder sleds are awesome.....but more so if you get the best shocks possible. The maintenance simply needs to be kept up on. My Sidewinder did awesome out there.....couldn’t imaging riding anything else on those trails.

I also couldn’t imagine riding it off trail....which I have in Michigan, but not till early March with a firm base. Any great trail sled will suck off trail imho, and the reverse is true. That’s why a crossover may be the best option.

Personally, I’d get a base Sidewinder, maybe a leftover. Do a few side jobs on the weekends and upgrade the shocks to best possible. Do another few weekend jobs and get a beater two stroke for off trail. Then, I’d move my #*$&@ out of Jersey.....because there’s no reason to be paying the property taxes out there. You are basically buying 2 Sidewinders a year for just a modest home. I can’t even fathom the ridiculous anti gun laws.

Good Luck!
Q. Arrius
 
What’s up roofer . Yeah I’m in my 30th year roofing , mostly residential some small commercial stuff . Jersey is tough and I like my guns but upstate NY is worse and that’s where I’ll probably end up . I’m good as long as they don’t take my bolt actions away . Taxes here are bad but I live in south jersey in a little old house on some acreage and my taxes just went up to $4000, considered really good for Jersey , my neighbors are paying $10,000 but they’ve got big new houses . Yeah I’m off the viper . I actually have a vk540 that I love . I’m not real concerned with going fast and like to ride back in the woods and before the groomer gets out on the trail. Don’t know what I’m gonna get . May end up with another vk540 that thing has gotten me anywhere I wanted , I was thinking of getting something a little more sporty to play with but like you say a trail sled won’t be good off trail and a mountain sled won’t be good on trail . I do like the 2 stroke too . I don’t have electric at camp and it can get cold there so the pull start is good to have . Thanks for the advice and be safe ! Keith
 


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