Trail riding sidewinder vs viper

[hognit09]

Purchasing another viper or possibly a sidewinder. For those who had both, besides power is there many differences between the 2 as far as weight, handling, etc for trail riding.

 

[WVTurboLTX]

My viper was a DX and my sidewinder is an LE so it's not the greatest comparison. If both have the same shock package then they should handle the same. I can tell you the qs3rs completely transform this chassis into a true all conditions trail burner. My LE is by far the best factory sled I've ever riden.

 

[hognit09]

I am more concerned that the sidewinder is gonna be heavier to muscle around on Wisconsin trails. I have a 16 ltx le now and it handles pretty good (still working on the slightly heavy steering). It’s gonna run me about $3500 to get into a sidewinder, just not sure it’s worth it.

 

[WVTurboLTX]

Oh, it's worth it. You won't notice a weight difference. You will notice the power difference. With mine dialed in, I can steer it with one hand. When you pin it you need both though...

 

[Joe ltx-le]

The sidewinder will be easier for you to throw around.
I had a 16 ltle viper ( moo 180 ) and traded on a 17 winder. The winder handles better. I think Yamaha lowered the engine in the chassis with the sidewinder.

Correct me if I’m wrong

 

[yamadoo]

I have the Viper and rode a few different Winders, no loss of handling, as stated above don’t notice the weight but the power is night and day.
Remember it’s 3500 minus the difference at time of trade or sale.

 

[pitViper]

i had a 14 viper LTX SE and miss absolutely nothing when compared to my 17 SW LTX LE. The upgraded shocks make the entire sled a night and day comparison. It takes some set up to avoid heavy steering but so did my Viper. THe seat position is diffferent as well and the handlebars are slightly higher and maybe back some to my feel. After spending a couple season on the SW, i dont miss the viper at all. My viper was a great sled and i loved it but the sidewinder is the complete package. Everything i felt that lacked on the VIper was cured oon the SW. Either way you go, you will have a great sled. The question is did the viper give you enough power? I would have spent $3500 or more just to get my viper turboed and it still wouldnt have come close to my SW. Plus the tunes available are just endless.

 

[Sevey]

The SW is a more tuned product than the Viper. It took them a few seasons to get the shocks calibrated correctly on the Viper and ECU - which I am not ever got there. Right out of the blocks they had their sh_t together on the SW. Good shock package that worked well on the sled and a flawless ecu delivering the powerplant you would expect from Yamaha.

The Viper could handle well but just lacked the wow factor. The SW has it all. Very mannerly on trails and gobs of power if you want it. To cruise up north on trails at 100, 120, 130 kph - no problem. The engine is barely working at those speeds. The Viper's 1049 just doesn't have the legs.
MS

 

[74Nitro]

The fact that there is only 1 Viper in the 19 line up speaks for itself......

 

[Joe ltx-le]

The 19 lineup is the end of an era. That’s the reason there’s only one viper in the lineup. Hopefully there will be something new for 2020.

 

[74Nitro]

The 19 lineup is the end of an era. That’s the reason there’s only one viper in the lineup. Hopefully there will be something new for 2020.

Maybe Joe, but if they were selling like hotcakes, there wouldn't be just one Viper in the 19 line-up.

 

[74Nitro]

Maybe Joe, but if they were selling like hotcakes, there wouldn't be just one Viper in the 19 line-up.

Here we are talking sleds in June and I'm watching live video of Rossi taking pole in Mugello

 

[Joe ltx-le]

Maybe Joe, but if they were selling like hotcakes, there wouldn't be just one Viper in the 19 line-up.

The problem is nothing is selling. North American snowmobile sales are in a slump. Because of China of course not global warming.

 

[Red Rocket]

Purchasing another viper or possibly a sidewinder. For those who had both, besides power is there many differences between the 2 as far as weight, handling, etc for trail riding.

I had a 2014 Viper LTX (13") for a couple years, then eventually handed it over to Dave at Hurricane (big mistake) to have his turbo kit installed. Although the turbo kit never worked as advertised it was in the end a stage 2 240hp kit. I now have a 2017 sidewinder ltx and it is not even close as to how it handles. The viper fell on its face N/A early... the sidewinder never stops pulling and out corners the viper in the exact same chassis. I am not really sure why it does but choosing the sidewinder over the viper is a no brainer!

 

[DennyTuna]

I have both, a 16 RTX SE Viper and a 18 LTX LE SW. Sure the SW will out perform the viper as far as power but that's where it ends. The Viper has QS3 shocks all the way around (I replaced the center shock with a QSR and dual rate spring) and the SW has QS3rs all the way around. The Viper is set up with Cat skis and the SW with Curve skis and both skis have bergstrom triple points. With both sleds set up properly the Viper is a little easier to throw around especially in the twisties and it should as its a shortie track. The SW is right with the Viper but the power has to be managed a lot more to get through the twisties and takes more driver input (foot pressure) to keep the SW planted. Both shock packages perform well