VIPER REAR SHOCK BROKE OFF

[Sled Dog]

Holy that's not good. Quite a few problems have been reported thus far.

 

[bigdog_mike]

SHOCK FAILURE

Yeah the shock failure was a real surprise to me as I couldn't have babied this sled anymore than I did on the break-in. The fuel filter connector failure was was buddies Viper so he wanted me to post this info on TY to let others know what happened on his first ride this week too, he also got a code 1338 on his Viper before the gas line connector failed. Will keep you posted on the fixes from Yamaha and the dealer reports...Glad my Apex is still running top of the line so I will be able to ride next weekend while the Viper is in the shop, but sucks making payments on it when its poor quality parts through no fault of mine...

 

[MNUser]

That sucks. What a bad deal for those that bought and yamaha. I'm thinking mine will be on c list this spring.

 

[sgauthier]

i,m not surprised but wow that sucks. looks like the suspension broke and then took the shock out. but one question. not bashing, just curious, but how the heck could you not feel or notice the shock or the suspension being broke and rattling around in the tunnel? i would think you would have felt or heard something to loose that much of the suspension. not sure why Yamaha let them use those ACT shocks, yamaha should have stuck with the proven kyb,s. hopefully they get you up and running quickly. good luck

 

[yam177]

All the shocks are ACT which are Cat. This is the first year they are used.

I have seen shock shafts fail but more happened here. The arm could have failed first. Big Dog that was a heck of a second ride! Fuel line and this. Sure someone isnt out to get you?

ACT are basically fox shocks all parts are interchangeable

 

[raginyamaha]

i,m not surprised but wow that sucks. looks like the suspension broke and then took the shock out. but one question. not bashing, just curious, but how the heck could you not feel or notice the shock or the suspension being broke and rattling around in the tunnel? i would think you would have felt or heard something to loose that much of the suspension. not sure why Yamaha let them use those ACT shocks, yamaha should have stuck with the proven kyb,s. hopefully they get you up and running quickly. good luck

if his ride was anything like mine on Christmas day, flat and groomed the whole way. hard to feel bumps when there aren't any.....

 

[sheetwright]

There is a thread started on this saem thing on a newer turbo cat on HCS also. That was after he beefed his up for a bigger rider, and or an extra rider

 

[Yamacat21]

Could this be a possible result of over tightening the shock mounting bolts. There needs to be some play for free movement and a lot of people were saying they were going to go through and tighten everything up. Some things are better off left alone.

 

[mikerider]

Maybe things have changed, but FYI, ACT shocks were made by Ryde FX. They were used for a few years (the rebuildable ones) by Cat in the late 90's and early 2000's.
Back in the days of the AMSNOW forums, we Cat guys complained loudly of all the trouble we had with those shocks. Cat's Greg Spaulding use to post on those forums and he got an ear full. After a couple years Cat switched back to FOX.
I was shocked to see the ACT shocks return to Cat this year.
May or may not be related to these problems, but just an FYI.
Mike

 

[Alpha]

wow thats not good. Folks at Yamaha have got to be pounding their heads in shame by now.

 

[rough rider]

wow thats not good. Folks at Yamaha have got to be pounding their heads in shame by now.

agreed heads are going to be hanging low by end of season, good thing i waited a year, some guys might have good luck others not so good , hopefully yamaha will step up to plate

 

[cannondale27]

I believe a bolt either snapped or fell out causing the linkage to flip and break the shock off. I dont know for sure but breaking a shaft is so rare it is only explanation I can come up with. I love my suspension and beat the heck out of it for the last 500mi and there is no way that even seeing this that I would want a Yamaha designed suspension ever again. It will get figured out and I hope the owner is made whole again. This is where we should all be glad we have Yamahas and I bet they step up. They have to.

 

[2lapsdown]

I really can't believe all the drama on here. There were thousands of these sleds built....seem to be very few serious problems. Yes, Yamaha could have played their cards a lot better as far as a lot of things go. The selective memory thing wears a little thin. Anybody remember the flawless launches of the Phazer and the Nytro? Bottom line, the best chassis with a Yamaha sticker on it EVER, fantastic motor. Yes a few QC issues, but the flippin sled works. Try to have a beer and relax. No one at Yamaha is" pounding their head in shame". The dealers sold more sleds than they have in years, they are selling parts, clothes etc. This sled was the only way Yamaha could get back in the game. Get out and ride the dang things!

 

[MrSled]

I really can't believe all the drama on here. There were thousands of these sleds built....seem to be very few serious problems. Yes, Yamaha could have played their cards a lot better as far as a lot of things go. The selective memory thing wears a little thin. Anybody remember the flawless launches of the Phazer and the Nytro? Bottom line, the best chassis with a Yamaha sticker on it EVER, fantastic motor. Yes a few QC issues, but the flippin sled works. Try to have a beer and relax. No one at Yamaha is" pounding their head in shame". The dealers sold more sleds than they have in years, they are selling parts, clothes etc. This sled was the only way Yamaha could get back in the game. Get out and ride the dang things!

Welcome to my world... Drama can be an understatement...

 

[DeerHuntr]

I really can't believe all the drama on here. There were thousands of these sleds built....seem to be very few serious problems. Yes, Yamaha could have played their cards a lot better as far as a lot of things go. The selective memory thing wears a little thin. Anybody remember the flawless launches of the Phazer and the Nytro? Bottom line, the best chassis with a Yamaha sticker on it EVER, fantastic motor. Yes a few QC issues, but the flippin sled works. Try to have a beer and relax. No one at Yamaha is" pounding their head in shame". The dealers sold more sleds than they have in years, they are selling parts, clothes etc. This sled was the only way Yamaha could get back in the game. Get out and ride the dang things!

Coming off a Nytro I personally don't think we are doing so bad with the Viper thus far. Chaincase bolts breaking, a arm bushings wearing out prematurely , sub frames bending loading them on the trailer , overheating issues, poor handling no matter what you do. They still have these issues and have been out since 08. There are issues with everything, bound to be a few with a first year bastard child. What I am seeing on here is more isolated incidents then wide spread issues. There are a few things that need to be addressed, no denying that but the way allot of Yamaha riders look down their nose at other brands and now the Viper is almost comical. We have an awesome engine, awesome clutching but everything else isn't better than anyone else's in my opinion, in some cases it is much worse. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in all the Internet hype but most of the time you need to read between the lines for the real story.