Viper XTX Se Review

[loudelectronics]

Was able to get a few miles on the sled yesterday. Conditions are still weak but some of my atv trails are covered and ditches are blowing in with some drifts.

This Viper is the first Yamaha sled I have drove that I would feel completely comfortable letting my wife drive. It is very stable and predictable with very light steering effort yet still turns with minimal push. Once trails are groomed it will be good to get a good feel when pushing it 70 mph into a corner to see how it does. Cant get to those speeds yet as cover is just not there yet. Clutch engagement is very smooth. The suspension is a bit stiff right now and the rear bucks a bit. Even though it shares the motor with the nytro, it does not feel as strong. Pulls good but does not have that same feel. Take that with a grain of salt though as I have been running a nytro with hurricane/hindle setup and clutching so the nytro just feels so much more powerful with this setup. If the viper had the same setup, maybe it would feel the same. I just have not drove a stock sled for a very long time. The seating position is excellent. My hips are finally at a 90* roughly so I should be able to ride longer with less pain (I am young but have been a goalie my whole life and hips are shot). The handlebars could be a bit taller for my height (6'3"). I stand up lots for off trail and need the leverage. The reverse is super slick and really digging that. I do like how they use frog skin on most of the vents. Will be looking to get more to cover the rest. The best part was that the wind does not whip around the cowl like on my nytro and freeze the twig and berries. Looks like I wont have to wear a peeder heater this year.

What I do not like about the sled for my riding is that it is way to stable. For people that are looking for an off trail sled, they will want to get a riser and disconnect the sway bar and let some air out of the shocks. The skis just stick to the ground. THis is not really going to matter as I will be completely transforming the sled to a mountain sled in the coming weeks. Will be using a 38" front end, shorter shocks, vertical steering post, timbersled skid, 162" track, and fixing the power with a MCX190. Should be pretty fun and make the sled work for exactly what I need. I loved all the nytros I had and still have (mtx 162). I just feel the viper is better balanced and not as nose heavy like the nytro which I am hoping helps me out quite a bit. The viper is not as top heavy either so it should be a good performer.

 

[stingray719]

Wondering if it is worth your while to put the Cat adjustable steering column in your Viper....it should fit I would think. You can raise or lower bars on the fly that way.

 

[gsxr]

xtx

sounds great , only change would be MCX 240

 

[loudelectronics]

Not sure if the adjustable post would work. I am going with just the cat vertical post. I am wondering if there would be clearance issues with the adjustable post.

The MCX 240 would be nice... reality is though my sleds get used in the prairies more than the mountains. 240 is overkill for 90% of the stuff I do. If I spent more time out west for sure.

 

[Hankey]

Are you sure that the vertical steering post will fit the Viper? I have spoken to people that work with A-C and they have told me that the vertical steering wont fit on the 7000. I think you will get one awsome sled!

 

[loudelectronics]

I am sure the telescopic post will not fit. The vertical will as I have seen one already with one. I bought the conversion stuff from Robertson in swift current. They have done a few.

 

[freelance]

Boyz, I'm coming off a Cat and I snowchecked this machine sight unseen. I wanted the best of both worlds........Cat chassis and Yamaha motor and clutch.

Well I went to my dealer and looked at my red and black XTX SE today. I'm stoked !!! It looks awesome in person and just flat out mean !! It had one minor fit & finish problem......the left side molding on the console was not clipped in all the way. This has been reported from other folks. The mechanic went right to fixing the problem by taking the left panel off, pushing on the front of the hood, and it snapped right into place. He's already thinking of a more permanent solution should it shake loose while riding. I really loved the sound too.........nice throat !!!

The mechanic has been a Yamaha guy for over a decade he was just as stoked as I was !! He bought one for his wife and can't wait to ride it. He thinks this chassis /engine combo is going to be a real winner. He was so pumped about it it was hard not to be excited. Painfully, I left it at the dealer awaiting the front & rear skid plates to arrive and be installed. There is just enough snow to ride so I will ride the Z1 LXR one more time so I will have something to compare to the Viper. 2 completely different machines I know but I got the itch and I gotta ride something !!!

I know it's been tough on some people....especially you guys stateside.....especially you guys who have not received your sleds yet. I don't believe it's your dealers fault and the problem lies higher up the food chain. Remain patient and you will be rewarded. My dealer has been excellent throughout this whole ordeal. Very forthcoming with info even if she didn't have anything to report. My 45 minute session with her and the mechanic was awesome today and it was really enlightening that they made so much time for me. Today was a great start to what I hope is a wonderful long term relationship with my new dealer.

Big shout-out to Red River Yamaha just north of Winnipeg. Most times dealers don't get alot of credit.......you guys rock !!!!

More to come when I actually get a chance to ride it !! LOL !!!

 

[Nytro40th]