yamahas Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Just in case anyone is interested in reading my thoughts on the Viper LTX SE... Well I got to try out the Viper L-TX SE on Friday. I also got a chance to ride a couple of Apex set up’s. The majority of my riding time has been spent on a Phazer so keep that in mind when I talk about handling, power, ergonomics and suspension. I will start with one of the bigger deals for me ergonomics. This is where my Phazer shines for me, the seating position is perfect (with a 2" riser). When I got on the Viper I felt right at home (I think the reps said it was the XTX riser on it). Going from sitting to standing is seamless. I was really, really comfortable on the Viper. For me it is pretty much bang on. I am a very active rider, always standing/sitting leaning and moving around. It’s very easy to do on the viper. The wide and tapered running boards feel natural. Power: Well I am used to a Phazer so this thing has lots of power for me. Even though they said the clutching and the FI needs a little fine tuning it really was not that bad at all. I was impressed but it might not be as big of a deal for the 3 and 4 cylinder guys. Suspension: I really, really like this suspension. It just flat out work. What impresses me more is that I had ZERO set up time and I still found it to work great. I wish I was able to find bumps big enough to see what it could really do but trails were too good (How often do we hear this?) The bumps that I could find were easily swallowed up. Handling: At first I was a bit apprehensive, knowing that with the Phazer you really need to lean into the corners. Since I am sitting up high on the viper (like the Phazer) I was expecting to use the same body english about the flat cornering. A few corners in and I had figured out what the reps were telling me. I was taking some of the corners while standing! Steering was almost just as light as the EPS Apex I was also riding, and the viper had snowtrackers. I felt a little bit of bump steer but this thing took corners like a train on rails. It would push in some corners when I pushed the throttle a bit more but conditions may have has a lot to do with it, late season riding. I was able to move faster though the trails on the viper then I could on the different Apex sets up I was able to try. I felt very confident after a few corners. Zero darting and zero tracking, I think this is mostly due to the snowtrackers. Feels like the center of gravity is quite low considering how high up you sit. The viper LTX handled better for me then the Apex’s. Unfortunately I was unable to get the viper off trail, snow was not deep enough to really get to try it. Gauges/controls/other stuff: Ok, I know there was a lot of talk about these gauges. I thought they were fine. I like the built in temp sensor, that a big plus for me. Speed, altitude, hrs, intake air temp, voltage, oil pressure, rpm, odo, and engine temp. I really don’t get why some/all this info was not already visible to us. They computers already know most of this so why did it take so long to get to see it built into the stock gauge, specifically the engine temp. I am not a fan of warning lights, I like to see what’s going on. One thing that did disappoint me about the viper is the handle bars. Looks like no attempt was made to change it from the cat bars. Though they are simpler to use and you don’t need to take your eyes off the trail to see what settings you have it at. I wish Yamaha used their bars or came up with something else. Reverse seems to work great, push button reverse with a servo but work differently than the Phazer reverse so no jumping on the back of it to get it to change gears. “Fit and finish”, honestly it looked better than the Phazer’s and I could not really find any faults to it. I have some mixed feelings about the exhaust sound. All in all I am very impressed by this sled. I think everyone that bought one will be very happy with it. This sled looks amazing, could not stop staring at it, felt like I was cheating on my Phazer! When I first read about the yamaha-cat thing I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing but after riding it I am happy it happened and this sled just plain rocks! They gave us a lot of info on the sled so I can try to answer as many questions as I can… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 great review. how do you feel the sled is in the case of rider forward positioning... more rider forward, or less? that is my only concern. Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimm Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Great review yamahas...where did you get the opportunity to ride the Viper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreezerBurnt Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Great review and nice and honest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahas Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Thanks guys! I would say its more rider foreward then not. I was contacted a few weeks back through TY. We rode in the Haliburton Forest. What a great system they have there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Re:Leaf Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Great review Yamahas. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Snow trackers prevent darting but I find my venture pushes a little in the corners with them. Maybe the Yamaha tuner skis will work better. I'm glad you got to try the apex and the viper so you can feel the difference. If you had to choose one the two sleds, which one would you take home? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildbill Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Great review well written Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahas Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 I would pick the viper hands down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo Doo Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Great review..thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Very well written. Thanks! Love the lines on it for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Thanks for your review. As many have said, very informative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahas Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share Posted March 22, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahas Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share Posted March 22, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahas Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share Posted March 22, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahas Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share Posted March 22, 2013 Forgive my helmet hair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Some great clips, helmet hair excepted lol. An exciting sled, no doubt about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Certainly has everyone talking about it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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